Vacation! (Kind of)

Taking the direction of many families these days, we decided on a more economical approach to our vacation this summer and opted to head down to see my family in Twin Falls and then head to the cabin for 4 days of fun in the sun on the river. What constitutes vacation in light of the normality of life is, I guess, the abnormality. If only I had this epiphany before setting my sights on what we both had predicted to be a "perfect vacation." Yes I know, only someone with the shortsightedness of Clark Griswald would have the audacity to plan a perfect vacation, but you see it should have been perfect because we kept it so simple! No huge plan other than get a hotel with a pool in Twin, head out the next day for the cabin and fish and play in the river. Seemed simple enough, no regard for setting our sights on visiting every landmark between destinations, no truncated time table pestering us. However kids (and I am including a 7 month old schnauzer in this story) can somehow effect the getaway in their own simple ways. Not traveling well, not sleeping well, not eating well, not being happy about anything that can affect their fun. Here is another scenario that can unpredictably change your vacation. WEATHER! Yes, if you find yourself planning a summer vacation with an assortment of outdoor activities, you can bet that a storm and significant drop in temperature will ensue.
Now before you start to over-analyze this post, remember this, it is still a "vacation" so no matter what happened on this trip you can surmise that we still had fun. We were still granted a visit with my siblings in Twin Falls where we hung out at the pool while the kids played and we caught up on a few month hiatus from seeing each other over a beer. We also got to catch up with the best man from my wedding as we swept through Fairfield. And at the cabin we were indeed able to spend a couple of quality days on the river, at the hot springs and fishing at the dredge ponds.
I guess it really depends on how you look at it. I prefer Clark's approach. Fun at all cost. "Well I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles. You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of you're assholes! I gotta be crazy! I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose!"
Thank you Clark for reminding me what family vacations are all about.