6 tips for a picture-perfect vacation

I'm back after a bit of hiatus and still have my family vacation on my mind. Our family of 4 packed up our mini-van and recently drove down to Sarasota, FL for some rest and relaxation. Since summer is the time for vacations I thought I'd add a list of 6 things that you should do on vacation.

1. See an old friend: When you get away from the office, invest some time in catching up with an old friend. Since we drove to Florida from Ohio we used this excuse to break up our trip by "inviting" ourselves to a couple of friends houses. We stopped in Knoxville, TN for 1 night on the way to FL and visited with some friends we hadn't seen in 11 months and stopped in Atlanta, GA on the way back to see some friends we hadn't seen in 9 months.

We felt like we had 2 extra mini-vacations be breaking up our trip this way. And we realized how refreshing it was to spend time with people. Our time away from home was great, but it is better when you can spend at least part of it with friends.

2. Try a new style: Don't be afraid to experiment with a new style. It keeps you playful, experimental and from getting dull. In our house that meant that all the boys got haircuts, including dad. And we had fun breaking out our beach clothes and cool new sunglasses. For us vacation is a chance to break out of the ruts of life, with a hope to bring some of that freshness back home.

3. Do a new activity: Whenever I try something new I experience a bunch of things that are healthy. I first have to admit that I am a novice and I might fail a bit. The humility is good for me. I then have to face a bit of fear and nervousness about trying something I have never done before. My stomach gets butterflies and my heart starts pumping...all those things associated with jitters. Then I end up using new muscles or new parts of my brain that haven't been active in a long time. At the end of the day I feel like I have really lived. On this vacation, Caden was probably the most daring when it came to trying new things. He had never been in the ocean and during our first time on the beach he was out "riding waves". Mind you, he was only 3 feet out in the water...but for a 3 year old those can be the trickiest waves to ride.

4. Sleep in Late: The longer the better. Have nothing on the schedule...just sleep. It is refreshing to wake up just because you are done sleeping, instead of to the annoying beep of an alarm. It just feels good. We didn't do too much of this because of number 5.

5. Wake up Early: I know this contradicts number 4, but plan enough days so that you can do both during the same trip. There is something nice about waking up and having the feeling that there is no need to rush out to some meeting or off to school. There is a lightness and an enjoyment about the cool of the morning when there is no rush. It is great to eat on the porch as the sun peeks over the horizon. To go for an early bicke red or walk before the day heats up. To feel like you have warmed up to the day and done something, then to look at the clock and see it reads 9:00am. We were up before 7:00am nearly every day in Florida, not by our choice, but by the choice of our boys who felt that number 5 is how we should spend our week together:)

6. Eat something new: If you are in a new place then you have to try a new restaurant or a new dish. Find out what the locals eat and where they eat it and then jump right in. We ate lots of fish in Florida, but our boys favorite was trying as many flavors of Italian Gellato as possible, always in a chocolate chip cookie cone. They even were able to share one cone between the two of them...hopefully a sign of future sharing.

I know you don't need any tips on how to spend your time off work. Just being away from our regular routine of work and office and deadlines is refreshing enough. I hope you have a trip planned and you enjoy it as much as we did.