vacation

Texas didn't make the Top 10 on the list of bucket list states to visit, but it got me thinking about the big secrets that East Texas does offer, and I have to ask.  What's the one thing that's a must-do for visitors in Lufkin?

So, we know how crowded Nac is whenever SFA students are in town. But, when the students AREN'T there, there are lots of enjoyable ways to spend time.

You might know that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was written by John Hughes, the guy behind ’80s classics like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. But did you know that before Hughes became a filmmaker he was a contributor to the National Lampoon magazine? In fact, he based his Christmas Vacation screenplay on one of his old Lampoon pieces, “Christmas ’59.” That’s just one of the cheerful facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

If you're planning a vacation to ski country, you might have to wait.  Thanksgiving weekend is usually a big one for ski resorts, but most of them had to delay openings this year because of a lack of snow. Some of the projected openings are in mid to late December now.

We rock the beer and barbecue in Texas, but when it comes to having the biggest draws for tourists, we're left completely off the "best of the best" list.  We don't have Yosemite or Yellowstone, and the closest "best" tourist destination is about 1200 miles away.  BUT, see why this may be a good thing.

A few weeks ago, tracking for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was supposedly in the toilet. Early reports suggested that Tom Cruise’s fifth outing as super-spy Ethan Hunt was not getting people excited. This would be the end, the experts said, of a franchise that has kept Cruise’s career surging forward for the past two decades. Well, that was apparently a big load of crap because Rogue Nation opened well and opened in the same ballpark as the rest of the franchise. Even with inflation differences, this series keeps on hitting the same box office sweet spot.

The new Vacation may bear the same name as the old Vacation, but it’s actually a sequel, taking place a few decades after the first ill-fated Griswold family trip to Walley World. The first trailer for this new version has arrived and while it has the same title and premise as its predecessor, it bends over backwards to let you know that Ed Helms is the same Rusty Griswold from 32 years ago, all grown up. Can we call this a rebootquel?

Of course we all take our phones with us when we travel, but should we use them to check in with work while relaxing on vacation in the Caribbean?

The old addage that "money won't buy you happiness" is mostly true, that is unless you have just under $7k in your pocket and an urge to vacation with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.