Are We There Yet? .... How Much Longer?

I feel like that obnoxious child in the back seat, on the neverending road trip!  I just want it to get here....and you may ask what is "IT?"  Well, I can't really decide, because I am excited about a lot of events in our future.  We are very fortunate (and I really do realize this) to be able to travel like we have and will again this summer.  Both of our children are grown (enough) to handle it, and we have continued to pay our former $$daycare$$ into a vacation account that we budget our vacations with.

So, if you ARE REALLY interested and want to see what the Rahns will be up to this summer, read on for a chronicle of our summer plans.

In 57 days - our 12th Anniversary and we leave for Florida....

We decided to attack Disney World in July again.  This will be our 4th summer trip to Orlando.  We are crazy, but we've got a plan and it has worked in the past.  Hopefully, it will again.

We will be driving this time - a first - and staying overnight in Savannah, Georgia.  We got a free hotel room at a highly recommended Hampton Inn using our Hilton Honors points that I've been accumulating for the past 2 years.  The Hampton Inn has a free breakfast and free wifi for blog updates ;), and then we will be on our way to Orlando.
We will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge for 5 nights. It's the only on-site hotel we've stayed at and we LOVE it.  Don is looking forward to the fun, but this would definitely not be his first choice for another vacation destination.  He knows I love it and he is a good husband. :)

We've got our ADR's in place (dining reservations) - we got free dining - so we will get one sit down, one fast food meal and one disney snack per person each day. I've started looking at the park hours and we've got a tentative plan already in place.  When you go to Disney in the summer, you NEED a plan and you need your meals prearranged or you will be miserable.

I've started figuring out how much spending money we will need and that is now being budgeted.  Don's sister is watching the house and dogs (Thank you Chrissy!) and all I really need to do is pack!  I want to do it NOW!! There's that obnoxious child again.....

In 63 days we will be driving to Emerald Isle, North Carolina

Yep, we are returning to our annual beach house with my parents, and my sister and her husband.  This will be our 8th year in the same beach house ( I think, maybe 7..or 9).  We found this location by accident about 8 years ago and have been returning every year since, for 7 nights.  Emerald Isle, NC is at the bottom of the Outer Banks and is about an 11 hour drive from Orlando.  This will be the first time we will be driving from the opposite direction.  We decided to stop for dinner in Myrtle Beach, SC and show the girls the area that Don and I played in before Carleigh was born.  We will arrive in Emerald Isle late in the evening and then get to spend 6 great days relaxing with my parents.  Oh and a BIG thank you to Rocky and Rina for sponsoring this great family vacation every year!!  Is It Time Yet?.........

In 82 days Don and I will fly SOLO to the Pacific Coast for 3 nights...

On July 27th we will be flying to Seattle, WA for the US Innovative Education Forum sponsored by Microsoft.  While I am attending workshops, going on "learning adventures," and meeting educators from around the nation, Don will be in a rental car with "beef jerkey and bottled water" (his words) exploring Mt. Ranier National Park and its surroundings. Both of will be happy - The Teacher Geek and The Nature Boy.  Both of us are very excited for this adventure.  My airfare and lodging will be paid for, so all we need is a plane ticket, and beef jerkey for Don. :)  Thanks to mom and dad for volunteering to move into our house and watch the girls and the dogs for 4 days. We will return to the East Coast on June 30th, only to.....

In 92 days we fly, as a family, back to the Pacific Coast to Vancouver, Canada

Our BIG adventure this summer starts on August 6 as we fly to Vancouver, Canada for 3 nights.  We will be staying at a brand new hotel built for the Olympic Games in 2010.  We are going to spend a day in Whistler exploring and playing.  Then we will have a day to explore Grouse Mountain and go zip-lining as a family.  Yes, even Katie will be joining this year.  On August 8th we will be joined by my mom (Rina), Don's parents (Nana and Bubba) and my college roommate and her family (her girls are the exact age as my girls).  Our party of 11 will then prepare for.....

In 95 days days we will leave on the Disney Wonder for a 7 night cruise through the Inside Passage of Alaska

I CAN'T WAIT!!  This will be the first time that Carleigh and Katie have traveled with other kids.  They are going to have the time of their life.  Carleigh and Brigit will probably be spending a lot of time in The Edge (the Tween Club for 11-13 year olds) and Katie and Alaina will probably be spending a lot of time in the Oceaneers Lab or Club (for the younger set).  The ship has wave phones (like cell phones) for each cabin - Carleigh will have free roaming privileges while checking in on the phone.  Don and I are hoping to have some alone time and I'm also looking forward to reconnecting with Marti (my roommate from VT). My mom and Don's parents cruised with us 3 years ago, so they are familiar with the ship and we all are definitely looking forward to it.

So far our plans include:

• a 5 hour Whale Watching cruise in Juneau for just the 11 of us.  Through much research, I found a private charter and have booked it for our Juneau day
• a 3 hour adventure - just Rina, Carleigh, Katie and myself - in Skagway we will be taking a 30 minute flightseeing helicopter ride to the top of a glacier and then spend 1 1/2 hours in a dog sled camp with a 30 minute "mushing" adventure.  Then the 20 minute helicopter ride back to the port.  
• On Skagway day Don is hoping to do a Wilderness Adventure Safari for 6 hours.  He will take a catamaran, a bus,  and then finally a canoe ride straight towards a glacier.  Definitely a Don Rahn type of adventure.
• A fully day of Glacier Viewing on the boat and also hopefully lots of relaxing..... 

 We will then arrive back in Vancouver on August 16th, spend the night at the same hotel we had previously stayed at and fly home to Virginia on August 17th.

Oh, and this cruise has been booked and held by a deposit since September of 2009! I NEVER thought this day would arrive!!

In 103 days  we will return to the jobs that allow us to have these vacations!

We return to Virginia on August 17th and technically, that is the first day that we are to report for the new school year.  Luckily, we can work a flex day before we leave and we will return to work on August 18th without losing any leave days.

So you can see why I am obnoxiously asking and wishing for the school year to be over - just like the kids are.....but before we can begin our summer adventures we have to....

• take and/or give 14 SOL tests among the 4 of us
• 2 field trips
• 3 girl scout meetings
• 2 piano classes
• 1 Piano Recital
• 1 Dance Recital for 2 girls
• 2 more CCD classes
• 3 more staff meetings
• 4 doctor/dentist appointments
• 1 Elementary School graduation
• 2 weeks of sports camps
• 1  - 9 year old birthday - 2 parties
• 1 Lobster Day
• and LOTS of packing and unpacking

 
  Hopefully the time will fly by and we will have a smooth end to the school year!  There are enough exciting events in our future, so a quiet (but fast) next 6 weeks would be great.

As we say...Seldom A Dull Moment and we LOVE it!!

Thanks for reading and following us on our journeys!

Now..ARE WE THERE YET? HOW MUCH LONGER? :)

Stay tuned for updates on the "quiet" end to the school year and the "chaotic" beginning of our summer....






-Laura :)