almostangel,

Have a wonderful trip!

Wave at me as you fly over Colorado, and please, have a margarita for me (and say hello to Jimmy!)

d.

Wow, I too, can't wait to hear about your trips and the great sights you saw.
The Rhine has always been a place on my list of places to go. Can't wait to hear about it.
I am interested in inclusive resorts so make sure you report in Dotsie.

When in Margaritaville watching the Jimmy videos, if you see "One Particular Harbor" video, I am the girl in the yellow dress. I am in and out of the scenes so fast you can't blink or you will miss me but try anyway. I was a very young girl at the time. My ship is featured in the video. Have a margarita for me!

I will be spending most of my summer taking my little cub scout camping along the northeast.

The grand canyon lodge is beautiful and perfectly located. I loved walking down the canyon and nearly killed myself walking out and that was back before I turned 40! Good for you hiking the canyon!

Lynn

Thanks Dotsie, We always took our kids on vacations growing up and they both have come to love it so I think they figure if mom & dad are footing the bill they will make the effort to try to be there. Now they are older and have a better understanding of how much things cost.......and hubby and I will gladly pay to spend time with them so it works out for everyone. Also they are old enough now where they know they can escape the "rents" if need be for some "rent free" time but that also warms my heart as they are having good brother and sister time which is important for them as they live in different states and miss each other.

Val, sounds like such a healthy family!

Ross and I figure that as long as we foot the bill for family vacations, our kids will come too. Our 21 year-old is going away with us twice this summer...no problem.

For a few years now we have thought of each vacation with our kids as possibly "one of the last" as a family. Said so at one of these and our oldest (21)looks up, dumbfounded, and says "Why, I'm not going anywhere!". So, yeah, I also am holding out hope that we can continue to be able to pay for family trips and that they, and any extras they have (husbands, kids) will come along also.

Dotsie, nice to hear your 21 year old likes your trips too!

Avalon, just read your postscript - "People...will remember how you make them feel. For so odd reason these are words I needed to see right now, helps me to remember to focus on the other person and their feelings and NOT me!

Yeah, I know families who vacation together forever. I don't expect that of my kids once they are independent and have their own families, but hey...heck...if they want to come with us, I'll be happy to include them.

Me too, me too. I just booked another Vegas trip for Sept. We couldn't get the resort we wanted in any of the weeks we wanted in Disney for Oct. or Nov. so we decided to go back to Vegas. I've been wanting to go again. I found good deals by going in Sept. I booked Caesar's Palace. Can't wait. We went in June 2 years ago. It was hot, but we had a great time. I don't do Grand Canyons or Dams. I love the hotels, restaurants, glitz, shopping and gambling. I loved the wax museum. They looked so real.

We just came back from Disney so we're home for a while.

Louisa

WHAT wax museum? It is worth going into?

Have you gone to Margaretiville. It is my FAVORITE place on the strip.

We head for Vegas in about 3 wks ...and we are doing Disney for Christmas. These two vacations will be the first we've taken with the kids in ages..they are 17 and 15..our time is running out.

Our plan is to lay by the pool all day, and wander the strip at night - showing the kids the hotels. Can't wait

DH and I are going on a "mini-trip" (I actually call them "honeymoons") this wk.end....I can't wait.

We are taking a scenic drive to Wyoming - staying the first night in a western hotel...and the second night in a "hot spring" hotel. We'll hike, soak, play, and re-connect. I just can't wait!

Danita

The wax museum is either at the Venetian or next to it. Over there somewhere. It's great. They let you stand next to the figures and take pictures too. It's not real expensive either. I really enjoyed it. What's Margaritaville? A club? Hotel? I'm not a Jimmy Buffet fan so if I saw it when I was there, I probably didn't pay much attention to it. What's it near? We went to a show at Bally's that I loved. I liked seeing the costumes with all the feathers and the glitz. We saw Celine. I liked the shops at Aladdin and Caesar's. I thought the Bellaggio was the most beautiful place. I got a big kick out of being able to shop in the middle of the night like it was afternoon.

Where are you staying in Disney? We have the vacation club so we go twice a year. Have you been to the Boardwalk area? Last year they started the most incredible Christmas display at MGM. You've got to see it. They take the whole back lot and turn it into a Christmas wonderland with lights EVERYWHERE. They play music and make it snow while you're walking down the street.

Louisa

Danita,
I just realized you are in Denver. I have cousins in CO. I think a couple of them are in or around Denver. They didn't even know they had cousins in MA until a few years ago when I found one of them online. It turned out their father was sick and we were able to put him and my mother (his sister) together on the phone for a while shortly before he died.
Louisa