For me nothing is quite as much fun as planning a vacation. In fact, the research and organizing part can be as exciting as the trip itself. Right now I’m in the middle of information gathering for an end of summer family vacation. It takes some deep thought and consideration to organize for Brawner party of 15.

We have found a time slot that works for everyone. That’s an amazing feat alone. Year before last just the adults went to London to visit Jill and David and five years ago, when there were only two grandkids, we rented a home in Palm Springs. This will be the first trip with everyone with us; three adult kids and spouses, two 7 year olds, two 4 year olds and three babies not yet a year old. I’m quite certain by the end of our second day the hotel staff will roll their eyes when they see us coming.

All three of our kids are travelers and I’m sure their kids will be too. We put family vacations together accumulating hotel points and airline miles, attaching vacation to work trips and searching for super deals. We did whatever it took because we felt it was important. As my friend Gary says, “You are guaranteed to have something go wrong on a family vacation, but it creates memories and it’s a bonding experience. However, it may take a couple of months for the bond glue to dry.”

I read several articles this morning about Father’s Day and it seems the theme this year is, “Important Things I Learned From My Dad.” One of the most important things my dad taught me was to take a break and go on vacation. It doesn’t have to be a long, far away, expensive, trip but maybe just a weekend away. We all need to take time and step away. He called it “one more round of pleasure.” He’d say, “God rested on the 7th day, Suzette. Slow down.” The older I get, the more I understand why.

When I was growing up we had a Huckleberry Hound bank sitting in our family room. The first thing Dad did every night when he got home was put all his change in Huckleberry. It was our vacation fund. It’s surprising how it adds up. Jim and I have a Tupperware box we toss our change in. I guess that’s another important thing Dad taught us.

This is my first Father’s Day without Dad. It stings and I miss him, but I know our vacation at the end of summer would make him smile ... one more round of pleasure.

Happy Father’s Day!