Monday, July 18, 2011

Family Vacation



We just got back from an amazing 8 day (4 days driving and 4 days there) family vacation in Virginia. It is so fun to take my (Elise) children to my grandmother's lake house that I grew up going to.
My grandfather built the original rustic 5 room house when my mother was in high school. Over the years it has been added on to at least 3 times with the last one a monster major remodel and addition. I have been almost every summer since I was born.

The girls just fell in love with the Lake. Dan and I couldn't be prouder of them. They were fearless, daring, wild, well behaved and slept really, really well. While walking up from the water one day, Mia said to me "Mom, I wish we had a lake house. I just love swimming."

What cracks me up the most is that my siblings and I still carry our childhood phobias of the lake while our kids have none. The phobia list includes the following: NEVER EVER swim on the left side of the dock, NEVER swim under a boat or the dock, touch the bottom with your feet ONLY when extremely necessary, keep your eyes out for snakes at all times, never go outside after dark due to monster spiders and moths.....and the list goes on.

Dan and I approached the vacation with some trepidation due to the following reasons:
  • Drive Time to Lake: 18 hours (stops not included)
  • Total Headcount at Lake House: 37 people and 1 dog
  • Total Bedrooms at Lake House: 7
  • Total Bathrooms at Lake House: 3
  • Total Ovens at Lake House: 1
  • Total Family Blow-Ups in Past Years: too many to count

But thankfully the family drama was just ending when we arrived, due to kids we got our own room, my aunt planned and prepared AMAZING meals and you would NEVER EVER know that there were 35-37 people there. It truly is an amazing place. So beautiful and so relaxing.

Here is the matriach of the family. My (Elise's) grandmother. She is a strong woman, so wise and so brave and to this day I love nothing more than to sit on her bed with her and talk for hours. I love you Granny! (My grandfather, who was just as loved, is no longer with us).

1 comment:

pam said...

How wonderful...a beautiful place and all survived. Family certainly can strain the loving can't it? Our families provide LOTS of opportunities to grow in loving like Christ...dying to self.