It is about the time of the year when winter has taken hold and though we currently are not in the grip of a storm, we also know that winter is not over. It is at this point in the year that I begin to think about warmer weather. I wonder how many more days before the ice goes out of the lake and I’ll be able to take a boat up and get it wet. It is a bit early for the seed catalogues, but at this time of the year it works to plan a big garden knowing that the real work won’t have to begin today. And, of course, as our thoughts turn to warmer weather, it is never too early to plan summer vacation.

Actually, in recent years, we have taken vacation at different times of the year. Sometimes it is good to keep working through the summer, using the time when activities slow at the church to plan and prepare for the busier seasons of church life. And since our children are now grown, we do not have our lives dictated by the school schedule in the same way that we did when they lived at home. So we are free to take a week in September or October or even in December as we did this year.

I have not, however, forgotten those days when we planned around the summertime for our vacations. It takes a bit of planning to make everything work out. Although children get a break from school, there are plenty of other activities to take up time during the summer. By the time you figure in camps and summer jobs and other factors, it can be downright complex to find a time for a family vacation.

For some reason I was thinking yesterday about a family with a schedule that is busier than mine. President Barak Obama’s family have many demands on their schedules. Although their annual Christmas vacation to Hawaii receives a lot of publicity, they need to be getting their heads around their summer vacation plans.

After all they have a high school junior in their home. Maria is 16 and the summer after your junior year in high school means it is time to plan college visits in the search for the perfect campus for your four year academic and social career. I’m sure that the President and First Lady have a lot of other things on their schedules, but college shopping needs to be remembered in their family initially for this summer.

With our son, there was only one campus that he seemed to like. Fortunately, it was the one he chose and you only need one college. By the time he headed to graduate school, he was able to make the visits and decisions alone without his parents along.

I suppose Malia needs to include a visit to Occidental College in Los Angeles, her father’s undergraduate institution. A visit to her mother’s alma matter, Princetown is a closer jaunt from their Washington, DC home.

I’ve read that Malia likes tennis, so when she is in California checking out her dad’s college, she ought to take a look at UCLA and the University of Southern California, both top-rated tennis schools. Closer to home, The University of Virginia ranks well for tennis. I suppose she could check out Ohio State and Baylor as well. But I hope she doesn’t forget the University of Oklahoma. That one might escape her radar, but it is consistently ranked near the top in the lists of college tennis.

Of course, Malia’s career interest, which I’ve heard is filmmaking, might not be a strong suit for University of Oklahoma. On that score, the California universities might have more to offer.

But who knows what career they want to pursue at the age of 16? I don’t think I knew.

It was different for me. I didn’t shop around for colleges. My grandfather had been a college trustee. My father was a trustee of the same college. I guess I sort of assumed that I would attend that college. And I did. I never even applied to any other institution.

If Malia is planning on applying to several colleges, she needs to remember the cost. Application fees average a little less than $40 with some approaching $100. You have to consider those things when making your plans.

Maybe Malia might consider applying to Carelton College. It is a Forbes top ranked college and they have no application fee at Carelton. While they are in the neighborhood. St. Olaf has a good reputation and no application fee. Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where Steve Jobs attended, has no application fee. But they do have a reputation for high tuition. I actually don’t know anything about the Obama family’s finances, but I’m thinking that they will figure out some way to swing college tuition. After all they have only two daughters.

College tuition was a bit of a squeeze for our family, but it is an expense I have never regretted. After we got our kids through their education, i bought a new truck. The truck is showing signs of wearing out. The kids’ education seems to have been a wiser long-term investment. OK the college cost more than the truck, but still it seems like a good deal. And, for the present, the Obama family doesn’t need to worry about the cost of a family car.

So as we think about what we might do with our vacation this year, which probably will be pursuing the things we like the most - visiting children and grandchildren, I’m grateful that we are at a life phase where we don’t have a big decision like where to go to college looming over our family.

I wish the President and First Lady luck as they plan their summer. I’m thinking that Malia will have plenty to say about the choice of colleges. If they are smart, and I think they are, they’ll listen to their daughter as they consider their summer plans.

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