Oh how frustrating.  I'm sorry:(  That has got to be so frustrating... and then I'm sure it makes the vacation FAR less fun!  

What would happen if you said, we're keeping that week and going to travel on our own because it's too late to reschedule for your husband's work or give another excuse.  (Can your husband really change vacation requests with ease or is it a hassle at his work?)  What's the worst that could happen, she gets mad because she changed already set dates?  And if they are so cash strapped, how can they afford to go on two, 1 week vacations within such a sort time frame?   If I were you, I'd push to your husband for the vacation locale and time of your choosing with just your own family and forget trying to accommodate everyone else's scheduling - too complicated!

:-(

I say...talk husband into doing YOUR thing, YOUR way. I really dislike it when my once a year vacation has to revolve around someone else, or just feels like a "required" visit to family.  I tend to have a LOT better time when it is time away from EVERYTHING in a place I love.

What part of Texas were you planning to visit, or was it going to be a big road trip all across my homeland?

Yep he's the VP of a company and can work from anywhere if something really needs to be done, so that's not a big deal at all and my other SIL her hubby is a CHP officer so when he takes time off he takes the full month so we're fortunate that, that isn't an issue.

SIL's inlaws are pretty well off although you would never know it by looking at them so when they do their big vacations it's important for the whole family to be there so they will help pay anyones expenses that need it.

And really we all agreed on the location and I'll go because that's what everyone else wants to do. I'm not much of a camper but my kids like it and it's one time a yr when they get to see and play with their cousins so it's worth the PITA stuff just for that for me. Both of my SIL's married into family with a lot of sibling so all of their kids have lots of cousins to play with, but I only have 1 sister and she's not married and has no kids so these 8 cousins are all they have and they really enjoy being together when they get the chance.  When we were all together in Sept. the kids went 12, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 10 months and 8 months.

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Pam L. said ...
  (Can your husband really change vacation requests with ease or is it a hassle at his work?)  What's the worst that could happen, she gets mad because she changed already set dates?  And if they are so cash strapped, how can they afford to go on two, 1 week vacations within such a sort time frame?   If I were you, I'd push to your husband for the vacation locale and time of your choosing with just your own family and forget trying to accommodate everyone else's scheduling - too complicated!

”

I don't know for sure it would probably just be a destination, because I couldn't sit in a car long enough to roadtrip my way around. I'd love to go to the coast(take my littles to the beach) Houston, San Antonio, Dallas. We have a friend moving to Fort Stockton so we would probably have to figure out how to get over their too.

I'm hoping I get the chance to take the kids to CA to visit my other SIL, she's how I met DH and I truly love her and her family so that will be my fun vacation and I will just suck it up for the other. I know Yellowstone will be nice, and so will Jackson Hole and most importantly the kids will have fun.

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Jody said ...
What part of Texas were you planning to visit, or was it going to be a big road trip all across my homeland?

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If I had to give you a native's preferences for vacationing in Texas it would go like this:

San Antonio.  NO DOUBT.  Stay downtown within walking distance or ON the Riverwalk, and thank me later.  Take $1000.

Austin for adults, especially during a music festival.

Dallas! Six Flags or Hurricane Harbor for the kids but stay downtown near the West End!

Padre and Corpus for the beach. (Houston for the Space Center, and Galveston for Moody Gardens)

Palo Duro Canyon

Big Bend

Monahans (only stay here one or two days, because the Sand Dunes are pretty much the only activity :-)

and finally, my favorite place in Texas so far:  Glen Rose.

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Mae said ...
I don't know for sure it would probably just be a destination, because I couldn't sit in a car long enough to roadtrip my way around. I'd love to go to the coast(take my littles to the beach) Houston, San Antonio, Dallas. We have a friend moving to Fort Stockton so we would probably have to figure out how to get over their too.

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Thanks Lady I will note all of this because if I have a say in it, next year we will be Texas bound. Even if it's just our family.

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Jody said ...
If I had to give you a native's preferences for vacationing in Texas it would go like this:

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That's sweet that your kids have a relationship with their cousins.. and I'm glad you at least have a place to vent!:)

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Mae said ...
And really we all agreed on the location and I'll go because that's what everyone else wants to do. I'm not much of a camper but my kids like it and it's one time a yr when they get to see and play with their cousins so it's worth the PITA stuff just for that for me. Both of my SIL's married into family with a lot of sibling so all of their kids have lots of cousins to play with, but I only have 1 sister and she's not married and has no kids so these 8 cousins are all they have and they really enjoy being together when they get the chance.  When we were all together in Sept. the kids went 12, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 10 months and 8 months.

”

It sounds like the pro's outweigh the con's for this trip and that the kids will have lots of fun with the cousins.  How lucky that your husband can do his work from wherever he is!  I hope you'll get your immediate family only trip and/or destination of your choice within the next year or two.

It's kind of funny because after I posted my first reply to you, I remembered that just last month I was annoyed at my SIL over vacation time lines.  My SIL and BIL relocated from CA to the country Panama about 2 years ago.  We've seen her since they moved because she came back to visit/stay with her dad for a few weeks last summer and then again over Christmas.  They'll be visiting here again in April to take care of taxes.  They'll arrive in CA, stay for 5 days and then the two of them will travel to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week, then return to CA; her husband will return to Panama within a few days and she'll stay in CA for 2-3 weeks longer.  I was kind of annoyed because the week they're going to Mexico is the week my girls are on spring break and we could have arranged to go somewhere all together with my FIL (he's widowed and likes to get away but only has us to travel with), but she never thought to see/ask me when the school break is (they don't have kids).  It's too much for my girls to miss another week of school after the spring break because they're middle & high school and that's possibly a lot of work to fall behind on.  And my BIL would not want us all tagging along on their Mexico trip - lol!  Anyways, long story just to tell you that I get feeling annoyed at a SIL - lol!!

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Mae said ...
And really we all agreed on the location and I'll go because that's what everyone else wants to do. I'm not much of a camper but my kids like it and it's one time a yr when they get to see and play with their cousins so it's worth the PITA stuff just for that for me. Both of my SIL's married into family with a lot of sibling so all of their kids have lots of cousins to play with, but I only have 1 sister and she's not married and has no kids so these 8 cousins are all they have and they really enjoy being together when they get the chance.  When we were all together in Sept. the kids went 12, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 10 months and 8 months.

”