I viewed vacationing with strangers as going on a first date every night and having to provide your life story. I figured it might be much more entertaining to have a different life story every time I met a new person. The first night I told our table sharing dinner guests that I was the conductor for the Montgomery, Alabama traveling orchestra, after having told others during the cocktail hour that I was the U.S. ambasador to Madagascar. My wife wasn't in earshot of the first fib, but was for the second. I was suddenly shot a look that said something like knock off the vocational shenanigans or you'll find yourself looking for a new career as a husband.
Pain relievers are apparently the big seller at the local drug store.
By the end of the week you've got to pack up and head out as the new influx of families is arriving. You look at the interlopers with a tainted eye for they signify that you're now back to the reality of no forty foot buffet table every night. Start Your Engines Family Unity Bob Schwartz is a freelance writer who has had humorous essays published in national and regional parenting publications. He also has a weekly slice of life column for a local Michigan newspaper, where he resides with his wife Robin and their A team of Adam, Andrew and Amy. ParenToon e-cards .