Muffins with Mom – Family Vacation

Do you have family members who provide so much entertainment that all you have to do is sit back and smile? That family member may even be you. Here’s how my story unraveled.

Our first port of call required us to take a tender (small boat) to the island. Unfamiliar with traveling by tender, I said to my mom, “we won’t be in a canoe will we? This brief mode of transportation won’t require use of an oar will it?” None of the above was necessary.

We stepped off the cruise ship and wobbled onto the tender, one rocky step at a time. The waves bounced, the tender rocked. My body swayed, tilted, and leaned and I hadn’t made it to my seat yet. The 15 passenger tender felt unsteady.

I grabbed something for balance and finally sat down. The boat swayed again. I think I converted from Baptist to Catholic in two minutes flat. I was reminded of the Hail Mary prayer my mom learned in catholic school. “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art though amongst women…”

Gripping my necklace, you would have thought I was holding rosary beads. I cried out like the rocks in the Bible saying, “My God, my God.” It was only a five minute ride across the water, yet I felt like singing a gospel hymn. “There’s a storm out over the ocean and it’s movin’ this way.”

I survived, and on the ride back to the ship, the waters were smoother. And we were on a larger watercraft.

Below are tales involving different relatives…

Mama

During our elegant dining on our cruise, we were offered a variety of desserts. When mom’s dessert was placed in front of her, it look like two miniature scoops of ice cream. I asked her, “Are you having anything with that?”

“Yes, a spoon.”

That was not quite the answer I anticipated.

 Uncle

My uncle is 68 years old and participates in competitive power lifting. He’s the Incredible Hulk of our family. My uncle, brother and I were chatting over lunch. When my brother asked my uncle, “What size shirt do you wear?”

“Medium,” was the reply.

My brother and I looked at each other and started laughing. I said, “If you can fit a medium shirt, I must need to shop in the Juniors section of the store.” My uncle’s shirt was clinging to him like a scuba diving suit. I guess that makes his muscles pop more.

Brother

We all know airport food can be a bit pricey. On our trip home we had a two hour wait before boarding our flight. My mom wanted a bag of potato chips to snack on, so my brother and I trudged off on a quest for chips.

It didn’t take long to spot the chips. My brother studied the list of prices then turned to me and said, “Do you want to give me half on this bag of chips? It’s a small investment.”

What entertaining things happened on your last family vacation?

Fun Friday – 3 tips to creating a memorable vacation

When was the last time you vacationed with family? Not just a getaway with your significant other and the kids, but one that includes other relatives? It happened to me, actually it was a planned vacation.

Here’s how my vacation began…

It was the cruise of a lifetime. We traveled with 682 folks who were a group ballroom dancers and steppers. My mother and uncle are seasoned ballroom dancers, but my brother, my other uncle and I were along for the family camaraderie.

I should have known from the turbulence in the air on our flight to Florida, that my trip would be rocky. On the airplane, I sat next to a husband and wife. I had the window seat, the husband was in the middle and the wife was on the aisle.

At one point, we hit a lot of turbulence and the wife screamed and grabbed her husband’s arm. I just shut my eyes tight and grabbed her husband’s other arm. I apologized once the turbulence ended. We chatted after that and I had made new friends.

Tip #1 – Don’t be afraid to make friends

My family and I, along with 100 or so others in our group spent the night at a hotel the day before our cruise was to leave.

With so many people in our traveling party, there were 3 buses and 3 time frames that the buses traveled from the hotel to the port we were leaving from. No one from my family was scheduled to leave the hotel at the same time I was scheduled.

My mom went to the waiting area with me to see if they would allow her to board with me. I wanted someone else to go with me because I was unfamiliar with the process and my mom and uncle have traveled with this group for the past few years.

We waited along the side walk until the leader told us we could board. After a few minutes, the leader made an announcement. “If your ticket does NOT say 9:30, you will not be allowed to board the bus.”

The line began to move. I told mom, “I guess I’ll see you at the port.”

I pulled my luggage behind me slowly. You would have thought I was 5 years old and not 51. I felt like I was being torn from my mother. I almost reached out like an actress in a movie and said, “Mama.”

Tip #2 – Relax, don’t sweat the small stuff.

Once aboard the ship, it was smooth sailing…almost. On the fourth day of the cruise the ship docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My family and I disembarked together ready for an adventure. As we walked the quarter mile from the ship to our destination, right in front of us was our first tourist stop - Walgreen’s Drug Store.

I said to my brother, “Really…we came all the way to San Juan to shop at Walgreens? Can we go somewhere else first?”

I actually made a purchase while we were there – a few souvenirs and some candy, so all was not lost.

Once we left Walgreen’s we hopped on a tour bus a wonderful experience.   We saw Old San Juan, visited historic areas and walked along a beach.

All in all if was a fantastic trip.

Tip #3 – Live, love, laugh – it’s okay to laugh at yourself

 

What tips do you have for creating a memorable vacation?