Thankful for Successful Vacations

   Well, it's been a few weeks since I've blogged. We have successfully completed another family vacation. And by successfully, I mean we came home home with all of our children...unharmed...physically. It is always nice to get away from "Normal", turn your world upside down and try hard to make the best memories you can.

Our vacation went something like this:

12	people on a road trip
60	hours in a car
12	days of vacation in NC
3	hotel stays
2	days at Washington DC
2	days at a beach
15	people staying in one house
1	sleepless baby
37	questions of "Are we there?"
281	"I'm hungry"
25	miles of sightseeing
26	energy drinks
13	"If you don’t behave, I'm gonna…"
0	Lost children

  There were times we were sooo exhausted, physically and mentally. We wondered if the kids truly appreciated the sacrifices we made to give them the experience. We wondered if it was all worth it...

The answer is a thousand times, YES!

   We got to see the look on our kids' faces when they got to play in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, their excitement at trying to find that next seashell. They visited our nation's capitol and were awed by the creatures displayed in the museum and the size of the Washington and Lincoln monuments. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and kids all got to experience these sights, each for the first time, together. There will never be another first time for them and we got to give that to them. The memories, the laughs, the frustrations...all of it.

   After coordinating schedules with the exes, daily calls to check in, and communicating locations added to all of the other work to make this happen, the trip was worth it. One family, experiencing the "firsts" of life, together.

For those 12 days, we were 1 unit. Not yours, not mine, not ours...but "all of us". At home, we only see glimpses of "all of us". Vacation gave us time away from the blended chaos, away from the back and forth between parents. And for 12 days, there was some peace...not peace as in quiet or lack of frustration, but a peace only a blended family would understand. For those 12 days, the focus was away from the drama, frustration and confusion that is the unfortunate staple of a blended family. Family became the focus.

  So, if you are considering a vacation, wondering if you can coordinate schedules or if it would even be worth the hassle....the answer is YES. It won't be perfect, but you won't regret it.