Summer is almost over, at least on the calendar.  Here in Arizona, we have several weeks of hot weather ahead, and I hope you have a chance to escape the heat for a little vacation.  Some people went on vacation under less-than-optimal conditions, and the lesson – both from Judge Ryan and from my own three-week road trip through the American West – is that trying to control the “little stuff” will drive you crazy and detract from your ability to appreciate the “big stuff.”  

From all of us at Donison Law Firm, we salute Judge Rayn and appreciate his wit and humor in handling a crazy mess of “little stuff.”  

From an actual Minute Entry, June 6, 2013, Maricopa County Superior Court

In Re Marriage of McCXXXX
The Hon. Timothy J. Ryan

“The Court is in receipt of Mother’s Motion for Permission to Travel Out-of-State with children. It is sad that such a motion has to be written, let alone ruled upon.

The motion does not indicate how long Mother intends to remain outside the state of Arizona on her vacation. The motion does not indicate why Father has any objection to the children having fun at the Happiest Place on Earth, the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The court cannot think of any good reason why any parent would refuse to agree in writing for his or her children to go to Disneyland.

Had Father timely consented, Maternal Great Grandmother would have been able to purchase the tickets at a cheaper price. The Court takes judicial notice of the fact that, as a result of Father’s refusal to respond to Mother’s request, Maternal Great Grandmother’s ticket costs rose 6%. It just got a little more expensive to get happy. If in fact Father has refused Mother’s travel requests, then Father’s refusal for the sake of refusal is nothing more than a Mickey Mouse litigation tactic, and just plain Goofy.

. . . If Father does not want to take the children to the Happiest Place on Earth, because they’ve been there and done that by the time Father exercises his parenting time, he can check the vacations available on www.bestvacationsever.com. The Court also takes judicial notice that staycations at many resorts in the Phoenix metropolitan area are a wonderful experience and a great bargain as well.”