Friday, April 9, 2010

Spring Break Party on the Ninth!

Spring is finally here, and with it that grandest of school traditions, spring break.


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Yes, it's me!

With my kids still in elementary school, spring break is family time, a chance to relax and unwind after the long winter months. (For some reason it always seems to take forever to get from December to April, doesn't it? Or is that just me?)

Anyway, our usual spring break is typically close to home, with maybe a couple of day trips around the area.

Not this year, though. This year, we went to Hawaii.

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Spinner dolphins racing our snorkeling boat


The trip had been in the works for a couple of years, but it still didn't seem real to me until we were on the plane headed for Maui. Even the last few frantic days of packing weren't enough to convince me I'd be spending the week in a tropical paradise.

But once we got there -- oh, bliss! Best vacation ever. Warm every day, so many new experiences, fun time with family (including my parents, which made it even more special). We went on a snorkel tour to Molokini and saw spinner dolphins and sea turtles; we visited Mount Haleakala and got stamps in our National Parks passports; we took in a luau and lazed around the pool. I actually have a tan line.

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The view from our seats at the luau


And now I'm back, looking toward next year, and wondering how we're going to top this spring break adventure. So that's this month's Party On The Ninth question - if you could go anywhere in the world for spring break, where would it be?

Post a comment and you could win a tropical-themed prize pack, specially selected for you in Hawaii. Be on the lookout for comments from the other Nine Naughty Novelists as well, since I completely forgot to collect their answers to the question in advance. :) Sorry, guys, I guess my brain is still on island time.

12 comments:

  1. Okay, weirdly enough I'm at my favorite Spring Break place as I type--Albuquerque/Santa Fe. No, they're not the same city but we spend time in each so it's hard to separate them. Beautiful sunshine, budding trees (they're about a half month ahead of Denver), and fantastic silver jewelry! Oh yeah and Georgia O'Keefe. Bliss!

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  2. Nice pictures! Lucky you, I would really like to visit Hawaii. But any kind of break is a great thing for me :)

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  3. I LOVE vacations! Well, who doesn't?! But what I mean is I love to go to new places. I've grown up and lived in the midwest my whole life so anywhere with mountains or beaches (even better... both!) is wonderful! Yeah Hawaii is right up my alley! Some of my favorite trips have been to Florida and California. Then again, I also have had some fantastic trips to great cities-- Washington D.C., Seattle...

    What I think is fun is that people who live in those places leave to go on vacation while I love visiting their home town! :)
    Erin

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  4. I don't do spring break, so I will answer this with a twist.. my dream vacation is Tahiti. I can't wait to get there some day. Sleep in one of those huts on the water? Oh yes. *stares off into space*

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  5. Like Meg, I've spent several spring breaks in New Mexico--what are the odds, huh?

    I have two words for you, Meg: Ojo Caliente. If you haven't been yet, OMG, you HAVE to check it out!

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  6. Our kids just had spring break, and friends invited us to join them in the snow for it. We went skiing for the first time :) If I could choose a different one, maybe New York--it'd be a fun place to explore with the kids!

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  7. I'd like to go pretty much anywhere, sigh. Fargo sounds good right now.

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  8. Thanks, everyone, for your comments! Funny you should mention New York, flchen1 - the first photo in the post, the one of me with the "hi everyone" sign, is a direct result of NYC. See, a group of my online friends were at at soap-storyline-fan gathering there the first weekend I was in Maui. Because I couldn't be there, one of my buddies took pictures of the actors holding a "Hi Kate" sign and sent them to me. That was my response/thank you pic. :)

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  9. Apparently, Meg and PG, New Mexico should be next on my list. Sounds lovely!

    Erin, no one comes to my town on vacation. But there are several vacation spots within an easy drive, so we sometimes take day trips or long weekends to explore.

    Thanks, host, for commenting! I wish I could go back.

    And Kelly, at this point I'd join you in Fargo. I'm ready for another vacation!

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  10. And congrats to Natasha, winner of the giveaway! I'll contact you off-blog for your address.

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  11. Yeah! Thank you! Does this mean I win my trip to Tahiti?

    *grin*

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  12. Hi Kate
    I didn't get an email, is there a way I can contact you?
    Thanks!!
    Natasha

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