Decisions, Decisions

Is it just me, or does making decisions get harder and harder the older we get?  I find that I run out of patience before the discussion is over and nothing has been decided, which leads to yet another discussion at a later point, which frustrates me that WE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS and again, patience flies out the window and the decision is left unmade.  

So perhaps if I write down all of the decisions we need to make here, you can all chime in and help a mother out?  I am just now realizing that they all have to do with travelling so let's gooooooo:

1) Summer Vacation

For the past two years, we have brought the family to Catholic Familyland in Bloomingdale, OH where we have a week-long family retreat.  It's tons of fun and life-giving.  We meet up with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their 8 kids and have a little family vacation together.  The hard thing about this vacation is that it is very difficult to get there, not just in the amount of driving time (12 hours each way) but in every other way too.  We have to rent a camper and have it delivered there, pack clothes and supplies for a family of nine without laundry access, plan and shop for groceries out in Ohio, and then cook for said large family from the camper.  The easy thing about this vacation is that once we are there, the kids are entertained and we don't have to plan any activities each day or think about what to do or where to go.  They have cousins and friends and sports tournaments and youth group meetings and pools and so much fun.  We were planning to go back again this summer but found out that some friends had picked a different week to attend, and then our camper guy informed us he sold his camper and we couldn't rent it anymore.  We are looking to rent a different camper, but everything seems to be more money or too small or too far away.  

We also have a timeshare in New Hampshire that we pay for each year, and it's the same week we were going to Ohio.  We planned on moving that week in NH to another time (maybe August?) but now that the OH trip keeps giving us trouble, we are wondering if we should just go to NH instead?  The pros - it would be cheaper, only a 2 hour drive each way, we would have a full kitchen and condo with plenty of room.  The cons - once we are there, it's a lot of planning and deciding about what to do and where to go each day, which for a family with our age ranges (kids aged 5 through 19) is hard to please everyone.

2) Anniversary Trip

Before we even go away for the summer, Phil and I are trying to plan a little getaway for our 20th Anniversary in May.  I feel like 20 years is a big deal and we should celebrate, but then the logistics of getting away when we still have little kids (I'm thinking lots of people married for 20 years don't still have a Kindergartner, but I could be wrong?) is daunting.  

I love a night away from them, but more than that and I get antsy missing them/worrying/feeling guilty.  Our college aged child would be in charge while we are away, reinforced by my parents who live downstairs.  We've never left the kids alone before for an overnight as we always had our goddaughter come live with them, but she is getting married and frankly too old busy to be asked to babysit anymore.  I mean, really, at what age does a babysitter retire?  Anyhoo, we renewed our passports and want to go to Canada, preferable Quebec where they still speak French and it will feel like we are truly in another country.  We dated throughout Europe, and I think we want a little taste of that again, oui oui. The drive to Quebec is about 7 hours each way so we would have to stay for at least 2 nights to make it worthwhile, but probably 3.  This seems indulgent and like maybe we should just wait until our 25th anniversary when our youngest is ten?  

3) College Visits

Andrew is only a Junior in high school, but we are trying to start the college visits with him so we can fit them in more organically to places where we are already travelling.  We are taking him to St. Anselm's in February and then to both Franciscan University and Catholic University in April.  The issue here is that I feel like I am trying to push him to decide where he wants to go and what he wants to study when he seems to have no idea yet.  On the one hand, I'm like THAT'S FINE YOU ARE ONLY 17 AND DON'T HAVE TO DECIDE YET but on the other hand, when you sign up for a college tour, they want to know your intended major.  It's like kids are being made to decide these big things earlier and earlier.  When I went to college, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, and majored in Biology.  After one semester, I switched to a double major of Journalism and Theology, and the next year I made the final switch to Accounting.  I *obviously* had no idea what I wanted to be at 18, and honestly, at age 42, don't even know if I made the right decision.  Like, lay off my baby, people!  But also, tell me what you are interested in, baby!  Do I keep trying to show him options and encourage certain majors based on what I see as his talents?  Do I just lay off and let him decide even if he leaves it all to the last minute?  I can tell that he is overwhelmed by it all.  He has friends who know exactly what they want to be, and where they want to go, but he just doesn't know yet.  He is smart, kind, fun, athletic, hard-working, sensitive, responsible, empathetic and can do anything...once he puts his mind to it.  I feel like college is a choice in life where the student should be leading the charge, not the parents.  So how much to nudge and how much to let go?

Thoughts?  I know you have them!  Please spill....