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My Favorite Family Vacation Ever!!!

My Favorite Family Vacation Ever

Scrolling through social media I am sure you are seeing loads of pictures and stories of everyone’s amazing vacations. Me too! I love to look at pics of other’s vacations for several reasons. First, I love to travel, and so I enjoy finding out about where people went, and how they felt about it. Second, I love to get ideas for my next trip!!! And finally, because seeing their emotion, the pictures, the memories in the making, brings up reminders of my past trips. So, with that in mind I thought I would share with you the memories of my Favorite Family Vacation Ever!!!!

I must stay that I have taken a lot of vacations and have traveled quite a bit in the United States and a bit in Canada. However there is one vacation that holds my heart the most and is by far the best vacation memory ever. I had worked for quite few years in a position where an enormous amount of travel was required. During that time, I always used loyalty cards so that I could save up airline, hotel, and rental car points. One of the best parts of this particular family vacation, was that it was almost entirely free! Almost all our hotels, all our flights, and our car rental were free. We primarily just paid for food and souvenirs. It meant that we could make memories without worrying about money. If you are not currently collecting loyalty points, I highly recommend it.

So, who went on this amazing trip? Myself, my Sister Mary, my Mom, and my four kids. At the time of the trip they were aged 15-22. I knew that soon my all single children would be getting married and vacationing with their own new families. I thought this would be an awesome last family adventure, and it did not disappoint.

My Mom and I awaiting our trip to the North East

The Maine Diner

We started off by flying from San Francisco to New Jersey. We then picked up our rental and started our drive to Maine. I had read a blog post about the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine the previous year, and decided that was where I wanted to go. I am both a travel and Lobster lover, so it seemed like a win-win! And it was! My sister is amazing at finding restaurants that are for the most part Mom and Pop places, that have a great atmosphere, and amazing food. She did not disappoint as she guided us through the North East.

Our first very memorable stop was the Maine Diner in Wells, Maine. I can’t say enough good things about the food at the Maine Diner. Truthfully, the Lobster Pie made me cry, good tears. It was so fresh and delicious! We not only bought T-shirts there, I bought their cookbook so I could replicate their corn biscuits and Lobster Pie at home in California.

Our Family at the Maine Lobster Festival

Maine Lobster Festival

We arrived at the Maine Lobster Festival early in the afternoon, and it was everything I had hoped for. A beautiful venue adjacent to the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. It also featured, booths for shopping, a carnival, information booths, and of course LOBSTER!!! Everywhere!!! Lobster!!! Did I mention I love Lobster!!! We spent most of the afternoon walking around the festival, enjoying the local hospitality and of course, eating Lobster! Each of us ordered a Full Lobster Dinner and the prices were ridiculously low! I was shocked when I noticed other visitors carrying trays with 2 or three full lobsters, but why not really. It was the freshest Lobster I have ever eaten.

My Sister Mary ready to enjoy her Lobster Dinner

As the day drew to a close I remember sitting out on a pier enjoying a few pieces of funnel cake and thinking, this is the best day ever! Okay, in our family we say that a lot, but every single time we truly mean it. And on that day, at the Maine Lobster Festival I truly meant it. 🙂

We got back on the road and headed South for the next leg of our journey, and found this adorable Lobster sitting outside of a restaurant. I am not a very spontaneous person, but when we noticed this little guy, I just had to pull over. This picture includes myself in the background, my sister Mary, daughter Victoria, and Son Manny. I feel like the looks on our face says it all. We truly were having an amazing time together, enjoying the seaside, the Lobster, and our time.

Lobster Photo

Clam Box of Ipswich

As we continued on our journey we went into Massachusetts. If you have ever been through Ipswich, MA you have probably not only heard of the Clam Box of Ipswich, you have probably eaten there. It was awesome! We waited in line for hours, it was so fun to be a part of something that so many other people also wanted to be a part of, and the food did not disappoint.

Clam Box of Ipswich

The Morrison’s Take on New York City!

Another favorite photo of mine from the trip was of my two oldest children taking my Mom to the Empire State Building. I love the photo for many reasons, but mostly because it is so different than the photos of the past. I have so many photos of my Mom taking my kids places when they were little. In this photo, they are confident adults, ready to take on the world, but still have their grandma at their side. I love it!

Empire State Building

While in New York we were able to use Hotel Points to stay in Suites at the Waldorf Astoria. It was amazing, and knowing it was free made it even better. It was during the time of the Summer Olympics, which our family always loves. I fondly remember an evening on our trip where we decided to stay at the hotel for the evening, watch the Olympics, and order desert on room service. The food was awesome. The living room was stunning. But, the company was the best part of the evening.

My Favorite Family Vacation Ever

Taking My Mom to Broadway

I had previously visited New York with my Sister Mary and we went to Broadway and saw Wicked. Amazing!!! I knew when planning the trip to New York, that I wanted to take my Mom to see a Broadway Musical. We selected Neverland, and it was truly amazing. I had had the album on iTunes for quite some time, and just the songs could bring me to tears. Because I was so familiar with the music, I knew it would be a wonderful show.

I took my Mom by cab to Time Square. For most of the trip she rode in a portable wheel chair that we brought, and one of the boys would push her. It worked out really well, but I thought with all of the traffic, and people in time square it might not. She brought her cane, and I maneuvered her through uneven terrain and lots of people. We finally made it to a hot dog stand, and decided that would be our dinner before the show. It’s is another great memory. My Mom, standing on the side of the Broadway, eating a hot dog, sans bun, wrapped in tinfoil, on her way to a Broadway show.

Mom at Broadway

When we went into the theater there was a 1 hour wait before the doors opened. I asked the attendant for a chair for my mom, and they brought her a very comfortable seat. Before the doors officially opened the attendant came and ushered us inside the theater. They showed us where the disabled bathroom was, and showed us to our seats. I went to get my Mom a coke, and then proceeded to drop it, filling my shoe with coke. Thankfully, they refilled it for me. We watched the show, we cried, and we enjoyed a special moment being mother and daughter.

My Very Favorite Memory from the Trip

There was one moment on the trip, that I will always cherish. And whenever I bring it to mind, I get a little teary. We had rented a Ford Expedition, so all of us fit very comfortably in the car and it had a great sound system. Everyone took turns pairing their phones to the sound system, so the playlist was diverse. In my sisters amazing way, she made some great playlist CD’s as well. They included songs from my kids’ childhood, favorites that had special meaning to our family, and other amazing road trip singalong songs. As we drove along, we would listen, sing along, and remember.

On one such portion of the drive, we were traveling through the countryside. There was not much to see specifically, but the road was lined with trees, and beautiful meadows would pop up here and there. The song, Stressed out by 21 Pilots started playing. Without a second thought, everyone in the car started singing along. When the line, “When my Mama sang, us to sleep, but now we’re stressed out” came on, I got a little teary. I love thinking back to a time when I sang each of them to sleep, holding them in my arms, and knowing, that would not be the case again.

Yes, I would have little ones, grandbabies to sing to sleep, to hold in my arms, but these little ones were now all but grown. The song continued, we drove along, and I was thankful for this trip. For taking the time out of my hectic work schedule, to truly relax, to remember, and to hope for the future. But mostly, just to be together. To be in the moment, making memories, and loving my family.

Thank You for walking town memory lane with me. And yes, I have gotten teary about 10 times while writing this post. I love my family so much. So, where did you go on your favorite family vacation ever? Share in the comments below.

My Favorite Family Vacation Ever

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Read more of our Summer Stories here:

10 Items on My Summer Bucket List 

4th of July, My Favorite Family Holiday