Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Take time out to live and love


I recently made the choice to take a vacation. Alone. To another state. To visit someone very important to me. I spent 3 days there cooking up my Nana's favorites,
cleaning up her little house and otherwise enjoying the peaceful country. I saw the old family farm,
graveyard,
and traveled around her little town that doesn't even have a real Walmart. In all my years of going there, not very much has changed. Its so quiet, so peaceful. Everyone is friendly, even if they don't drive according to the same rules as the rest of the nation. I got to slow down for a while. And my Nana shared so many wonderful stories with me. 
My Nana is 81 years old. Her mind is sharp but her body has given up on her. She's outlived her only child, most (if not all) her ex husbands, and a huge chunk of her relatives. Her sister has the beginning of Alzheimers and lives in another town that is too far for either to drive to see the other. Nana's only companion now is a little kitten she adopted. 
My Nana has lived a full life. She's seen Europe, lived through WWII, worked so many different types of jobs, loved and been loved by so many... And now she's at the end of her journey. Her days of excitement are over. She sits, watching tv, and the most movement she has if taking a bath.  Its hard to see her like this, but it reminds me that life is fleeting. Nothing should be left undone. Live without regrets and get through that bucket list, if you will. You never know when your days of doing and being will be over. For some, it comes far too soon. 


So do something that is totally you. Like this guy, I saw at a gas station on my way home...

Sunday, May 17, 2015

The end is near

My vacation is coming to a close. I've gotten time with friends and family. My great grandmother being one of the most important ones.
We made memories.
We made Takayoki (sp?) that was certainly interesting.... My 2 1/2 year old sister showed us how to start my dads motorcycle. 
Celebrated my brothers 14 year old birthday. 
Hung out with one of the greatest nerds this world will ever know.
 Enjoyed places both new and old.
Sadly, tomorrow afternoon we will again board the mini van and make the long drive back home. Part of me wishes the trip never ends. The other part of me will happily embrace that regular routine I had. And my bed... And I'll be taking along lotion until my sunburn turns tan! But what are vacations for anyhow? If not to have fun and make memories of all kinds. 

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Traveling with children

All children are special. They say the darnedest things. Or see things in a way you don't. My kids do it all the time. I either scratch my head and wonder how that came to light with them or laugh until I could wet myself. On our trip, my oldest definitely had me laughing. 
I hear the seatbelt click as its being taken off. 
Me: Put that seatbelt back on!
Stephen: But mom, I need to fart. 
Me: .... So?! Put it back on. Then fart. 
Stephen: I can't fart if I'm sitting down. 
Me: *facepalm* What...? You have to wear a seatbelt so long as we are driving, son. So find another way to fart or wait until we stop again. 

We drive on and I fall asleep in the front. When we stop for gas, I change into shorts and brush my teeth. My oldest starts waking up and hands me a bottle with yellow liquid inside.
I've made enough long distance trips to know what's in the bottle. 
Stephen: *smiles* Guess what's in the bottle, mom! 
Me: I don't have to guess. I already know. Why did you pee in the bottle instead of asking us to stop? 
Stephen: Because you were taking too long to stop and I couldn't hold it. So I just had to pee in the bottle. 
I'm just going to be proud of him for not wetting himself. 

Later we get out of the car to grab a bite to eat. Immediately after jumping out the side, my middle child whips it out and starts peeing in the lot. I turn around and ask why?! "I had to pee. Oh and I peed while I was sleeping so my clothes are wet." 
In my head I'm thinking, there's a place with lovely restrooms just a few steps away. Nope, just couldn't wait. Had to show off those family jewels to the traffic-filled road and restaurant full of people. Way to go, son. 

Day 1 of my vacation

Already halfway through my first day on the road. We left about 3:30 this morning with 3 sleeping kids and a van filled with bags. iPad, tablet, DS... Yes! All set for the moment they wake up bored. I slept while Bryan drove the first part of the trip. Woke up around the time we hit Louisiana and found the Cajun music station. Cajun may be a dying language, but the music plays on so beautifully. I tried to find the Coushatta Reservation to show my children part of my heritage. Thanks to Google Maps, we ended up on a dead end road with "No Trespassing" signs everywhere. I tried. Instead we pressed on to see my great grandmother. 
This amazing woman has been a key role model throughout my life. Now she is 81 years old. She can barely walk, her mind comes and goes, and she's steadily losing weight. At about 90 pounds currently, I'm pretty sure I could lift her with ease. 
Seeing her as she is, I'm filled with two emotions. On the one hand, I'm so proud of her. She has lived through so much. If she could recall them, she has stories that make adventure books seem lame. But on the other hand, she is alone. She's outlived husbands, her mother, her son. Her sister has just about lost her mind entirely. Her memory comes and goes. My Nana's health has been on the downslope for many years. Falling, arthritis, osteoporosis, and Parkinson's disease. All of her remaining family lives in Florida or Texas. And some don't mind stealing from her if the chance arises. She actually longs for her day to "go". And it pains me to see her this way. But I know there's nothing I could do. I just tell her that God isn't ready to take her away. She brings a little more beauty into this world with everyday she is here. Sadly I couldn't stay as long as I wished. My children got rowdy and begged to leave (to my horror). 
Now we are on the 12 hour leg of our trip on to Florida. I get a little peace as the munchkins pass out. 
Onward we go!