The Anticipation Is Far More Fun!

Joanie ran into a great blog post by Carla Herreria, Associate Editor, HuffPost Hawaii.  She writes a great piece titled "The Happiest Part of Your Vacation Isn't What You Think"  She nailed exactly what we've been saying all along, "...the happiest part of your vacation actually happens way before you ever step foot in your destination."

Carla notes a 2010 study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, that "just planning or anticipating your trip can make you happier than actually taking it. The study found that all vacationers experienced a significant boost in happiness during the planning stages of the trip because, as the researchers suggest, the vacationers were looking forward to the good times ahead."

We couldn't agree more!  We believe that planning and anticipating your vacation is far more satisfying than the vacation itself!  

The article image I posted here is for my family reunion, a week in August up in the Thousand Islands.  Family members all over the country got this countdown and we can't wait.  We're EXCITED for this reunion, even though... deep down... we know a week together will be about as much as we can take.  

As we tear-off the pages, our countdown will inspire us to bring our home movies and photos so we can organize that night that we all laugh at the 80s hairstyles, it'll get us motivated to make the spa appointments, and create the scavenger hunt for the kids.  What it really does is provide a daily reminder about an event we're all looking forward to.  It just serves to extend the joy of the reunion for a full two months before it even begins.  Our anticipation does not include any hint of the aunt that gets a little too feisty after she drinks, the kids having temper tantrums about who got more time on the wave runner, or rain.  There will be no cabin fever due to rain during this reunion.  We hope.

This countdown is full of promises for fun.  And couldn't we all use a little more fun in our lives?