Summer Vacation 2011!

    After school was out in early June, my family left for a week and a half long vacation in Florida.  Crazy as it may seem, we loaded up the car with our four-year-old and our almost one-year-old and made the trek first to Tampa to see relatives few a few days and then to Disney World.

Looking back on it now, it was much more busy than I thought it would be!  I had envisioned relaxing by the pool or on the beach or even sitting in a little cafe with an icy drink while also doing all the fun water and amusement park thrills...but that's not really what happened.  We were on the go a lot!  Even when the kids were napping or swimming it seemed like the adults were cleaning or organizing or making breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner.  I did find some time to read and finished one audiobook (Ally Condie's Matched) on the drive down and back while my husband and the kids were sleeping but otherwise I didn't do that much reading and was fairly disconnected from my computer and my smartphone while on our trip.

Little Bean at the beach

     Since we've gotten home I've had a hard time getting back into updating my blog and being on Twitter as much as I was before.  I'm still participating in my Babysitter's Club chat (#BSCChat) with some great girls and I'm still updating my tweets but I'm definitely still in summer vacation mode and I'm embracing it!  I realized when reading Daniel Pink's Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us that teachers kind of have it made when it comes to a job that gives us a chance to do our work but then also gives us time to refresh and get reinvigorated about what we do.  He talks about a man who works for a length of time but then takes a year off to travel and experience totally different things so that he can come back and have a whole new outlook on what he does.  Teaching kind of works like that, we teach for nine months and then we get the summer to take a break and come back refreshed.

Peanut fighting Darth Vader

     Our vacation turned out to be exactly what a vacation should be about.  Vacations should be about being away from what you normally do and just focusing on each other and enjoying the moments you are in.  I feel like I'm still taking in all the things we did on vacation.  There is just so much to see at Disney World.  I'm not sure Disney World will ever by synonymous with relaxing for me...but maybe one day when we have lots of time and we make an effort to pick only our absolute favorites things to do.  Fun, I'll give it, Disney World could never ever not be fun for me.  Even in 90-100 degree heat with lines and tired kiddos, Disney World was still fun.  It's a completely magical place for me.

Mickey, Peanut, Chad the Dad, Minnie, Little Bean, me, and Goofy

     I'm still dreaming of Disney and of all the fun things I'm ready to go do all over again or of things I missed and wish I could go do. (Seriously, I cried when we left...it just makes me sad to leave Disney. Mickey, I love you!)  But life does go on, and a wonderful life it is.  Even if I can't be at Disney World every day, I can share the fun reading I've done since I've been back!  Teach Mentor Texts has some fun in store: a new contributer to the blog, an early look at Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu to be released in September, and more nonfiction fun from Owlkids and others!  Thanks for visiting and I hope you check in soon.
    Have any of you ever been on vacations that were exactly the kind of recharge you needed?  Or others that left you sleeping for a few days just to be able to function again?  Where is your favorite vacation spot?  Do you like busy-busy-on-the-go vacations or chill vacations?  I'd love to hear about your favorite vacations!