Hello, Summertime!

Today is the first day of summer vacation in Miami. Summer is officially here for the Rebel Household (do ya think the family will mind that moniker?) and I was up at 7 am, despite the fact that I deleted my alarm yesterday.

What can I say, I am a morning person and old habits die hard!

I haven't been this excited about summer vacation since I was in school myself! This will be my second summer as a housewife and my daughter has decided not to go to camp this year, so I have been having a blast planning our summer activities.

Our first adventure will be going to Orlando in two weeks; we'll be spending one day at Disney World and one day at Sea World. I am excited to take her to the parks now that she is a teenager, to see how she enjoys it at an older age. I personally love going to Disney, even as an adult, because I get such a kick out of the characters, the lovely atmosphere and of course...buying snowglobes and trinkets in the gift shops. You should see my china cabinet - it's absolutely stuffed with the Disney treasures that I've collected over the years.

The week after we come home from Orlando, I'll be repacking my bags for a solo trip to Canada! This will be my second trip to Canada - I took a one day excursion to Niagra Falls in 2003 while I was in corporate training in Rochester, NY. I'll be traveling with one of my best friends to visit three of our friends who live in Toronto. I'm especially excited about this trip because a) it will be the first time I use my brand new passport, b) I can't wait to see my friends, c) Canada Day and Pride Fest are happening the weekend that I'm there and it's going to be SO MUCH FUN.

After I get home from Canada, I am taking my daughter to visit her cousins in Georgia, and I am taking along a friend for the road trip and heading over to Savannah, Georgia. I have wanted to see Savannah since I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil years ago. I can't wait to see the gardens. I can't wait to wear my summer hats. I can't wait to drink gallons of sweat tea in Georgia! Also, I love Ghosthunters and shows like that and I've heard that Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in the US! I am already researching which 'ghost tours' to take!

And then comes my most anticipated trip: my second honeymoon. This July will be my 10th wedding anniversary and because my husband just began a new job that requires him to travel to the Caribbean each month, we are going to work our anniversary trip around his work schedule. Which means...I am going to the Caribbean for my second honeymoon! I have a romantic place picked out in Costa Rica, but if that doesn't work out, I will be spending my 10th wedding anniversary on the beaches of Trinidad and Barbados!

Can you see why I am so excited? My last planned trip of the summer is to take my daughter to North Carolina for my family reunion. Our family is so large that we have a reunion every year, and different family members come each year. Now that so many of us are on Facebook, we've come closer together - even third and fourth cousins talk on Facebook every week and it makes our reunions so much more fun. There's no "I don't know anyone" anymore!

I can't wait to get my summer started. While I am home, my daughter and I have plans to spend lots of time in the pool, at the beach, throwing BBQs and pool parties for our families and friends and I am sure that I will be dragged to the mall more often than not!

What are your plans this summer? Do you have any recommendations for things I should see and do while I am visiting a city that you're familiar with? Email me at TheR[email protected] or leave me a comment with your suggestions!