Family vacation vs. adults-only vacation: What are you doing this summer?

Nick and I are coming off of one of the most insane/fun/action-packed weekends we’ve ever had. Sunday was Nora’s christening and party so we had a bunch of out-of-town guests (Nick’s parents stayed at our house; aunts/uncles/cousins/etc. stayed at my parents’ house). My sister, Meghan, was home for the first time since she moved to California and even though it’s only been about six weeks, it was a big deal and needed to be celebrated as much as possible. And Saturday was my father’s birthday, which was marked by a dinner party for 21. Oh, we also had a friend’s Kentucky Derby party, Alex’s first soccer game, his friend’s gymnastics party, and haircuts for all. In other words, we did a lot of running around. And a lot of partying. We still have not recovered and, not surprisingly, the topic of vacation came up last night. Are we taking one? A real one? With the kids? Without? Where would we go? Can we really afford it?

 

Nick and I have only been on one trip together and without children since Alex was born almost three years ago. It was to Vienna for a wedding and it was a three-day whirlwind. Fun, yes, but not exactly walking hand-in-hand on the beach. This is not to say we are deprived of traveling. We do a lot of it, actually, we just usually have children in tow, which you all know is not always the most relaxing way to go. And we either go to his parents’ house in northern Michigan or my parents’ house in Florida. Period. No room service, no maids to make the beds, no one spritzing you with lavender-scented water as you read trashy novels by the pool. Again, I’m not complaining, I’m just telling you where I’m coming from.

 

So, yes, it would be great if Nick and I could get away together for a few days sans kiddies, but it just seems a little daunting to even think about, let alone plan (and pay for). July 23 is our five-year wedding anniversary, which is why we’re considering a get-away. I vaguely remember lying on the beach in Maui on our honeymoon, mai tai in hand, saying, “We are totally coming back here for our five-year anniversary!” Well, two children, two car payments, one mortgage and a helluva lot of bills later, we are not going to Hawaii. And, to be honest, we have both said we’d rather spend the money on a few more blue spruces for the yard (we just had a fence installed around our property and are now in the landscaping phase of the project). Yes, we’re boring. I’m also not sure I’d want to leave Alex and Nora for any extended period of time. They’re just so damn cute these days. But boy, could I use a getaway! And the thought of boarding a plane (or even driving somewhere) with just Nick? OMG, I can’t even imagine it at this point.

 

But we definitely can’t do both so it’s either all four of us go somewhere (most likely to one of our parents’ houses) or just Nick and I do. In defense of the latter, our home is very vacation-like in the summer. We’re a mile from the beach, we spend a lot of time out on the water, my sister and my parents have pools we swim in constantly and we BBQ almost every night. So the children would not be missing out by staying put. But would Nick and I be missing out?

 

OK, when was your last no-kids vacation? Was it worth it? Are you taking one this summer? Are you taking a family vacay? Where? Any good suggestions?!