While on the trip, in some back-mountain restaurant in Bluff Utah we were having dinner with the kids. They were eating what must have been their 10th dish of Chicken Nuggets and French Fries \u2013 the kids\u2019 staple when eating out. I took a moment to acknowledge the last dinner on the road for this trip, as well as to point out that today was Mom and Dad\u2019s 18 year anniversary. Eighteen years ago today, we agreed to date. We celebrate this day with more sentiment than our wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n
In our eighteen years, we have rarely taken vacations, in the typical sense. When we have taken time off of work, it has always been to see family \u2013 either in NM when we lived in the Northwest, or to Houston to see the Foxleys. If I weren\u2019t spending that time traveling to see family, it was a \u201cStaycation\u201d. I can literally count the trips excluding familial visits on two fingers: camping in Durango in 1995 and London in 2000.<\/p>\n
So this trip was special for us. It was special not just for our first one in 11 years, but that we had 2 new attendees in Gavin and Elyce. I have been planning this for over 3 years \u2013 not that it was elaborate, but simply each of the first two years, I had to cancel at the last minute due to work issues. I HAD TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN this year. It was becoming an integrity thing to me – for the kids. I don\u2019t want to be a dad that the kids can\u2019t trust my commitment. When I say we are going to do something, I want them to believe and trust that it will happen. I guess I\u2019ve grown to appreciate integrity and this was part of that.<\/p>\n
So I sit here at the St Louis airport waiting to connect to Nashville for work. I literally unpacked shorts and camera chargers last night – only to turn right around and re-pack a case with suites and computer power-cords for my trip this week (and next). I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if when I unpack tonight that I find some sand or a random souvenir in my case. Hell, maybe I\u2019ll find one of those chicken nuggets.<\/p>\n
I think Tina and I agree that we need to reduce the frequency between these vacations \u2013 if not for the sake of our sanity, for the kids\u2019 memories. We chatted last night about the most memorable moments in the trip, and we agreed that it was the afternoon we arrived in Santa Monica.<\/p>\n
The kids were so elated to see the ocean, jump in the water, search for shells, and simply drink the ocean air. And, oddly, this was the least expensive afternoon of the entire trip. Kids, I\u2019m finding, aren\u2019t impressed by the price tags of experiences. They really just want to have fun. They really just want to be with Mom and Dad. And when I look back at the trips that meant the most to me when I was growing up, the ones I remember the most were the ones and moments with family.<\/p>\n
Somehow, I forgot that. I think that\u2019s the most powerful take-away for me \u2026 these experiences carry limited cost and are priceless in the end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While on the trip, in some back-mountain restaurant in Bluff Utah we were having dinner with the kids. They were eating what must have been their 10th dish of Chicken Nuggets and French Fries \u2013 the kids\u2019 staple when eating out. 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Seeing so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "family"","block_context":{"text":"family","link":"http:\/\/efoxley.com\/dope\/?cat=81"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efoxley.com\/dope\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2018-03-28_15-18-39_035-300x225.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":956,"url":"http:\/\/efoxley.com\/dope\/?p=956","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":2},"title":"Site Update … Ugh!","author":"admin","date":"0707.0505.1414","format":false,"excerpt":"So - I decided to purchase an SSD Drive for both Gavin's and My computer. Installation on Gavin's beast was fairly quick (game conversions, mostly). Mine has been another story. One takes for granted all the software and setup used over a 2 year period. 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Was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kids"","block_context":{"text":"kids","link":"http:\/\/efoxley.com\/dope\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efoxley.com\/dope\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_3437-287x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1599,"url":"http:\/\/efoxley.com\/dope\/?p=1599","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":4},"title":"Too Many Clouds","author":"admin","date":"0707.1414.2323","format":false,"excerpt":"Ugh. Over the past few years, when we go on trips\/vacations\/flight\/road trips, I carry my case of GoPros with all the attachments, media, slew of batteries, etc. I've been more into taking videos with the ambitions of creating epic home videos. I've got a lot of great footage. 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