As a little girl, my mom ensured we always went on a vacation annually and throughout the year; whether it was a weekend getaway, a few days or an extended family vacation, we always went somewhere. She even incoroporated spontaneous get aways. We would wake up one morning and she would say pack your bags and be ready by this time and we had no idea where we were going until we got there if she chose to tell us. This was something I always looked forward to. It was bonding time for us. We listened to music as we rode out. We had conversations along the way. We enjoyed the scenery along the way and the different places to eat were always exciting to me because I love to eat by the way. It didn’t matter so much as to where we were going as it did just to be together. The one thing I hated was to be left behind due to lack of following instructions of being ready to go by the time she said to be ready.
I also looked forward to the last minute day get aways. For example, my mom would get up on a Saturday after breakfast and say to my brother and I be ready by this time. It was our cue that we were about to go somewhere. My brother and I would run to our rooms and get dressed. When we heard my mom room door open, we knew it was time to go. We had no clue where we were going, we were just excited to go somewhere. Once we arrived to our destination, just like any kid we were excited for the adventure ahead. I will always remember going to the mall and being able to choose my own pizza toppings for the big slice pizza in the mall food court. It was something to be said about the thin crust, cheesy pizza with additional toppings just like I liked it. We would either sit in the food court or take it home. We would look around in the mall and enjoy the time together and then come back home later that evening. There were other moments that we would go to a restaurant and eat dinner together. Buffets were my favorite because I could eat what ever I wanted and how much I wanted. Specific restaurants that were not buffet were good also because it exposed me to different types of food. It was getting out of the house to make memories together as a family that I lived for. By the way, I am a slow eater so of course I was always the last one eating.
The weekend over night stays were awesome also. I loved the time we all got up and packed our bags and went to Six Flags with extended family. During this time of life, rooms were not previously booked. We would locate a room when we got there. It was on the journey that my mom car broke down. We did not let that stop us. We all got a room where we were, my mom had her car fixed and we continued on the journey. I put this in the blog because I wanted to emphasize the unity in family and how we did not let a setback hinder our ability to travel and still end up at our destination. Where we stayed overnight, we the kids that is, had a blast together. The next morning we woke up and headed to Atlanta. Spending time with our cousins were the best. I was always the photographer with my 110 camera. Making memories has always been a thing for me. We all rode rides together, ate together and fellowshipped together. These were the moments I looked forward to in life. We even rented a van to go to Carowinds as a family one time. It was a one day trip. Each family bought snacks for everyone and we all laughed, talked, ate and made memories.
I loved family vacations and family time so much, that I would come home every weekend when I went off to college because I did not want to miss the experience of spending time with my family. This was a family tradition that my mom started that was engraved in my life for a lifetime. Of course, once I found friends and things to do as a teenager, I no longer desired to come home every weekend, but I still looked forward to getaways with my family. In other words, the tradition lives on in my life. As you take this journey with me in my family vacations category, you will see how this tradition still lives on in my life. Thanks mom for creating an opportunity for family to get together and discover new things and places outside of home. As a mom what things are you creating that will continue with your kids in their family as a family tradition? Making memories is good for the soul.