Vacation Time Again

It is rare that we take two trips this closely together, but we are leaving for vacation again tomorrow. I am very excited about this trip for several reasons. My husband's family lives in Michigan, so when we get time off that is where we go. We always have a blast when we go there, but we haven't been on a vacation that wasn't to Michigan since 2010. It will be nice to have a change of scenery. We are also going on this trip with my family. My parents, my brother, his wife, and my two nieces will all be there. We have never done a trip with all of us, so I am definitely looking forward to that. Lastly, my family did not have a great deal of money when I was growing up. My father was a pastor and an appliance repairman, and my mother was a stay at home mom, going to school to become a teacher. (She has been a teacher for more than 15 years now.) There were families that were in a much tighter spot than us, but generally vacations were not a luxury that we got to enjoy. Our grandparents had a camp on a river in Alabama, so we got to enjoy that a couple of times per summer. We loved going there, and we definitely did not feel deprived. One summer my parents decided that even though money was tight, they were going to take us on a real vacation. They had both grown up traveling quite a bit, and it was important to them that we got to experience a trip like the ones they grew up enjoying. They really did not have the money to do so, but they took us on a trip to Gulf Shores. I was 7 and my brother was 10, and that is still the trip that I look back on with the most nostalgia. We had such a good time, and it is absolutely one of my fondest memories. My parents are in a much better place now, my dad is still a pastor and he is a school custodian as well. My mother is a 3rd grade teacher, and she was voted teacher of the year last year. They wanted a chance to take us on another family vacation, only this time with the addition of my husband, my sister-in-law and my two nieces. Gulf Shores was the obvious choice because it holds such a special place in our hearts. I will not be posting while I am there. I am just going to enjoy my family for a couple of days.

I will however, let you in on how I plan to stay on track. I plan to prepare the same way that I did for our last trip. I am taking workout gear with me, and I will be working out every day. We are staying in a condo that has a kitchen so I won't have to worry about fast food as much. We plan on eating breakfast and lunch at the condo, and will be eating out for dinner. This works great for me because it means that I can stick to my normal routine for breakfast and lunch. Since we are only eating out for dinner, I won't have to worry about fast food meaning that I will have much more options. The only time I will have to deal with fast food will be on the trip down and the trip home. I have my list of fast food meal options so I should be fine for those few meals. I wanted to do most of my workouts outside, but it is looking like we might have to contend with some rainy days while we are there. The condo that we are staying at has a gym, so I have no excuses to not workout. Hopefully I might even be able to get someone in my family to do a couple of workouts with me! My weigh in should be this Saturday, but I will plan on posting that when we get back. I hope you all have a great weekend. I know I will!

Thanks for reading,

Sarah