Question of the Day

Last year it was 3 days into a 7 day trip to Florida before Jon had a suitable pair of swimming trunks. Somebody forgot to pack the stack of his and when we returned home, there they sat on the couch, just as folded as ever.


The year before somebody forgot to pack my father's vitamins. My Dad takes about 10 various supplements per day since he doesn't take prescription heart medication. I believe we ended up spending about $75 at the local GNC Outlet in Fort Myers to get all of the vitamins we forgot.


Flashback to the first year in Sanibel and you'll see us at the Walmart in Fort Myers spending $300 on fishing equipment my Mother said she didn't think my Dad would need to pack. $300 on fishing equipment during a trip in which my Father bitched about $50 for a dinner bill.


Two years ago I didn't book our vacation until 3 weeks before we left. I picked a place that was $500 for the week and the website offered NO pictures of the room. However the lady assured me it was close to the water. Trust when I say close to the water really meant over the freaking river, through the damn woods and across a retaining wall next to the penetentiary.

What I'm saying is that despite my online appearance about lists and preparedness the simple truth is I'll be leaving my house on Friday on a wing and prayer and hopes that I've at least forgotten things that I can buy later.

All this week will be a flurry of activity.

Any of you who have met my father know that he is an extremely detail oriented person. You might call this problem OCD, we just smile and nod our heads and don't let him know he's afflicted. He will be dictating and making lists and generally making this trip almost miserable.

Any of you who know me very well at all know that I have a shitload of flip flops and this week will be an intense trial in self control. There are 9 vacation days and only so much room in the van. Not that any of those issues has ever stopped me in the past.

But in the end I hope it won't matter how much he micro managed, how many changes of shoes I bring or whatever stuff has been forgotten. In the end I'll be relaxing on the beach again.

I mean, maybe. If we're lucky and don't run out of gas money halfway through the trip.

If I don't return hope it's because I simply could not leave the beach and not that I'm in some small town in Georgia working off a $200 tank of gas.

Question of the Day: How much will gas have to cost before you reach your breaking point?