The 2011 Vacation - A Month in America

Every year we try to take the kids away for a month, either to a place that we love, or a place that we long to see. It usually ends up being a vacation full of so many wonderful memories, that the details of what we experienced - and when - begin to melt into one big, incredible adventure.

In 2009 it was Australia, while in 2010 it was a month in the U.S. followed by a couple months in the UAE (with side trips to beautiful Oman and Nepal). And this year we're exploring what I consider to be one of the most stunning, and diverse, lands on the planet, the East coast of the United States of America.

Unfortunately Tobi's not able to join us this trip, as he's made completing his MBA this year a top priority, but he insisted that we go on without him (giving him plenty of time to concentrate on his studies without distraction).

Truthfully, I would have loved to have done a full-out road trip from Florida to New England, but that would have meant sacrificing precious time with distant loved ones, all of them wonderful people that we only get to see once a year. So we opted for a few weeks in Florida, a road trip up to Tennessee, a long Easter weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains and small-town Tennessee, and a week and a half in New England.

And all of that is being done with family, which means that I'm able to see the world with the children, while allowing them to bond with some of the most important people in my life. What could be better than that? 

We've had a couple of hicupps along the way, like doctor's visits and a tummy virus, but those are things that could just as easily happen at home, so who cares?

And now, since the battery of my laptop is dying, I have to say goodbye and begin packing for our roadtrip back to Florida. The Blue Ridge Mountains, not to mention our "redneck Easter" here in Tennessee, were incredible. Next stop, Stone Mountain, where we plan to do the cable car ride and potentially the famous light show. I'll be sure to write all about it once I find my power cable! :)

Safe and happy travels,
Liz