ilfaith
07-23-2013, 10:22 PM
So today I found out that our family will not be able to travel up north for our annual trip to see friends and family this summer. Our original plan was to drive up from Florida to NY/NJ this weekend and stay for two weeks, returning a week before the boys start school. DH was supposed to have a business trip for a few days during the first week of our trip, but it would be fine, because I would just stay with the kids at my parents' house. Then late last week, two more business trips were added to his schedule...one this week to California...returning Friday, and another 3-4 day trip the second week our our planned trip to NYC. So now it doesn't make sense for DH to spend four days on the west coast, returning Friday, then have to spend two days driving up north, only to travel to Ohio and back, then spend his only free weekend of our trip driving up to Connecticut for my cousin's baby's baby naming, then to have to fly down to North Carolina the following week, and finally return to NJ and drive 900 miles back home to Florida. Obviously I get this. It would be a lot of travel and really no reward for him, since he would have minimal time to spend with his own family and friends.
I looked into airfares, thinking that maybe I would just fly up with the boys myself, but at this late stage, the prices were too high. I just don't think I have the stamina to do the drive myself with three boys (DH and I would have split the driving had we gone together). A four or five hour drive would be fine, but two full days of driving up I-95 with a 9, 7 and 4-year-old would be excruciating.
But I haven't been back "home" for a year, and while my parents have visited, and we met my brother and his family for a cruise last Christmas, I do have other family and friends who I miss. And I know they will be disappointed that we won't be coming up (particularly the ones who can't afford to bring their families down to see us). We are the ones who moved so far away, so I feel it should be up to us to go back and visit.
The other frustrating thing is it took all summer for us to figure out exactly when we were going to go up north because DH couldn't confirm his work travel schedule. If we had been able to make plans back in March or April (or had I know we would not be going away at all), I could have gotten my kids into the camps where I'd originally wanted to send them (rather than a couple of weeks at the mediocre camp at our rec center which had space available at the last minute). So part of me feels like this summer has been a big bust between the less than stellar camp for the kids, and no big vacation for the family.
While I love where I live most of the time, I do miss many things about New York. I was hoping for a couple of nice restaurant meals, maybe a Broadway show (with plenty of family around, we'd have free babysitting)...originally DH and I had even discussed leaving the boys for a night or two and checking into a hotel.
DH did say that maybe we will be able to go up over winter break...but then there is always the weather to worry about...and the fact that my Florida family doesn't have much in the way of cold-climate gear. Of course I would love for the boys to see snow...but that's not guaranteed in late December.
I looked into airfares, thinking that maybe I would just fly up with the boys myself, but at this late stage, the prices were too high. I just don't think I have the stamina to do the drive myself with three boys (DH and I would have split the driving had we gone together). A four or five hour drive would be fine, but two full days of driving up I-95 with a 9, 7 and 4-year-old would be excruciating.
But I haven't been back "home" for a year, and while my parents have visited, and we met my brother and his family for a cruise last Christmas, I do have other family and friends who I miss. And I know they will be disappointed that we won't be coming up (particularly the ones who can't afford to bring their families down to see us). We are the ones who moved so far away, so I feel it should be up to us to go back and visit.
The other frustrating thing is it took all summer for us to figure out exactly when we were going to go up north because DH couldn't confirm his work travel schedule. If we had been able to make plans back in March or April (or had I know we would not be going away at all), I could have gotten my kids into the camps where I'd originally wanted to send them (rather than a couple of weeks at the mediocre camp at our rec center which had space available at the last minute). So part of me feels like this summer has been a big bust between the less than stellar camp for the kids, and no big vacation for the family.
While I love where I live most of the time, I do miss many things about New York. I was hoping for a couple of nice restaurant meals, maybe a Broadway show (with plenty of family around, we'd have free babysitting)...originally DH and I had even discussed leaving the boys for a night or two and checking into a hotel.
DH did say that maybe we will be able to go up over winter break...but then there is always the weather to worry about...and the fact that my Florida family doesn't have much in the way of cold-climate gear. Of course I would love for the boys to see snow...but that's not guaranteed in late December.