July 21, 2006

Just the six of us

No Friday poetry this week. No Friday memes. No time for blogging.

We are off on another vacation, eager to escape the hot, humid weather of Snowstorm region. This adventure will be for just the six of us – no other relatives, no extra kids, just the six of us together for ten days. We will spend the time talking, exploring part of the country we’ve never seen before, and fighting over what music to play in the car.

Every year, I say, "This might be the last time we can do this kind of vacation, all of us together." My Beautiful Smart Wonderful Daughter is twenty. Boy in Black is eighteen. Shaggy Hair is a teenager, and even With-a-Why is no longer a baby.

So I will savor these moments while they last – the teasing and joking, the disagreements over where to go next, the eye rolling that I get when I try to make things educational, the frequent stops to find food or bathrooms, the talking and singing and playing games, the laughing over inside jokes, and the long conversations that Spouse and I have in the front seat while our children sleep in the back of the car, safe and in our care as we travel down the highway together.

26 comments:

Chip said...

I had to laugh about the eye rolling. We did that exact same thing to our mom; and now, my kids are doing it to us...

Have a great trip!

Anonymous said...

we took our last vacation about 2.5 years ago, for 5 days, when i was 24 and my brother was 23. neither of our partners could make it, and so it was truly just a nuclear family vacation, our first in almost 10 years and probably our last ever. we went to DC to see friends and relatives, and then to NYC for some fun. it was wonderful for all of us to have had that last time together, as it surely will be the last we all 4 can get away from our lives like that. treasure it!

Yankee, Transferred said...

Sounds like so much fun. Have a great time. We'll be dying for reports back here in blogville.

ccw said...

Hope you and your family have a wonderful time!

Anonymous said...

The other day my kids were talking about when I would replace our 10 year old mini-van. It only has 80K on it, so I said "Not until Apple is in college(that's 4 years). We won't need a mini-van anymore then." Apple piped up, "But what about when we go on vacation?" Yay, my kid thinks she will still go on family vacation! I hope she is like your daughter and it's true.

Phantom Scribbler said...

Have a great time, jo(e). We'll miss you!

Rana said...

Have fun! (I looooove road trips.)

And don't worry about it being "the last" -- it gets trickier to schedule, that's all. But my family did a road trip just last summer, and we're getting ready to do a mini one (involving two vans, four kids, and nine adults, over half of whom speak no English, no less) in less than a week.

If nothing else, road trips make for great memories and stories later! :)

susan said...

Safe travels! I would bet that you'll be a family laughing and travelling together for quite some time, although perhaps in some different configurations and whatnot. Enjoy this one.

Sam Chevre said...

Don't know where you are wandering too--but if you're anywhere near the valley of Virginia, let me know and I'll feed you if you stop in!

listie said...

Have a wonderful time!

Silver Creek Mom said...

That will e us in a few weeks. Enjoy...I love family vacations.

Minoa said...

I hope you have a safe and wonderful journey!

Liz Miller said...

Have a great trip! I can't wait to see pictures and hear about your adventures.

ScienceWoman said...

Have a wonderful wonderful trip. We'll miss you and look forward to your return.

Inside the Philosophy Factory said...

Have a super trip -- I'll always remember the last one I took with my nuclear family. We had some role reversals, my sister drove, I navigated and we told Mom to sit in the back and be entertaining...

Piece of Work said...

What a great family time! Have fun!

Rev Dr Mom said...

Have a wonderful and safe trip...I know you'll come with lots of good stories.

Anonymous said...

Happy, safe travels! Hurry back.

Marie said...

Have a wonderful trip. Travel blessings!

skatey katie said...

hope you have a wonderful time and take a million photos

skatey katie said...

oh, just read the comments: agree with what rana said: mum and dad and hubby and i just came home from two weeks in england with my brother and his new wife :o)
very cool time, heaps of cool memories !!!!!

Jane Dark said...

Have a good time; come back with good stories, please!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Boy, does that make me miss family's old vacations. (Our last one was when my older sister was about your daughter's age, I think.) My brother and I had a rule that we had to make up a song every time we crossed a provincial border or state line.

Liesl said...

Have fun, and stay cool!

Casey said...

Have a good one! I'll be up in your area of the country during the first week of August, enjoying a short vacation with a friend.

Gannet Girl said...

I am looking forward to reading these vacation entries as I hope to scrounge out just one more family trip, maybe over Christmas, with kids who will be 22, 22 and 19 at that point. At this point my youngest hasn't seen one of her brothers since LAST Christmas -- things move along so quickly when they are suddenly young adults.