And then the credit card bill arrived

Dear Elliot, Aaron, Isaac and Norah,

Your father and I have been married now for over ten years. Isn't that amazing? We love each other very much and we love you! As you know, we decided to leave you with Nana and Papa for a week so that we could go on a trip to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We decided to be adventurous and quirky and to have a computer randomizer pick a location for us to travel to, out of more than a hundred options around the world. Would it be Johannesburg? Mexico City? Vernal? The randomizer very randomly picked the place where everyone goes for their tenth anniversary: Hawaii.

So, off to Hawaii we go! Please don't resent us for leaving you on Christmas Day, because tickets were cheaper then (though ridiculously high, still). You know we love to keep the budget happy when we travel! Well, please also don't be mad that Mommy was not very expeditious in arranging for hotels, so by the time I got around to it, everyone else in the free world had already booked their post-Christmas hotel rooms in Oahu, and we had to spend all your Christmas toy money on a place to rest our heads (the travel budget long since depleted). Oh, and please don't hate us that your entire inheritance has now gone to reserving a rental car at the Honolulu airport. As long as Mommy and Daddy come back happy and rested, right?

You'll probably notice that after our trip, we'll have more patience and show more love to each of you. You don't mind that we are spending about as much on this indulgent little getaway as it cost to take 7 of us to Spain a few years ago (back when Mommy didn't procrastinate and found good travel deals well in advance)?

Thanks for understanding.

Love, Mom