What I Learned on Vacation

There's nothing quite like a relaxing vacation to help you put life in perspective. It gives you the opportunity to reflect on the things that make you happy, and to recognize more clearly the things that don't.

To say that this past week in Florida was a perfect vacation would be an understatement. (Not to negate the amazing vacations Rick and I take together .. those are pretty darned perfect, too!) But this vacation to my parents' house in Florida was just what I needed, and the little kids had a great time as well. We did a little of what everybody wanted to do, so everybody was more than happy.

Here is what I learned:

1. I love to read and I want to make it more of a daily priority in my life. I don't need much entertainment, just a good book.

2. Life does not have to be such a rat race. Even real life can be done at a more leisurely pace with the right attitude to make it happen. I realize how happy I am that we are a homeschooling family with minimal outside activities. We can do what we need to do without cutting out the things we want to do.

3. I love the state of Alabama. Out of all the places we have been, I just love that state. I love the feel of it. It has that small town country feel with lots of open space, yet it's less than an hour away from the beach. And there's a GREAT outlet mall there, in Foley. I could seriously see myself living there someday. There would be a long golfing season, honey, and no winter season blues!

4. My mom and sister are great ladies. Although we are very different in many ways, we do share a love of solidarity and relaxation. We had just such an easy week together. This is such a blessing because my sister and I did not get along AT ALL until we were in our 30's. Seriously, we had a stormy past! But it's so great to be able to spend time with her, enjoying her pregnancy with her, shopping for items with her for my new niece, watching her be the woman she always wanted to be.

5. My husband is the best, absolutely truly THE BEST! What husband would stay home and work OVERTIME so that his wife and children can spend money (more than I should have) on a vacation? I hope that I never get to a place where I take him for granted. I treasure him! AND I came home to a clean house! May I never forget how blessed I truly am to have him for a husband!

6. Dawson is a great kid who needs his time away from me and the little kids. He had a full week to just hang out with his best friends. I can trust him, and them, to do what they are supposed to do. AND, again, I came home to a clean house! He did his part and cleaned the entire upstairs. His friends are like my own sons. I care about them deeply. And they are here for Dawson to help him through a difficult time he is having in his life as a young man. (Girls stink!)

7. Life is too short not to enjoy it. It doesn't have to be as hard as we make it. There is beauty everywhere we look. We just have to look.

8. I love my little two kiddos so much and they are the most well-behaved children I have ever been around. There was not ONE SECOND of trouble this whole week. They travelled in a car packed to the gills with three adults and two dogs for 13 1/2 hours each way, stopping only two times to go potty and grab food to eat in the car. Other than restlessness the last few hours coming home (we all had it), they were PERFECT! I could NOT be more blessed to have them as children.

9. You do not have to gain 5 pounds on a vacation. Just stay somewhere that has a full kitchen and buys groceries for healthy meals. Thankfully my parents' house is just that ... a house. So we bought groceries and had good meals: spaghetti, homemade pizzas, salmon and veggies, ground turkey and rice with veggies, sandwiches for lunch, yogurt and fruit for snacks. It can be done, with a little work. We treated ourselves to a couple of meals out, but ate mostly at home. Cost efficient and good on the body.

10. I am grateful to my parents for purchasing their home in Pensacola and for allowing us to come to stay there. We could not be able to go to Florida every Spring Break without their home. We are a lucky family, and I thank my parents for their generosity.

Life is good. I am sitting on my back porch watching the huge crows effortlessly fly out over the bluff behind our house, probably looking for their next meal. My neighbor is laying out at her pool, listening to some good 80's music. The dogs are taking a nap. The kids are playing upstairs. Rick is playing golf. I have laundry going, and I just got done mopping the floors. I am enjoying my new tulip and azalea blooms. The birds are just chirping away. I can hear, and smell, someone mowing nearby. Spring has sprung. Everything feels new and alive. Thank you, Lord, for the blessings in my life.