Remembering Holidays in Paradise
A wayward dog in paradise.
Believe it or not, my favorite holiday memories have nothing to do with dogs.
In fact, these moments occurred in a tropical paradise where visiting dogs are required to undergo a lengthy quarantine before they are free to run on the beach with their people.
My favorite holiday memories happened during my childhood, in Hawaii. My family was incredibly lucky that my mother worked as a travel agent. She could lock in on good deals early and take advantage of some professional discounts so that we could hop a plane to heaven at least once a year.
Often, this escape coincided with Thanksgiving or Christmas and New Year’s. Because I didn’t grow up in a house with brothers or sisters, several times I was permitted to invite a friend or my cousin along for the beachcombing, hiking and “hanging loose.”
The vibe in my family wasn’t perfect in those days long before my parents’ divorce. But I will always cherish those family vacations as some of the happiest moments – and the most mele kalikimakas – of my childhood.
Who could have a bad time in a place like this, anyway?
Maui, 2008
The pictures above come from a more recent trip, when I was the guest of my best friend Kenton‘s family on an excursion to Maui. Somewhere, there is a little tape full of video footage of that vacation, too, which includes the first time I ever saw whales in Hawaii.
Spread between my parents’ homes are also boxes and boxes of photographs from those earlier trips, plus clunky VHS tapes of preteen me shakin’ my thang in a grass skirt at a luau and, I’m pretty sure, clips of my oldest bestie Stacy and me on stage at a concert by the world’s youngest Elvis impersonator (aka the young Bruno Mars).
Having all of my Hawaiian memory footage collected in one place sure would be nice.
Fortunately, technology is making that easier.
YesVideo
This post is sponsored by YesVideo, a service that specializes in transferring photos, videos and almost any type of media, including VHS, to DVD.
Once you have everything together that you want YesVideo to transfer, you can either mail it straight to the company or drop your media off at four major retailers, including the photo counter at Sam’s Club.
Sadly, the deadline has passed to receive a DVD by Christmas this year, but this kind of commemorative gift would be ideal for any family holiday or birthday.
To learn more about YesVideo, check out these links:
What’s your favorite holiday memory that you’d like to preserve on video?
Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
Posted on December 4, 2012, in Dogs, Dogtography, Family, Random Life, Travel and tagged Bruno Mars, family travel, family trip to hawaii, family vacation, Hawaii, Maui, Mele Kalikimaka, stray dog, vacation, YesVideo. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
There are some great companies doing those conversions.
I know! I need to bite the bullet and get a bunch of media converted. However, some of it so embarrassing that maybe it’s better if it stays on the old tapes no one can watch!
If you ever come to Nassau, N.P. in The Bahamas with your doggies, give us a call in advance and you will see how beautiful crystal-clear beaches can be!
Oh my, that would be an amazing dream come true.
Pingback: How to Eat Leftover Birthday Cake « Wayward Dogs