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Scene out my front door as I type this - it was so crazy cold today there was talk about closing the schools. But then they realized that it is going to be colder next week. |
There are just so many damn layers to this travel/vacation/who-should-I-please/who-will-I-upset plan. My mind keeps tossing the various options around. Help! Please!
When I called Yellowstone on May 1st 2018 to reserve cabins for July of 2019, the guy that answered the phone was enjoying his first day on the job. I was in a hurry. I didn't want the best cabins to be snatched out from under me and almost lost my mind as the guy was fumbling around and asking his co-workers to help him with my reservation.
I don't remember all of the specifics. I just know that I grabbed like 3 cabins for one week at Roosevelt and 2 cabins for a week at Canyon. Then, life as we know it resumed for the next 9 mos.
Last week, I started to try to map out who is going to Yellowstone and when. My mapping began with the basic FACTS:
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Vancouver look s amazing! |
2. When the Yellowstone topic arose, Coach told me that he needed to check on his work schedule to see if any of his employees needed the same days off. Huh? Apparently he forgot that he swore off this trip. Shhh! Don't remind him. I am happy not to have to recruit another driver.
3. The parish mission trip is July 7-11th. Unfortunate, but this can be missed. My kids attend the years that it works.
4. The dates I was begging for all week finally came in a text from Eddie. The club invitational where the kids caddy was scheduled for July 11-13th. This was very, VERY bad news. The kids not only make bank here, but Coach thinks that the caddy master relies on his caddies and to have 3 of them out of town would not be a good thing (this is assuming that Lad and Ed would stay back and caddy and Tank, Mini, and Reg would do Yellowstone - Curly would too, but she isn't a caddy. Yet).
5. The week we would like to be in Yellowstone is July 10-17th. Yikes.
6. Mr. New Kid on the Block who set up my reservation has me staying a week in one place and a week in the other, but July 17th - we stay NO WHERE. Camping on that one night to bridge the gap would not work because the only campground near Roosevelt does not take reservations. Wait in line at the campground at 5 am and there are no guarantees.
7. Laddie is going to be in Yellowstone over spring break as he is going to see his best friend from high school who goes to Montana State. Lad texted me this week to say that he isn't interested in going back to Yellowstone, why couldn't we just pick another place that we all want to go to? I texted back and asked him not to think of it as a family vacation. That was never the plan. It was a 'who-wants-to-go-can-hop-in-the-great-white-when-it-leaves-on-such-and-such-date' trip.
8. My dad doesn't want to go if we stay at Canyon. Staying at Roosevelt is the best spot to stay at if you want to the best hopes of seeing wildlife.
OPTIONS:
1. Cancel Yellowstone and take all of the kids to Vancouver, July 3rd - 9th. Call it a family vacation. I am already buying flights for the girls and I (Mini doesn't dance, but is a fine cheerleader and has proven helpful). I just checked out some books at the library on things to do/hikes, etc near Vancouver. This would be more expensive as it is too far too drive, and cabins at Yellowstone are quite reasonable. Flights are around $386. Not a place we are likely to travel again.
2. Have 3 younger kids skip the caddy tournament and go to Yellowstone and stay in Roosevelt.
3. Go to Yellowstone July 18-24th and just stay in Canyon. Travel dates would work for the caddies. Dad might decide not to come.
4. Reschedule Yellowstone AGAIN. Hope to get good dates, a good employee reservation-ist, and cabins at Roosevelt.
I have to admit that as much as my father has hurt my feelings lately (oh, this has not even made it to a blog post, but maybe it will at some point), I don't want to disappoint him. It is an old habit kind of thing. No matter how many times I get kicked, I guess I subconsciously keep thinking - this will be the time that we connect, that I do something right, etc.
On the flip side of that, I wonder if I cancel Yellowstone - am I doing it because my dad ticks me off so regularly. Hard to know what the motivator would be here.
If I wait to do Yellowstone until next year, will Dad be healthy enough to travel. (He is 78 and he has chronic leukemia). Will Dad be alive? Will I be able to get reservations that don't totally suck - worse than the ones we have now?
HELP!!! PLEASE. OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. (Including places to see in Vancouver if you have been there - looking more for outdoorsy stuff vs. museums. One of the books mentioned whale watching. How cool would that me?)
6 comments:
I would try option four first. Try to reschedule to the week that all your kids (that wanted to go) could go and see if you could get the place your dad likes. If nothing is available then go the week everyone can go but stay at the place your dad doesn't like. However, make it very clear to him that you tried to get the other place but there was nothing available and you would really like him to go. I bet he goes. If not, you can go with your family and enjoy yourself knowing you did everything possible to make him happy but also knowing that with that many people and that many schedules to accommodate, someone is going to be unhappy.
Your dad is old and not really well. You don't want to upset him. So, write out the circumstances and options for him and then let him decide. Just do whatever he wants.
I would try option 4 first, and then either do #3 or #1, based on a cost/Dad-disappointment analysis.
I think it will end up being Yellowstone. Either this year or next.
This sounds like the overall vote. Now I have to buckle down and book flights to Vancouver for just the few days of the dancing competition. Mini isn't dancing, but I can't bear to leave her behind. It is silly since it is already so expensive. More decisions!
I think it will end up being a rescheduled Yellowstone trip next summer. I did add some 'rough rider' reservations to our list of reservations, but that will not likely appeal to us. Changing rooms all the time! Coach has pretty much voted down Vancouver, because of the cost. The whale watching sounded amazing though!
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