three on thursday...best vacations

Ok, I'm really tired tonight from a stress-induced cold, so this will be short and sweet. But still chock full of literary goodness.

In honor of summer rapidly approaching, I give you this week's edition: favorite vacations.

1. Maine 2007
I put this one at the top because it was such a relaxing trip to a unique place (Oquossoc, Maine, anyone?) with great friends and family. This was a trip that was given to us by Becki's old boss, who took the whole staff and their families as a bonus for the year. We spent several days in old log cabins on the edge of an incredible lake with gorgeous views. No TV, no internet, hardly any cellphone service. We loved it and talk often of getting the gang back together to do it again. Of course, our favorite part was finding out Becki was pregnant with Jacob...and sharing the news there. You can still see the pictures from this trip here.

2. Almost any summer from my childhood in North Carolina
Back when my Pop was alive, he and my Mema--along with several members of our family--owned property and homes in Hendersonville, NC. The whole complex consisted of three older, country-style homes, a big, sloping field that we converted into a driving range, an old barn, acres of apple trees, and a pond that was perfect for swimming. All of us cousins would get together every year--sometimes at Christmas, too--and have a blast spending the day out in the mountain air. The "rite of passage" came when Pop decided you were old enough to drive the rickety old red jeep that we used to scurry around the property. I miss those summers of getting together with family. It was all so simple then...

3. "Sports trip" with my parents, Summer 1994
This trip came right at a time when I needed it most...I had just gotten fired from a job I hated, but still needed at the same time. It was a last minute thing; my Mom was driving up north for business and my Dad was going with her. I decided to tag along. It turned into a great few days. While Mom was on business, Dad and I went to a lot of sports-related things, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, a Chicago Cubs game (sat on one of the rooftops across from Wrigley Field), and threw in a visit to Notre Dame stadium (which wasn't all that impressive...but at least I've been!). The highlight for me was driving to downtown Cleveland hoping to find tickets to the Indians game, who were playing their first year in their beautiful new stadium. The game was sold out, but the parking attendant where we parked the car saw our Florida tags and, being a native Floridian himself, offered us seats 10 rows back from first base for some ridiculously low price. That was a great night, and I had a great time bonding with my Dad.

Any cool vacation stories/spots to tell me about? Let me know...