Not this year though! I've been home for many months now after a car accident has left me with work limitations. While my son went to school, I've spent my weeks in physical therapy, doctors appointments, surgeries, recovery and pain management. This isn't important to my story, I mention only to explain how I will be home for the first time this summer as I await more procedures.
I've been trained by my parents that you don't take a vacation without leaving town. As a family, that's what we've always done. I can only remember 2 or 3 staycations that drove me mad with too many lazy days and not enough activity. This time, I would spend a few weeks up north and make the biggest adventure ever for my son and I. Lists were usually prepared for vacations, so naturally, I made one of my own in my head to get checked off and accomplished.
My list to fill two and a half weeks in Virginia was a long one. There's so much to do and see in my home state. So much that I didn't explore in my youth and as much that I just wanted my son to have the same experiences I did. I knew a couple of trips to Washington DC would be in order. There's never enough time in my favorite city. I needed to see the mountains and go hunting for water falls. Growing up, the state park with cliffs and Olympic size pools right off the beach were where some of my favorite memories were made. We were going crabbing and swimming and hiking on a day with family to join. As an entrepreneur, I would be working my business and learning from another small business owner. Facebook Live was about to get lit with The London Torres and CK4U mashing up! Two strong business women managing career and family - get outta the way!
The day after we arrived, my son went to his dad's for a scheduled visit. I went to Baltimore to spend the Memorial Holiday with my brother and his family. Each time I go up north, I tell myself I need to visit him and his kids, or for that matter - all my nieces and nephews in Maryland. I selfishly don't make the time year after year. I'm not sure why. Schedules, long drives, I don't know. But, the last year and a half has taught me nothing if it hasn't taught me that making time for family who makes time for you needs to be a priority. I communicate more with loved ones these days and miss the faces that love me unconditionally. Being here in Florida, I have little family close by. A few are here, but they're hours away. I come from a huge family on my mothers side (she's one of 12 children) and a large family on my dad's side. I suppose I've just gotten comfortable in my little part of the world and easily forget that time with loved ones can be soul fulfilling.
My time in Maryland was a blast. My brother and sister in law caught up, played board games and laughed a lot. We propped my husband up on FaceTime at the table and he joined the shenanigans as a spectator making it that much more entertaining. After an evening of food and wine, I retired to bed without realizing I hadn't said good night.Guess I was a bit more relaxed than I expected. For Memorial Day, the house filled up quickly with my niece and nephews and their children coming for lunch. It was strange to me, seeing my young family now having a little family of their own and little ones playing around the house. They've multiplied! I suddenly felt older and younger all at the same time. I walked the property with my great niece and taught her how to pick flowers for the dinner table. If that's the only gift I ever give her, I hope she makes it a life long habit. I had so much fun snap chatting little faces in between stuffing my face with delicious dip my nephew's wife made. Man, that was a great day.
The rest of the week was slower paced. I was a bit frustrated. My to-do list was long and I thought most days needed to be filled with activity. Instead, with little sleep at night - my son and I spent our days over sleeping and days were waisted.
At the end of the week, we were able to visit my nephew and niece who now lived in Virginia. I have also missed many events and years by their side. Looking back, I wish I had of spent the money to go to grad parties and birthday cookouts. I just figured the expense of a short trip couldn't be justified. Now I feel like kind of a a-hole. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that they doubted that I wasn't always cheering them on or loving them from afar. But seeing them at my dad's funeral in February reminded me that they were really special kids and I'm their aunt. So I need to step it up. I vowed to make more time for them and this was the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, duty called and I didn't get to see my niece for more than a lunch together.
My nephew on the other hand impressed the heck out of me! He has been in the Navy for about 5 years, serving on the USS Eisenhower. I knew he worked a dangerous job on the flight decks, traveling the world on his deployments. But honestly, those were just words until this trip. We were gifted with the opportunity to visit the base and see some of his daily duties first hand. He walked my son and his best friend and I through the hanger where the F18 Fighter Jets he tended to were in cleanup or repair. Putting my hands on bombs, missiles and the belly of the beasts in the air left me awe struck. We stood by the airfield near about 50 F18's and watched as pilots went through test maneuvers and other jets landed from their practice runs. Suddenly, the danger of my nephew's job was a reality and my impression of the young man he had become deeply strengthened my pride for him. My son and his best friend had stars in their eyes and left saying that they were joining the military when they grow up. All of their video games were quickly 'small potatoes' in the cool scale.
A little air soft rifle shooting made my nephew their new hero and everyone was left really happy. They were most excited about the gift my nephew gave them. The used pin of a bomb that activates the bomb like a grenade. To two preteens, this was the coolest gift ever.
Much of our time up north was low key. My expectations of a grand adventure was redefined. I spent a lot of quality time with my family. Being surrounded by cousins at karaoke was a fun change. I don't get out much and to sit with them and laugh and tease reminded me that having someone around who thoroughly gets my sense of humor is a treasure. Of all my huge family, I can name about 6-7 people that understand what makes me double over in tears of laughter. Most of the world kind of looks at me like I'm weird or gross and says "I can't believe you just said that!" While my cousins and I can 'go there' with any topic and crack each other up. It's the greatest connection we have.
I have a 'sister from another mister' who really is not related at all. She's my ex's brother's ex-wife, but the mom to my sons cousins. It is always a really special experience for me to watch my son with his relatives. The subtle and obvious similarities are fun to witness. Their facial expressions, sideways glances and love are something I wish we had more regularly to share. My son is so good with little ones and he probably spent more time loving on the babies and toddler than he did with his older cousins. None the less, I got to spend many hours with my sister catching up on life and children and business in a way that I had also made no time for in years. It's so awesome to me to be so naturally comfortable with folks I don't see more than a few hours a year. Our unmistakable love and bond fall right into place when we're together and the chaos of a household with 10 people made me think about what I miss here in Florida with so little family nearby. We had big plans to rock our businesses together via social media over the course of my stay. Instead we found ourselves chowing on blue crabs, braiding hair, hiding from the hot sun under a patio umbrella and loving on children for all of my time there.
What's funny is that in two and a half weeks away from home, my grand adventure of a vacation could be considered a bust. My trips to DC never happened. The mountains were one of our first adventures as we traveled to Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, VA just to play in the creek and catch crayfish. But the water falls will have to wait until next time. We didn't go to the pool in Westmoreland or even in the neighborhood. The tall diving boards will be on our list next summer I suppose. My plans to see friends were a bust as schedules didn't align and we slept in the hotel room until the early afternoon too too many days. My frustrations that we weren't rockin' and rollin' this vacation were apparent the first week.
It was only when I decided to relax and just go with the flow that I realized I was adventuring! My son and I were renting all kinds of old movies, staying up laughing and snuggling all hours of the night. He was spending time with his dad helping refurbish a truck that he could now take pride in working on a project along side of his dad. We went down to the river and watch folks fish off the dock like I did when I was a kid with my parents in the evening. We visited Fredericksburg's battlefields and took in some history that I easily overlooked when I was a kid. I ran into my best friend from middle and high school and had the pleasure of meeting some of her children for the first time. Nearly 20 years have passed since we've seen each other in person and it was a great surprise to bump in to her and her family. I visited a cousins new home and caught up on a little bit of life with him and his wife while my son spent more time with his dad.
We ate at Wafflehouse and marveled at the order and assembly of the staff to make things run so smoothly. He likes to set at the high booths so he can see everything. We took my god daughter to the movies for some laughs and joined her for lunch in her last week of 4th grade. Meeting her friends and witnessing the madness of lunch time at elementary school was an experience all in itself. Watching my great niece be so close to walking while snuggling my charming great nephew lifted my heart. Taking photo opportunities with Mater and Lightening MacQueen while gobbling up a Guardians of the Galaxy blizzard from Dairy Queen was a nice way to wrap up our vacation. My son and I ate like paupers, buying food from the dollar tree to save money, proving that we weren't spoiled enough not to eat out every meal. I got beautiful photos of my aunt and uncle while talking to them in their home; Skyping with my mom so she could chat with her sister and compare notes on who was older than who and suffering the most in their old age. My son got to see the new home of his best friend who just moved to Virginia from Florida the same week we came up. And I have a small collection of dog pictures to add to my Instagram.
I also visited other family members. But those who could not talk to me. We buried my dad in March of this year and my daughter in October of 2015. I always clean up and decorate my daughter's gravestone when I'm in Virginia. This time, I had another family member to care for their grave. The visit to Michael's craft store to find decor was an emotional one. Crying in the aisles as I talked to my girl about what she'd want to have surrounding her during the summer months is becoming too familiar of a routine. I have two aunts, an uncle, my dad, my daughter and friend's loved ones all in this cemetery. I even had the opportunity to visit Quantico National Cemetery and pay a visit to my other dad on Memorial Day. That graveyard was beautiful on the holiday. I miss them all so much. Spending time with them on each trip is an important visit for me as I honor their memory with quiet time in their resting place.
Now I am home and in the loving arms of my hubby. And my grand adventure turned into a great pleasure. Surrounding myself with family was more of what I didn't even know I needed than the to-do list of touristy tasks I had in my mind to accomplish. It was a different kind of vacation for me. Seeing the world is a life goal for me. I keep forgetting that my world is my loved ones. No monuments or nature can give my heart, or my son's heart, what spending solid quality time with family can do for my summer journey. 
