Remembering...Our Last Family Vacation

I got a call a few weeks ago from a cousin. She needed to ask me a question. She did. I answered. We chatted. Inevitably, the topic of coronavirus and the quarantine came up. She asked if things had changed much for us due to the pandemic. She said families had to look at things differently, like if they wanted to go on vacation in the summer, would they go to the east coast, or the west coast, or out of the country? Many plans would be changing.

Then, I told her something I'm not sure she believed.

I told her that going on vacations is something our family doesn't consider, and that the last vacation our family took was in 2013. The one we took before that was in 2005.

I know that's not normal for others, but, for us, it is. So, at least a few weeks ago, our normal of staying home was becoming everyone else's normal, too. If places open up this summer, perhaps families will continue their traditions and enjoy a vacation away from home. Whether that happens or not, our tradition of staying home will most likely continue.

I was on my computer today and I ran across a YouTube video I posted that I made a few months after our trip in 2013 ended. It was fun to produce and it brought back a ton of memories. Also, the music I used is killer! It's hard to top Pat Leishman.

I've included the video and copied some shots from the trip. The kids have grown so much since then--for our youngest, he's almost doubled in age since our trip. Since we're on a "one vacation every eight years" timeline, looks like we'll be needing to go somewhere next year.

We'll see.

When You Combine Kurt Russell, Disneyland, And The Osmond Brothers...You Get An Awesome YouTube Video!

I listened to a podcast today, Adventure is Out There! from my friends, Mo and Zack. You can access their podcast: HERE. They talk about Disney, travel, and Disney travel. I've only been to Disneyland three times in my entire life, but I find the podcast interesting.

In today's podcast they talked about Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. It's one of my favorite rides. It was in that podcast they discussed a YouTube video that featured the Haunted Mansion. It also featured Kurt Russell and the Osmond Brothers. 

I just had to watch it. 

I didn't realize the video was the entire Wonderful World of Disney episode that aired back in 1970. It was a blast from the past--literally. At my part-time gig we discussed watching the show every Sunday night. It was something everyone did. I don't remember watching this particular episode, though. I think I would have remembered watching the Osmonds on national TV.

If you want to watch the episode, I highly recommend it. You can access the YouTube video: HERE. It's campy, cheesy, and definitely dated. It begins with Kurt Russell finding the Osmond Brothers and making sure they're ready for the evening's concert. They also run into E. J. Peaker (Minnie Fay from Hello Dolly...). Soon the brothers become separated in a park with 50,000 people. Will the brothers find each other in time? Will the concert be a success? Can Kurt Russell sing? You'll have to watch to find out.

After the concert everyone checks out the Haunted Mansion, Donny's favorite ride. It would have recently opened back then and the episode was a way to showcase the new ride including some "behind-the-scenes" footage. The show also showcases the rest of the park as much as possible, as well as inserting musical numbers from the brothers and from Ms. Peaker.

I first went to Disneyland back in 1974, the year my father passed away. I don't remember much, but what I do remember about the park I saw on that video. It was a fun thing to watch.