On October 5, my countdown began: 30 days until my 30th birthday. In honor of this, on each of the 30 days leading up to my birthday I will recount one memory from the past 30 years… either one that has helped define me, one that makes me laugh, one that makes me think, one that encourages me…  or maybe a little of everything. If possible, I will post a photo to go along with the memory.

It’s my 30/30/30 Project: 30 years. 30 memories. 30 days.

Here is my memory for Day #22:

We didn’t have a ton of money growing up, but my parents took us on quite a few vacations because they believed that family togetherness and new experiences were so important. These weren’t elaborate vacations, nor were they ridiculously frequent; they would save up and take us on a few trips per year… camping in the summer, skiing up north for school vacation, day trips to Martha’s Vineyard in the summer…

On a few occasions, we went on “big” trips, for which they likely had to save a little extra and a little longer… like our two-week vacation to California in 1988, our road trip down the East Coast in 1992 and our trip to Venezuela in 1994.

Also, our vacation to Niagara Falls in 1987.

I was only 6, but I do remember a few things about this trip to Canada. Like, at the border when they asked if we had any alcohol in the car and my dad answered, “No,” I was terrified that they’d find out we actually did have alcohol in the car. Later, when I voiced this concern to Mom, she informed me that the rubbing alcohol we had brought with us wasn’t a concern to Canada. 🙂

I also remember going to the top of the Skylon Tower to eat dinner, hearing stories about people who had ridden down the Falls in a barrel – and wondering what the heck they were thinking, and riding on the Maid of the Mist, which takes you by boat the mouth of the Falls.

We also went to the Observation Tower. I remember being given yellow ponchos to wear and then taking an elevator to a place that gave us very close access to the Falls. It was fun, but scary, too!

I’m so glad we had the opportunities to take these family vacations, thanks to our parents. They have made some of the best memories!

Here’s my brothers, Mom, me and Audrey posing for Dad, who took this photo, in front of Niagara Falls.