The Semifinalist: September 2012

Summer still lingers on the subway platforms but fall is most definitely in the air. I had a great summer, but I’m always ready for the change in seasons. Always.

Cousins. Pool. This is summer.

As I reflect on our summer, although it was lovely, I feel something was missing. That missing something was a weeklong summer vacation.

Expected. American. Needed. Oops.

When I was a kid, most certainly, we would go away for at least one week a summer. We would rent a beach house in Rhode Island or lakeside in some small New England town. As a teenager, I worked through the summers, began to travel more independently and those family vacations bacame shorter and less frequent. As an adult, Jeff and I became big fans of weekend travel in attempt to maximize our vacation days as well as the places and people we could visit. Plus, our temperment keeps us moving quickly and hardly in one place for more than a few nights.

The lake!

I will always be a fan of weekend travel but I’ve realized that no matter how many weekend trips you take it never equals to the calm and excitement of a full weeklong vacation. Colette is a great traveler, but certainly there’s an added level of stress and responsibility when traveling with a baby. Jeff and I used to have pre-boarding dates at the airport bars without worry if a flight was delayed or cancelled. We had one another, books, and booze. Now we have a baby. Understandably, JFK’s Wine Bar is not Colette’s scene. She’s more into exploring the fixed bench seats and eating crumbs off the terminal floor.

Before Colette, we used to arrive to the airport as close to departure time as possible, partially because we were scrambling to get there from work and partially because we thought we were cool and experienced travelers. Well, it’s hard to be cool when traveling with a Bumbo, a Binki and frozen breast milk. And it even harder to be on time and feel relaxed. It’s impossible to come back late Sunday night and throw yourself into another week of work and daycare feeling refreshed and not fried.

So, lesson learned. Every summer from this point on, we’re taking at least one full weeklong family vacation. No excuses.

Here are some highlights from the past few hot, sticky and wonderful months.