The Real Vacation Packing Story

We went camping for our family vacation, and of course ended up packing more than just swimsuits and toothbrushes because of it. Despite renting two cabins, we still had to haul linens (for ten), shoes (for nine), sunscreen (for eight), recharging cords (for seven), badminton rackets (for six), five golden inner tube rings, hair thingies (for four), life vests (for three), margaritas (for two), and a porta-crib (for one). I think there is a Christmas song with a similar theme which must have originated from another overzealous Dad who had to pack up a family for vacation. We also hauled cooking supplies, including a small fridge, smaller microwave, 10 cup coffee maker, and perhaps most surprising of all, Kel's coffee grinder. (Pummeling Dunkin Donuts coffee beans with rocks and sticks is just not the same!) I won't complain about the extra appliances one bit, except to say it does not look much like camping when you back into your campsite with a U-haul. Good thing we only have a 15 passenger extended van, and really long extension cords.

Michigan was wonderful: big dunes, warm sand, lake waves, and blueberries. After the squirrel episode in our van, I half expected an ominous tone to our trip. But honestly, the three nights away were simply wonderful.

Packing a Car for Vacation

I'm a decent organizer. I can plan ahead, make lists, anticipate obstacles, strategize solutions. And I'm getting much better at organizing as the years go by (and as we accrue more and more children).

But tonight as I collected bathing suits and counted toothbrushes (what more do you really need when you're going to the beach in the morning?), there was one thing I absolutely could not have planned for: the rotting carcass of a BB ridden squirrel in the engine of my 15 passenger "going to the beach" van. I might have laughed aloud if the stench were not so awful and sucking the very air right out of my lungs.

Camden surmised the corpse was about a week old. He determined this primarily from recalling the last time he had the BB gun out and shot at squirrels. He recalled one squirrel that disappeared under the van, and did not reappear even when he gave that van a little rocking action. Can you just picture the child walking away, shrugging his shoulders, tilting the head wearing that half cocked baseball cap?

The solution for this pre-vacation dilemma was not immediate. In fact, the efforts of several hours, gloved hands and long crowbars could not free the vermin from its almost final resting place. In the end, Kel had to consult a local mechanic neighbor friend, who braved the reeking funk for a closer look. The rapid blinking of his eyes may have been to protect them from toxic fumes, but I think it was from the fond memories of raising two hooligans of his own. I left when he shared his expert advice which included extension tools and bolt unfasteners. Ugh.

I'm happy to report that the van is reassembled, and we are still going to the beach in the morning, sans squirrel. Thank God for Febreeze... It really works!

Negotiating for Candy

We have a 15 passenger van, because, well, we need it to transport our family. And, being in such close quarters for any length of time can provide ample writing topics that can come from just listening in to conversations like the exchange below:

Maddie: Mooooommmm! Why does Kieran get the last
Smarties? Why can't I have more Smarties?
Kieran: Because I'm 13 now.
Maddie: Well, I'm sixteen.
Kieran: No you're not! You're eleven.
Maddie: Well, I'm GOING to be sixteen.
Kieran: Well, I'm going to be 40.
Maddie: And I'm going to be 90.
Kieran: And I'm going to be dead!
Maddie: Then I can have your Smarties!
Kieran: No you can't! I'll be in heaven!
Maddie: No you won't! You'll be in Portugal.
Kieran: (***pause***) Portugal? PORTUGAL? Oh! You mean Purgatory!
Maddie: Yea. Whatever. You should share your Smarties and stay out of Portugal.

Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. - Robert Schuller

Writing is painful, at least for me. It's like wrenching a being from my very depths... kind of like giving birth, but the helpful epidural only gives you a hell of a headache. Oh, I know about all the cathartic attributes of journaling and self-indulgent diaries, and the wonders that come from creative notions and idea exploration. But, in all truth, conveying an idea worth reading is hard. Really hard. And I've had a few birthing experiences by comparison. Still hard.

So that is why when my dear husband popped in the computer room today and excitedly asked "ARE YA BLOGGING???", my heart sank just a little, because I wondered if I could really do it. There's a certain vulnerability that comes with publishing, and there's just enough pride in me to want to write something that matters to someone. It's enough to make me not write.

But here's the rub: Writing brings joy. It brings ideas to the surface I didn't know were seeded, and sometimes the words that emerge with them give me more than pause. The process of ebb and flow can be truly laborious, but I delight in them... the words, the ideas. Really, I do!

So, lesson learned. I've wrenched a few beings from my body before, and I've survived to delight in a tale or two. I'm far from being a perfect parent; surely I can survive writing more.

Getting Started

In an attempt to preserve some wonderful memories, or at least record the struggles and my attempts to survive them, I have joined the foray of bloggers who have some select words and a few ideas to share. I'm a family archivist of sorts.... because if I don't write it down, I'm sure I won't remember it. And because I have not written it down, I'm depending upon my thousands of photographs to inspire me.
And maybe you too.
Welcome to a glimpse of my life.