Don’t forget to link up your story at the end of this post.  I will be announcing door prize winners all day long, from 7 a.m until 10 p.m. Friday night (CST). Door prizes are only for Linky participants. (I am giving away 4 prizes for commenters on this post…keep reading).  You only need to link up your vacation post ONE TIME to be eligible to win one of the door prizes. And your post doesn’t have to be a current post, just one from this summer’s vacation (day trip), but I would appreciate a link back here.

Here is the list of 21 door prizes (not in a specific order) that total around $800.00!  I will update winners every couple of hours, so please check back as often as you can. Some of the prizes were donated locally and do not have links and these will be given away first, so Please take time to visit each donator that has a link. These business/blogs have been so kind to donate the following:

Prize #4. Huggable Kid’s Digital Photo Frame ($30 value) 

Prize #6. A Kid’s Travel Activity Lot ($25 value) Winner: Forty b4 Forty

Prize #7. Shawn is offering a $15 Gift Certificate w/free shipping to Shawnsbidness Collectibles (ebay store) Winner:  Lisa@ Stop and Smell the Chocolates!

Prize #8. Travel Disney Scene It: To Go ($15 value) Winner: My 3 Wisemens 

 Prize #10. Pine Cove Family Camp is donating a Prize Gift Box (over $50 value) consisting of: 3 Pine Cove T-Shirts (1 Adult, 2 Children’s), 2 Pine Cove Outback Car Decals, an Outback Boomerang and stuffed kangaroo and Pine Cove’s Newest Worship CD:  Second Life of Mattresses. Winner- Life at the Circus

Prize #11. One free night plus 4 all-day waterpark admissions to the amazing Key Lime Cove Indoor Water Park and Resort  in Illinois!  Go check out this amazing place. (Value $150; in your comment please mention if you’d like to win this and would be able to use it, expires December 2009).

Prizes #12-21 Lonely Planet is offering 10 Travel Guides (up to $30 value each). Winners have can pick the travel guide of their choice! You can view the choices here. !

PLUS, these amazing guides (Florida, USA, (2)Blue List: Best in Travel in 2008) will go to 4 lucky commenters on this post (that’s a total of 14 Travel Guides from Lonely Planet. This is a total value of approximately $400!

Before you link up, indulge me and check out my Sizzlin’ Summer Vacation.  We went to Pine Cove Family Camp in Tyler, Texas and had an incredible week.

It was simply amazing.   Here are some other highlights:

You are only eligible if you link up your vacation story, so get busy!  I will be throwing up Mr. Linky Thursday night at exactly 10 pm (CST) because I just realized that this weekend is Labor Day weekend. I will start announcing door prizes all day long on Friday!

You can link to an older post or write a new one…just as long as it’s about a vacation/or a fun summer day!

Well. Family Camp.  It was amazing.  And not just because I had low expectations.  I just didn’t

 expect this  all week long!

And while I would love to delight you with all 400 photos, I must save some of my vacation splendor for the little Sizzlin’ Summer Vacation Spectacle that I’m hosting on August 29^th.  You can read all about the giveaway-linky-frenzy, here.  You don’t want to miss it!

I will say, it was one high  after another

While the kids ran amuck with their counselors at Family Camp, the parents participated in an amazing parenting conference, focusing on raising great kids.

Umm, yeah . . . we completely needed it! (I’ll be sharing some of the fabulous parenting tips I learned later next month)!

I thought I would share the two parts of Family Camp I mentioned the other day: the  theme nights and the talent show.

I’m at Peace!

I fell desperately in love with these two Latinos on Fiesta night!

THAT family entered the talent show, but we forgot the peanut butter (much to hubby’s relief) for our family’s disgusting skit.

God is good.

So, we created a magic ‘enlarging machine’ thanks to reader, Wendy M. for the idea.

What happens when you throw a rag in? . . . . you get a towel!

What happens when you put in some coins? . . . . you get a $5 bill!

What happens when you spit into the machine?  Ask the front row, who were doused with a water gun!

And this is what happens when you throw a toy baby doll in the machine hidden behind the curtain! You get a live one . . . 

Who discovered a new love for all things sticky! Hey, it was her vacation too!

THAT family came home dirty, tired and committed to one another.

We even had time to be alone and reconnect! (My new favorite picture because we were on a boat, watching the sun set!  I’m telling ya’ll this camp was something else!) Notice how many times I’ve used !!! in this post?

Check out this Pine Cove button  .  If you want to experience a trip of a lifetime and grow closer to God as a family, this is for you! I don’t think I’ve ever been served in a greater capacity, laughed more or challenged greater.  We also met some amazing families. 

Make plans to link up at the Sizzlin Summer Vacation Spectacle and you’ll see what other kind of fun was had by THAT family!

P.S.  I’m happy to report that we did not make ONE visit to the ER during our week at Family Camp. We only had to seek out the camp nurse for bug bites, a blister, a sore throat and my son’s bleeding gums from the tooth he lost. We did map out the nearest major medical center, because I like to be prepared.  I’m just sayin’.

I don’t know how my parents did it.

Seriously.

Our summer vacations were dominated by road trips.  

One of my first memories is of a very long car ride to Disney World, back in the 1970′s.  It must have been in the winter because our little Ford Pinto didn’t have a heater and we kept warm with quilts. 

That worked out great until my twin sister and I decided to ‘play horsey’ with our older brother. We used his belt for the reigns.  

Around his neck.  Great fun, until he puked chocolate milk.  All over the blankets. That were keeping us warm.  My next memories are of a cold car ride to Disney World.

Because we entertained ourselves.

Not something my kids excel at on our road trips these days. We’ve got the whole audiovisual thing going on in our minivan and a plethora of travel paraphernalia. 

And I’m not about to change it. Because I like progression.

Call me a sissy.  A weenie.  Just don’t take it away. M’kay?

And because my Momma taught me to play nice and share, I want your last traveling summer getaway or trip to Wal Mart to go well.

I will choose two random winners.  One will receive a brand new Disney MixMax Video MP3 Digital Media Player.  Tinkerbell edition.  It holds 240 songs and plays 16 hours of video.  It’s rechargeable and comes with software, earbuds, and a wrist strap! Value $100. Perfect for those long car rides!

The other random winner will receive two $50 prizes, for a total value of $100.  Both of these items are brand new and made by Npower’s Nickelodeon line, Sponge Bob edition:  A digital music player (MP3) that holds 250 songs, comes with software, ear buds and is rechargeable AND a flash digital camera that holds approx. 79 photos.  It has sound effects, an LCD screen, software, adhesive skins, a wrist strap, cables and much more! Perfect for busy hands on a road trip. US shipping only.

So, leave a comment (ONE, Please) with your choice (tinkerbell or sponge bob) and you can get double entries if you add this button to your blog (because I’m not above bribery) or subscribe to my feed (let me know in your comment if you do this or already have):

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