I LOVE family trips. I can’t say I did when I was a child. I mean, who would enjoy being in an unairconditioned car in the heat of summer from early morning to early evening for two plus days? Also, imagine how the car felt sitting on hot leather seats, or when it rained and the windows were closed, or when the windows were open but you were stuck behind a truck carrying pigs as you rode around the mountain roads. Seeing and being with my grandparents for the next couple of weeks made the long drive all worthwhile.
Our daughters got to know the thrill of a family car trip, albeit way better than my childhood trips, as each summer, we would usually drive from North Carolina to Florida to visit my parents. Fortunately, the trip was only a day long. I think they would agree that, no matter how we got there, it was the best part of the summer. My parents, like my grandparents, made our visits special. It was, and is, being with family that makes the trip wonderful.
When our three daughters were ages six, nine and 12, we decided it was time to make the trip to Disney World. We had such a wonderful time, and we knew we would be back. Through the years, it has provided us with an ever expanding family vacation to a place we all love to go every other year. We so enjoy having all the families together that we try to find another place we can all go in the off-Disney year. It is all about being with and having memory making experiences together.
This past January proved to be slightly different than all the others. The weather was most uncooperative, and our eldest grandson missed the first day and a half because of the flu. Even with that, we forged on, faced some fears and conquered them, and made memories we will regale each other with for years to come.
My main point in writing this article is to articulate how important it is to spend time with family. It doesn’t have to be a trip – unless your family is scattered to the winds – but setting a time once a week or month to have dinner together is a good start. Our families love to be with each other, and for that, we are truly blessed. Even the two oldest grandchildren make sure, when appropriate, to include their young cousins.
I hope this summer, like last, will find us able to have more time together. It gets harder each year as the grandchildren age to find an opening in everyone’s schedules. There will be summer camp and other activities the grands will be involved in which makes planning more difficult, but I am keeping my fingers crossed there will be an opening somewhere.
Maybe it will be a family trip that will bring back memories for our daughters and create memories for our grandchildren. In my head, I hear Steven Tyler from the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride at Disney World, saying “I love that idea.” I wonder if our daughters will know where I’m suggesting we go? I guess I need to mention it to them. But, if a family trip isn’t in the cards, I will hope that there will be time found for us all to be together even for just a day or two.
