Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh

As long-time readers know, we have been planning a big family driving vacation to national parks -- Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Dinosaur National Monument -- and also assorted Laura Ingalls Wilder spots as well.

Alas, that trip is no longer happening this year.

sniffle loudly here

I just spent the last 20 minutes or so canceling all of our reservations.  Boy, that was painful.  It honestly made me physically ache to make those calls, that's how much fun I was having with the vacation planning for this trip.

But it cannot be helped, because canceling this is the right thing to do. 

After we lost our sister-in-law Amy unexpectedly last fall, Mr. ReddHedd and I decided that we needed to spend summer vacation with family instead of driving hither, thither and yon.  Which makes total sense for all of us, and is emotionally the right thing to do for all three of us this year, no question whatsoever.

But hear me now, Universe:  I am saving my ginormous notebook filled with trip research, activity pages, scientific information and assorted other trip goodies.


We are going to re-book this driving vacation at some point.  Did you hear me?  We WILL re-book this.

So please be kind when we do so.  The past few years have been more than a bit exhausting, and we could all use a bit of time off for decent karma, eh?

This was the trip I had always wanted to take my entire life, and one I have been waiting to share with Mr. ReddHedd and The Peanut once she finally got old enough to really understand and soak it in...so cut me a break next time I book this, please.

(Photo is of a postcard from 1881 depicting Old Faithful at Yellowstone.  It is from the collection of the Montana State University Library.  Very cool.)