Summertime planning

My daughter is half way through her first year of high school and I'm already getting anxious about summer plans. If you are a parent, you know that you need to plan for summer activities early. I don't think it's absurd that I am starting to plan in February.

I do however, realize that it may seem a little odd that I am planning for the next three summers. There are three main summer activities that we are planning for. A trip to France, a trip to fine arts camp in Alaska and a month of counseling at a Methodist camp here in Wisconsin. Here's what we are planning on so far.

2011

Ashley will spend the summer in Wisconsin. She'll head to central part of the state for camp counselor training. She has gone to Methodist camp every summer since she was six years old, with the exception of last summer, when she traveled to DC and Alaska and couldn't fit church camp into her schedule. After a week of training, she'll stick around for a few more weeks to help run some camps and try out her new role. I know she'll be great at this. She loves kids and she has loved camp for so many years, it'll be rewarding for her to be in this position. This will be an inexpensive adventure as well. We only pay for her lodging for her one week of training. The rest of the time she stays for free.

2012

The trip to France will be in 2012. That one should be easy enough. I don't have to do any planning, other than budgeting to pay for it. The french club from school will be doing the hard work, so I basically just sign forms and hand over the cash. They will spend a week and a half in smaller towns and will be staying with families. The last few days will be spent in Paris sightseeing.

2013

Ashley will be flying solo up to Sitka, AK for a two week stint an a Fine Arts Camp. She's flown before and has been to the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle/Tacoma airport and the Sitka airports in the past, so it will not be a completely unfamiliar trip. Plus, after traveling internationally in 2012, I think domestic flying will be a breeze. Sitka is a small town, and we have a friend who lives there. That takes away lots of the anxiety for me. Ashley knows the town and it's great that there will be a trusted adult just a few miles away from her if she should need anything.