"...all I ever wanted..."

...vacation, had to get away... Loved that song.

After a solid run of 70 hour work weeks, could not get the Go Go's out of my mind until I set foot in sunny south Florida.

Fast forward ten or so days and we are at the end of another family vacation. After 24 years of marriage and four kids, we have been fortunate to take a good number of trips, many during the summer. As the last day of another getaway winds down, I do tend to look back at the trip that was and wonder how many more I will get. Things have certainly changed over the years. 21 years of parenthood have taken me from one weekers to the Delaware shore with diapers and "pack n plays" in tow to flights down south with not much more than a book and a couple of kids who think I am from another planet.

This year's family trip was different in many ways, primarily as it was without a third of our family. My oldest elected to stay at school, work and be near her boyfriend. Sucks. Listen - I understand it but if you are a father of a grown up daughter, you know the feeling. And the feeling is, uh.... it sucks. My 17 year old is spending the summer in camp as something called a CIT. For the non campers out there that means "counselor in training". What it really means, however, is that your kid goes to camp,works for the summer and you still have to pay something close to college tuition for the privalege. Whatever. Bottom line, another kid gone for the summer. All together now: it sucks.

The good news, of course, is that there was more time for me to hang with my other two not so little ones. Beach, pool, waterparks, zoos - fun time. Tiring, but I loved every minute of it.

The evenings brought adult time with Julia, Big Red and my TQB brother, Johnny B. Several nights spent together, hanging out and laughing til we cried, sipping some great, great tequilas in the process (more about those in another post).

Not the movie "Vacation", I know. No great Chevy Chase scenes, no Christie Brinkley dropping her white bikini by the pool - but no doubt,like those Go Go's chirped in that eighties 45, "...vacation, all I ever wanted..."