It's a Family Trip, Not a Vacation

Sorry it's been quite awhile since I've blogged......we've had a busy early fall and recently went on a mountain vacation, wait correction....family trip 

My husband and I have learned to not think of our "family trips" as vacations because then our expectations for rest and relaxation are way too high.  I mean, how could moving 12 plus people from point A to point B (even if it is just 3 hours away to the Blue Ridge mountains) with everything you need to live on in a mountain cabin (well yes, it was completely furnished) ever be relaxing and refreshing?! I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "I need a vacation from my vacation!"  Well, that's pretty much what my husband and I said when we got home.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It's not that we didn't have a wonderfully fun time and make memories that will last a life time.  (In fact, this trip we made quite a few memories that we will be laughing about one day but that's another post.) It's just that it's work and really it's a gift to our children and precious time making memories and strengthening bonds.  But we've realized that a true vacation is when Ron and I get to go away by ourselves.  And yes, we came home planning just that : )  So all you moms and dads out there with little ones or lots of big ones or even just a few kids, I would suggest lowering your "family trip" expectations.  Don't think of it as a vacation but as a time to strengthen family bonds and make memories that will last a lifetime.  I think it was James Dodson who said that years from now you will only remember the good memories that came from the trip and that fact that you took the time to take all your kids on the trip in the first place. Your children will remember it for a lifetime and tell their own children about the funny, scary, silly, crazy memories.  

Well, here is some from our fall mountain family vacay...

We ended up arriving in 3 cars and then having to rent the below 4x4 to get up the gravel mountain road to our cabin.  That was quite an adventure : )

Here is the said 4x4, which we all had fun driving and now my kids want one.....great.

Anna and I right outside our cabin door.  The view was breathtaking. Can you tell my face is puffy cause I wasn't sleeping very well....haha.

Ben with his roommate from college, Nathan. who joined us on the trip.  He's one of 10 also, so we didn't freak him out too much : )

Hiking up Mt. Jefferson with 13 people.  It was beautiful even though foggy and no one fell off the mountain......whew!

Anna and her little buddy, Patrick, on the top of Mt. Jefferson

My honey and our little guys.  This would of been a beautiful picture if it weren't for the fog.

Picnicking on the trail.  Silly me forgot all the drinks except for one water bottle and a sippy cup.  We managed to survive. 

And yes, I did get a bit of rest and relaxation. Here is my afternoon coffee view....it was nice.

Teenage Friends

This is the what I see frequently at my front door.  It's usually how I know how many friends are over. Is that bad?  I count the shoes, that aren't my own kids' shoes, and I can figure out how many "extras" I have at the house.  I do monitor my teens very closely and they have been blessed to have some awesome friends that really are like nieces and nephews to me.  Once a week my daughter has a prayer group of girls at the house.  They come in the front door quietly and again I count the shoes at the front door to figure out how many girls are up in her room.  Sometimes I stand at her door and here them all praying.  What an incredible thing to hear........teenage girls praying ferverently and crying out to the Lord.  I am amazed at what God is doing in their lives.  God spoke to me about 6 months ago that He is going to use our house as a spiritual hospital.  I know that God is working in the lives that come across our threshold. I would much rather my teens and their friends hanging out at our house then anywhere else.  So we try to make our house pretty teen friendly.  Their are so many teens that need godly parenting, especially young men that need fathering.  We are pretty open with our doors even though at times it's a little stretching for me.  I like my time alone and I love just having family time.  God always seems to give us this time too.  As we give out, He multiplies back to us.  Here some pics from my 16 year old daughter's recent surprise party.  It's a pretty typical scene at our house.  Thank the Lord for a big kitchen!