My favorite vacation is one that will never be repeated. It's buried deep in my memory and even deeper into my soul. You're probably wondering why I feel so strongly about something that would be so common for most people right? Two words, My Dad. That's right, my dad. As most of you know by now I didn't grow up with my dad. All I had of him growing up were stories of what my mom remembered. Which wasn't much.
In 2009, my mom, my kids and I made a special trip to meet him after hiring a private detective to find him. It was actually much easier than we knew and only took the guy two weeks. We spent two weeks with him in New Mexico, getting to know him and visiting places around the town he lived in.
We visited White Sands, which used to be a military base but is now open to visitors; farmers markets, an old military fort, and Carlsbad Caverns. We also made a side trip to San Diego, where my uncle still lives, and took the kids to the San Diego Zoo and to the tide pools out at the Cliffs.
Several months later, my dad moved back up to Oregon to be with us and it's felt like a vacation all on it's own getting to know him and have memories to last the rest of my life.
What vacation stands out in your heart? Why does it mean so much to you?
2 comments:
A vacation of the heart can be very different than one of excitement, discovery, etc. I think the trip I make this fall will be one from the heart as I travel to Ohio to spend time with a friend who has "memory problems". We'll spend lots of time reminiscing because those are the easiest and best conversations to have and she and I have much to reminisce about. (She was with me on my adventurous trip to Ireland with all the flat tires I wrote about last Friday).
I think my favorite vacation was the one we took to Washington, D.C. My son was in the Marines and stationed there. My son and his buddies showed us around D.C. We did tourist things during the day and in the evening the "boys" took us to the best clubs and restaurants off the tourist track. Places where the locals go. One of my son's roommates was a piano player in a band and we got free admission into the club. The museums were awesome. I had no idea there were nine or ten of them. 10 days there, and didn't see everything! I want to go back some day.
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