Memory Lane Friday - A Family Vacation

Ahhh, family vacations. I need a little break from serious matters, so I'm going to remember something fun today on Memory Lane Friday.

Vacations can be really memorable in a good, crazy way, or really memorable in a bad, crazy way. And when my siblings and I were younger, my dad somehow always ensured that we'd have some sort of craziness during our family vacations that we'd fondly remember for years to come . . . although at the time, I'm sure it wasn't intentional on his part - somehow when our Dad was involved, things were just sort of nutty on their own.

The family vacation I best remember revolves around crazy food choices on a ski trip to Park City, UT. Now, I may be rolling a couple different ski trips into one memory (as it's been a LONG time since we've skied as a family in UT, or anywhere for that matter). But then again, it may have been many parts to just one crazy vacation.

Now I don't remember exactly how old I was. I must've been in high school at the time. And I'm thinking this trip was over Christmas break, because I distinctly remember being in Utah over/around the New Year's holiday.

So we'd get up early and get ready for a fun-filled day of skiing. But of course we'd need to eat breakfast first. I remember going to one restaurant or another near the hotel - some place like Burger King or McDonald's that offered breakfast, where we could get in and get out quickly. My mother wasn't exactly impressed with the nutritional value of our morning meals, but we were on vacation.

Well, one day, while trying to save time or maybe we were running late, my dad decided to handle breakfast on his own in the hotel room. Guess what he served us?! A carton of vanilla ice cream, a bag of M&Ms (which he said would make a perfect topping for the ice cream), and a big bag of red Twizzlers. Hahaha! Breakfast of champions, right?

Then off to the slopes, where we'd work up an appetite (because, while tasty, our breakfast wasn't exactly the best fuel for a morning of physical activity).

So, instead of waiting for a table at a mountainside restaurant of my mom's choice, what did my dad decide to do? He took us to the cookie place - the store with nothing but cookies and milk. He took us all in there, let us pick out the cookies we wanted, and got us each a milk (calcium, protein, and vitamins, right?!) to wash it all down. Oh boy, was my mom irritated, but she went along with it!

Then off for more skiing, where I ended up getting paired with my mom for adventures, my dad and brothers heading off together as a pack. I have a story about skiing with my mom, but I will save that for another day.

After our day of skiing was over, we headed back to the hotel to wash up and change for dinner. My mom wanted to go to some fancy restaurant. While I didn't mind going somewhere nice, my siblings and I were VERY hungry, and we just weren't in the mood to go somewhere and wait for fancy food in fancy settings.

So my dad made a decision and chose a restaurant - a Mexican place in the area called the Irish Camel. What a name for a Mexican restaurant, right?! I don't remember much about the food, and I don't remember much about the experience. But I do remember that the name of the place was so unique, and didn't match the type of food they served.

It's been years now since that trip back in the mid-'80s, but when we laugh about my dad's food choices, he always says that we never remember the fancy places my mom took us to, but vividly remember all the wacky places HE chose!

I'm addicted!

I'm having trouble pulling myself away from the Olympics on TV. Everything from moguls (way to go Hannah Kearney!), speed skating - especially short track (congrats, Apolo Ohno!!), and of course, hockey!! I just can't get enough Olympics!! (And it will be the same in 2 years for the Summer Games . . . maybe even worse, because I'll need to watch the equestrian sports!)

I love Blackhawks hockey, so I'm obviously a big hockey fan . . . needless to say, now that the US is playing hockey against Canada, I am on the edge of  my seat! Woo hoo! It's an exciting game, and I almost can't watch!

Of course, during commercial breaks, I'm switching the channel to watch the skiers. Got to watch one US ice dancing pair, but I've missed a lot of the others. Maybe when the second period is over, I can watch some other sports for a little while.

I keep wondering how these athletes' friends and families watch this, especially the families who are in Vancouver in person. How can they stand the suspense?

Okay, there's the end of the 2nd period. So now that I've checked the other channel, I see that it's on a commercial.

This is driving me nuts. Thee are too many exciting sports on right now - hockey, skiing, ice dancing . . . what to watch?! Way too many decisions, and way too much fun, no matter the constant channel flipping.