Thank you/Apology

Thanks Travis and Tafe for your insight. I did not even consider that we need to pick the right place by the right beach (I did check the La Jolla property and found it is by Windansea, by the way). I'm definitely the out-of-town idiot - I see the word "beach" and assume it's going to be beautiful, which is certainly not true in many cases. Thank goodness we have locals in the family!

Also, thanks Travis for putting me in my place. Besides thinking that we could find great deals if we book well in advance (which turns out to not be true - they'll rip you off any day of the year. The best deals are last minute, actually), I admit, I've been eager to find a spot because I am starting a very competitive Masters and PhD program in the fall (not completely sure why I'm choosing 7 more years of school...) and after August, I guarantee I won't be able to spend any time planning this trip at all. I feel a little responsible for seeing this through because I started the blog* and I do want this to happen. I think it would mean a lot - to Grandma and Grandpa especially - to gather together with our whole family. It's been a long time since we've all been together and it would be great to see everyone, meet your kids, enjoy some good card games and conversations, etc.

So, where do we go from here? If we "decide to not decide" for now, will someone (or a group of people) agree to do all the planning in the winter when the reunion is 6 months away (while I'm struggling to keep my neck above water in a "Multiple Regression Analysis" course)? Also, I agree with Aunt Tafe - I think that a vacation with a couple days with all the Glausers, then the rest of the time as smaller family groups/individual families is a great idea. So, with that in mind, here is what I have learned:

-It is really hard to find vacation rentals by the beach that only rent for a couple nights. 99% of rentals are Saturday to Saturday in the peak season, and the 1% that aren't are really ugly (aka - Girl's Camp - not even glorified - at least that's what I've found on vrbo.com and similar sites - there might be great stuff out there that I haven't found). Even if we scooped up a few condos or timeshares that people are selling, those are also weekly things.
-Hotels by the beach are really expensive! I did get a quote from the Holiday Inn Orange County airport for $99/night for group rates, but that's 8 miles away from the beach. It has been remodeled recently and is really nice, though.
-I also received a quote from UCSD for $285/night for a family of 4, including food, and $189/night from Holiday Inn San Diego Bayside for a family of 4-5, including only breakfast.

So, anyway, I agree with Travis - let's just take a break. It'll give us time to decide exactly what we want to do and save up to make it happen. Whoever is volunteering to do the planning, feel free to give me an email at kristafrederico@gmail.com. I'd be happy to share with you all the research I've done so that you don't have to start from square 1. Or maybe we'll just decide to stay with family or each cousin buy their own hotel rooms, which is great, too. As long as we can meet to enjoy each other's company and have a fierce card game at some point (seriously, Burk and Kelly, Nathan and I have been practicing Nerts so we don't get schooled again by you both), I don't care where I'm staying.

Thanks for being such good sports. I'm sorry for being hasty. I know this is a costly venture and I realize now that it was very irresponsible for me to throw around vacation plans like that. I appreciate your help in getting my feet back on the ground. We do have such a great family. :D

*I am really sorry if I have pushed anyone away or made anyone feel like they can't post here. I sincerely tried to preserve anonymity (with anonymous voting in the polls), as well as space for people to talk publicly if they'd like to. To those out there who have felt like the blog was a bad idea, I sincerely apologize. Blogs are so popular these days, I just went for it on a whim without thinking about others' feelings. I'm sorry.

Let's all take a breath

All right guys,

I hate to be a lone voice of dissent here, but believe me when I say I am not alone in my thinking. I think we are making some very premature plans.  I realize nothing is solidified yet but here are my takes.  We are still 13 months out from this thing.  I think the initial purpose of this blog was to brainstorm and solidify a time to do the reunion, not necessarily a place.  In the next 13 months many things can happen.

Families will grow with more children, we're hoping that GMA's GPA's health will change for the better.  Unfortunately, some people's employment status or where people live will change.  I think the key right now is to settle on a time to do this, and wait and see what people are feeling later on down the road.  The previous blogs have already stated that some of these places we're looking at can't be reserved until we are six months out and to that I say, Bravo! That gives us more time to figure out what we want to do.  

I know I am speaking for those of us who live east of the Mississippi,  but the reality is it is going to cost a minimum of 750-1000 bucks just to get out to Southern California for my family.  And I've only got one child.  So my point is I don't mind spending that kind of bread as long as the trip we're going on is worth that sort of bread.  Glorified Girls' Camp up in the dusty mountains in August is not worth that kind of bread to me.  Tents?  No thanks...

I am very aware that money is an issue for many people.  Believe me, I am.  It is no different for us.  But I am willing to drop some bread on a trip that will be memorable and exciting, where people can come and go as they please and do the sorts of things they will enjoy.  But if we're looking at dropping 10 grand to stay in a "tall-walled compound" that will still require some unfortunate folks to camp out, that seems a little unsettling.  

This is simply my opinion, it is not law.  I appreciate the work that has been put into this reunion up to this point and am willing to help out in any way I can.  The bottom line though, is that whether this thing is in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Utah, or California, people are going to have to pay to get there, and I think people will want to know their money is spent doing something other than camping out.  

Travis

Misc. ideas

Thanks, Uncle Gary - if you could look into reserving that stake's cabin, that would be great! I wasn't very successful in finding large cabins up at Big Bear and that sounds like a good option. Maybe since you'd be requesting it so early, we'd get a good shot at a reservation, even though it is in August.

My mom also had the idea - if the beach property's tall gate that surrounds the "compound" can be locked, maybe we can look into a few of the adults and kids (who are up for it) sleeping in tents outside. Looks like there's a large grass area. That might be fun for some of the kids. But, we'll see. We'll need someone to check out this property if it makes it on our short list, of course. Even though it is a big chunk of change, it is significantly less than others that I found and has better features (like the large, private yard space). But, the expense is definitely a factor, so keep posting other ideas.

p.s. Go girls! Amazing how in a family of so many grandsons, Gma and Gpa Glauser will soon have 7 great-granddaughters and 7 great-grandsons... girls are keeping up with the boys!

Summer '09

Thanks Krista for your hard work! How about maybe I look into the availability of a "church" camp in Big Bear or Idylwilde? I know one of our adjacent stakes co-owns a camp in Big Bear. They have lodges/bunk houses/large kitchens, etc.....problem will be availability in July/August, but I believe the cost would certainly be less than $10K/week and MUCH more space for the "invading hordes" :)) Gpa Gary (anxiously awaiting the arrival of..........his THIRD, yes, that'd be 3 little grand-daughters - who are quickly proving they can easily stand up to DOUBLE the number of grandsons! Go get 'em Sashinator and Julia!)

Reunion in Southern CA

Okay, here is what I have found. I've requested proposals from several area colleges (Chapman, UCSD, etc.), as well as a few hotels that claim to specialize in family reunions (Best Western Blue Sea Lodge in San Diego, Holiday Inn Bayside in San Diego, etc.). I asked for meal quotes as well. Hopefully we can get those proposals soon.

Until then, here are other properties:

3 homes in La Jolla

3 homes on 1 property - accommodate approximately 25. Walking distance to the beach, very close to other activities - they provide boogie boards, etc. Hot tub that holds 12. Nice yard area, fully gated all around, with plenty of room for outdoor eating with everyone. Large kitchen with double oven, gourmet BBQ grill outside for preparing meals for everyone. $9,300 for 1 week. (I really like this place - I love that we could have our own rooms/homes so that we have our own space, but we have a secluded yard to eat together. The family room of the largest home has plenty of couches and a huge square table for 10 for our card games)

Crystal Cove Beach Cottages in Newport Beach-
cannot reserve until February 1 (policy is 6-7 months in advance)
Historical, restored beach cottages between Newport and Corona del Mar. Individual and dorm-style cottages of varying sizes so that families could choose the best accommodation for them. Between $20 - $40 per person, per night for those above 4 years old. Beautiful setting, right on the beach. Largest bed size is full, some of the rooms are pretty rustic, so not most luxurious accommodations, but great location and price ($54/night for 1 private bedroom with full bed). Some units are wheelchair accessible.

I also looked at several of the RCI condos. Gma says she can look into getting 2 max simultaneously. We can also look on Craigslist to see if anyone is selling their condo week and try to get it for the same week. Most only sleep 4-6, so that might be a big hassle.

A few questions...

How many units do we need to get? Would all the locals stay with the family, where ever than may be? Or would some rather stay at home (and would other family members stay in their spare rooms)?

Do we have a budget for this? Does everyone need to pay their own way?

What do people prefer - 1 or 2 large homes with numerous bedrooms or 9-10 smaller spaces with 1-2 bedrooms? I found several large places that were expensive, but really nice - $15,000 for a 1 week rental at Capistrano that accommodates 30, etc. On the other hard, there are several timeshares and beach homes that are $1000+ for 4 people, $2000+ for 6-8 people. Could we rent 8-9 different condos/timeshares in the same general vicinity?

Which area in Southern CA is ideal? Orange County? San Diego?

Can anyone make inquiries about military housing?

I better sign off. This is turning into a part-time job (just like my full-time job! Yikes!). I'll post again when I get quotes back from the local universities.

Next steps

Hi guys, When Chuck and I last visited with Grandma and Grandpa, it was clear that a local So.Cal. reunion would be their preference. We discussed possible locations such as Big Bear or area military housing. Grandpa has some info about cabins on the beach at Camp Pendelton but unfortunately you can't make a reservation there earlier than 2 months ahead so we decided that that would not allow enough time for travel planning. So that's out. Grandpa thinks that there are other rather nice military facilities available in the area, but he didn't have any info about them. We also talked about the possibility of renting summer housing on a college campus.

Bottom line - we need a volunteer to do the research and pull together some options. If someone wants to do the initial research, Chuck and I can do a site visit if needed. Any takers? Here's a website to get you started. www.uniquevenues.com

- Heidi