Are We Unlucky?

After hearing about our Hawaii disaster the other day, my adorable niece Andi commented that we seem to have terrible luck on vacations. Really? As I stood there thinking that was an odd thing to say, I began to mentally shuffle through the card stacks and... OH MY GOSH! She is totally right!

Yikes!


I pride myself on the amount of time and effort I put in to create lasting childhood memories for my girls. I think of family vacations as my motherly duty... a right-of-passage responsibility that should never be overlooked or shirked.  My mother did it, and so will I!

But.. the luck..  or lack thereof.  Hmmm..

There are a lot of people in our family. No really, I'm not even kidding. Preparing vacation plans for seven girls and one adorable guy requires mental acrobatics that I can't even begin to describe here! We have lists for meals, lists for packing, lists for expenses, lists for lists! We must always be prepared!

Unfortunately, it seems as if there is always one game spoiler in the cards that cannot be prepared for and cannot be battled without leaving some scars.  Yet somehow I manage to get past the trauma just in time to plan the next Big Event and I never seem to run out of eager anticipation for family vacations.

So you can imagine how after talking to Andi about our past vacations, I began to wonder if I have Selective Vacation Amnesia. Do I simply choose not to remember the moments of dread or misery that appear to attach themselves to our vacations like gum on a shoe?

Here are a few of our experiences that could not be saved by any list:

Bear Lake - Freak wind storm came out of nowhere and nearly swamped our new boat. I broke my tailbone as we foolishly attempted to retrieve the water trampoline that had turned into a giant kite. I always feel safe with my guy, but on this occasion he was scared... so I was terrified.

Lake Powell - We were literally driven off of Lone Rock Beach by the worst sand storm I have ever experienced.  Too tired to drive home in the dark, we rented scuzzy hotel rooms in Kanab and poor Ella had such a miserable sunburn that she cried for hours.

The Dunes - Freezing rain and endless mud. We watched movies in the big tent, only turning the propane heater off when we realized we were unusually sleepy. Lack of oxygen perhaps?

Flaming Gorge - Fuel pump drama. The truck was out of commission until the very last day of our trip. We spent too much time and too much money driving back and forth to a small town repair shop just trying to get them to replace the darn thing.

Moab - 65mph wind gusts and freezing temps. It isn't as if we are camping in the winter.. it is supposed to be nice in Moab over Easter! We loved visiting the grocery store bathrooms because there was hot running water to wash our hands in. The fuel pump on my Raptor also died on this trip.

Hawaii - 6 cases of food poisoning and one ambulance ride to the hospital for Frankenstein stitching. My 8G memory card with all of my photos on it also disappeared. Pele taught us a wicked lesson. 'Nuff said.

Of course, there have been wonderful vacation moments over the years as well, don't get me wrong. Our photos prove that we have a great time on our trips, in spite of the stress and drama that we are occasionally unable to avoid. Are we unlucky? Nah, I don't think so! For a group as big as ours and for as many trips as we take, there are bound to be a few setbacks. So far it has not stopped us.. I don't think it ever will!

We are headed to Bear Lake on Friday for a much-anticipated boating vacation. We are taking the boat, the waverunner, the wheelers and our entire tribe.  Wish us luck!