Wha?

There may be some poor, unfortunate soul that comes upon this blog with no idea who we are or what we're doing...so those of you that already know this stuff, please play nicely while I rehash.

WHO?

We're Val and Jen, 2 of the 3 illustrious 'Tucker Girls.' We're all "grown up" and married now, but the old childhood label has stuck pretty well. Our 3rd sister, Teresa, is going rogue and staying home on this trip but WILL be joining us on future vacations, if we have to drive by and kidnap her in the dark of night. I'll be joined on this epic journey by my 10 year-old son, Mac. He'll turn 11 while we're gone...assuming we let him live that long. Val is bringing her 8 year-old daughter, Bella, and her 2 year-old son, Bubba. One big, happy family. Mmmm-hmm.

WHAT?

We're reliving our family vacations back in the day...Uncle Bob and Aunt Rachel would fill up the minivan with luggage and kids wherever any of it would fit (seatbelts were more of an option back then) and drive like a bat out of hell until we ran out of gas or they needed more caffeine. Good times!!! We're renting our minivan this time, but it'll be nearly the same. Sort of...

WHEN?

We're leaving June 30, and plan to be home Sunday, July 11th.

WHERE?

Our ultimate goal is our family in central Pennsylvania, with a bunch of stops along the way, both there and back. We'll see Val's SIL in Virginia Beach and visit the aquarium, and we'll see a Civil War reenactment in Gettysburg on July 3rd. We'll shop and eat in Amish country, visit Hershey Park, and spend the 4th of July with our family and see some amazing fireworks. On our way home we'll stay overnight at a Cherokee reservation, picnic in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, and "See Rock City!".

WHY?

Because we're gluttons for punishment, that's why. We are GOING to have fun, dammit, one way or another.

Why read about someone else's vacation?

Yes, it's another "someone-that's-not-me-going-somewhere-I'm-not" blog...but this one is different. How's that? Well, for starters, this time it's the Tucker girls going on vacation. It's a fact that the more Tucker genes involved in a vacation, the greater the odds of unscheduled hilarity, unexpected shenanigans, and the occasional total mental breakdown. Who wouldn't want to hang around for THAT?!

We've been told that we're very funny...I agree that my sisters are two of the funniest people I'll probably ever meet. Modestly, (or not) I admit that I have my moments, but they're usually limited to narrating the kind of event that's only funny if it's happening to someone else...or if it happened to you and you've lived long enough to look back on it with greater perspective. Those are my shining, terrifying moments.

Anyway, us Tucker girls take our vacations very, VERY seriously. We've had this one in the works for about a year, and are becoming unbearably excited as it gets closer. We've put a lot of work into this already...in ways that would confound a 'normal' vacationer. The 'normal' stuff (like rentals, hotel reservations, and the like) was taken care of in one night. The rest? Well...that's a work in progress, constantly evolving. Don't worry - we'll tell you ALL about it. Stay tuned!