![\"Surprise](\"https:\/\/cdn.whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/surprise_vacay.jpg\")
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For those of you who are new here \u2013 let\u2019s start at the beginning. Surprise vacation\u00a0has been a longstanding Dalkin family tradition since we were kids. It started when I was 9, my sister was 6, and\u00a0my parents would throw us birthday parties. Now that I\u2019ve thrown a party or two, I know how much work they can be, PLUS add in some screaming and crying children, ummmmm NO.\u00a0So my parents decided to do away with\u00a0the birthday parties and instead they\u2019d plan a surprise vacation for us each year.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s a surprise vacation you ask? IT\u2019S A SURPRISE. And it\u2019s basically the highlight of my life. I even like it more than my birthday\/birth month which is really saying a lot. I\u2019m obsessed. They plan a vacation for us and we get somewhere in the realm of 8-10 clues each year and we have to figure out where we are going. Some years we\u2019ve figured it out, others we\u2019re totally surprised. One thing is always certain\u2026. I\u2019m always wrong. My sister sometimes figures it out, my husband has been known to do the same\u2026 but I\u2019m always, without fail, 100% wrong. I think it\u2019s because I’ve always had this burning desire to go on safari in Africa and no matter what clues my parents send over I somehow make them fit into an African safari. BUT… that’s no longer the case seeing as how we just got back from an epic adventure<\/a> through Africa<\/a> earlier this year. So what I’m saying is that MAYBE THIS YEAR I HAVE A CHANCE!!<\/p>\n ANYWAYS\u2026 since we were kids, we\u2019ve been getting everyone involved. My tennis coach, friends of friends, parents, professors, you guys!! I mean, it\u2019s basically a puzzle for anyone I know. So I\u2019ll be sharing the clues here as they roll in (roughly one a week) and I\u2019ll just continue to update this post so you don\u2019t have to search high and low for the latest clues. Ready\u2026 Clue\u2019s are officially rolling in:<\/p>\n Clue #1 –\u00a0<\/strong>It’s not a plate, and young Freud has one<\/p>\n Clue #2 –\u00a0<\/strong>People of median income in Napa can afford Bose headphones, or close to it.<\/p>\n Clue #3 –\u00a0<\/strong>A water emergency, but not in a glass.<\/p>\n Clue #4 –\u00a0<\/strong>Like Fonzie in Happy days, hair gel and a comb, rushing to the Diner.<\/p>\n Clue #5<\/strong> –\u00a0Check – the neighbor’s names, then flip the end. sp.<\/p>\n Clue #6<\/strong> – Sitting peacefully while wearing the Jane Russell 18 hour bra, doing it’s job.<\/p>\n Clue #7<\/strong> – A bunch of women having funning in France in the 1800’s<\/p>\n Clue #8<\/strong> –\u00a0Fancy morning song of the sixties, but a bit different.<\/p>\n LET’S SOLVE IT THIS YEAR!! Any guesses… comment below!<\/p>\n A bit of inside scoop:<\/p>\n We’re leaving the day after Christmas and we’re gone for about 7 days. That includes travel time. And like I said earlier, we just did an epic 2 week adventure through Africa so my instinct is that we’re not criss-crossing the globe again this year.<\/p>\n Here are our surprise\u00a0trips from the past so we can cross those off the list as we think of ways to decipher the clues.<\/p>\n 2016 – Arizona\u00a0(click on over to see clues and my parents\u00a0clues and\u00a0commentary on this trip!)<\/a> 2017 here we come!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s my most favorite time of the year!! SURPRISE VACATION is just 2 months away and it’s time to put on your detective hats! […]<\/p>\n
\n2015 – Costa Rica\u00a0–\u00a0(click on over to see clues and my parents\u00a0clues<\/a> and\u00a0commentary<\/a> on this trip!)
\n2014 – Orcas Island + Vancouver + Whistler<\/a>\u00a0(click on over to see clues and my parents\u00a0clues and\u00a0commentary on this trip!)
\n2013 – Nat Geo Cruise through\u00a0Alaska<\/a>\u00a0(click on over to see clues and my parents\u00a0clues and\u00a0commentary on this trip!)
\n2012 – Road Trip through\u00a0France<\/a>\u00a0(click on over to see clues and my parents\u00a0clues and\u00a0commentary on this trip!)
\n2011 – Bahamas
\n2010 – Skipped a year and went to Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna but it wasn’t a surprise
\n2009 – Banff, Canada
\n2008 – none of us can remember where we went this year! whoops \ud83d\ude42
\n2007 – Italy
\n2006 – Turkey
\n2005 – Greece
\n2004 – England + Scotland
\n2003 – Cancun, Mexico
\n2002 – Hawaii (Big Island)
\n2001 – Napa \/ Sonoma
\n2000 – Los Angeles
\n1999 – New York
\n1998 – Washington DC
\n1997 – Las Vegas
\n1996 – Texas
\n1995 – Disney World<\/p>\n