Take Vacations
TAKE VACATIONS!! You can always earn more money, but you can never earn back the time. This week, as we’re on our twentieth vacation in 20 years, we’re reminded how invaluable this time is.
Sure enough, we’ve made more than our fair share of bad decisions in life…racking up crippling student loan debt, financing new cars, being house poor, and allowing ourselves to be defined by our careers. But one thing we feel we got right from the very beginning was taking family vacations. No matter the circumstances, we’ve always managed to take an annual summer trip.
As classroom teachers, and young parents who hadn’t quite figured out the concept of proper budgeting, it didn’t matter if it meant me working Saturday school or Opal teaching summer school to earn the extra money, we always prioritized taking a family summer vacation. Even in the days of getting a Ph.D., I would write papers in the middle of the night and complete doctoral coursework while our young kids took afternoon naps…all from the hotel room of our vacation destination. No matter what, though, we took time away—just our immediate family—to give us the time and space to reconnect with each other.
Early on, for several years, we always took beach vacations. Over time, we realized there was so much more to see and do than the sugar white sands and emerald green gulf waters every single summer. It took one cross-country road trip to Yellowstone for us to become absolute National Park Geeks! For the past few years, we’ve traveled state to state in the summer accumulating National Park Passport stamps and thousands of miles on the family car. Most importantly, we’ve accumulated memories as a family that will last a lifetime!
So, here’s the deal, it doesn’t matter if you take two days or 10. It doesn’t matter if you love hiking or biking, beaches or museums, or hotels or cabins. Whether you’re into cross-country road trips or National Parks, or a nearby getaway or a backyard campout. Take the time! Take the time to unplug, experience life, and make meaningful, lasting memories as a family!!
