We leave for vacation tomorrow afternoon. It'll be a week without e-mail, telephone or the internet. We're heading out to Michillinda Lodge in White Hall, Michigan, right on Lake Michigan. It's a lodge kind of like the one in Dirty Dancing, where people stay in their own cabins, eat in a common dining hall, with lots of common activities. Typically, there are other kids for Nate and Maddie to hang out with, which makes life easier. We've gone there the past three years with Cathie's parents and her brother Ed. This year, Ed & his wife Stacy aren't going, but Cathie's grandparents are, which will be fun. Both of my grandfathers died when I was young, and Cathie's Grandpa has been like a Grandpa to me, since Cathie and I start dating 15 years ago. The kids are also really excited about spending time with them, which is neat. I just remember my Great Grandma being really, really old and wrinkly. She was a nice woman, but not someone who I was excited about spending time with.
Anyways, this should be a fun vacation, but I've slowly learned to reset my expectations on these. If I go into them thinking I'm going to relax and enjoy myself, I walk away disappointed. As Brad says "Anticipations are resentments waiting to happen." This year, I'm going into vacation knowing that I'm going to spend a lot of time playing with my kids, giving Cathie a chance to relax and in the evening, kicking back and watching a beautiful sun-set. Every year we head up to the Silver Lake sand dunes, rent a jeep, and go driving on the dunes. I'd like to take Nate and Maddie canoeing this year also.