Maybe American Airlines should hand each of their customers a pair of sparkly red magic shoes to get them home on time, Lord knows the airplanes they own don't do the job.
I'll be posting my letter to said airline in a few days for your viewing pleasure. In the meantime, a few thoughts from each portion of our vacation.
Again, again to Lake Michigan
We loved seeing our family in Michigan. It was a beautiful trip! Seven kids under the age of six in one house by Lake Michigan. Beautiful chaos, I call it. My nieces and nephews are shooting up like reeds. The growth and development of the past year were quite evident from the moment we saw each one. How we miss those cheeky grins and funny voices. Narnia is quite the rage with them at the moment. My in-laws bought a toy sword and shield for each child and we proceeded to have an all out battle for the land of Narnia in the backyard. The evil adults were vanquished within an hour and the children (That is: Peter, Susan, Edmund (who also wanted to be Peter) and Lucy) were soon demanding another battle to prove themselves over again. This game lasted the entire week. On our last night together I baked a Turkish Delight Narnia cake for the kids. Of course, I mentioned that Mr. Tumnus himself gave me the recipe, a fawn favorite. They ate both the story and the cake right up!
My little ones really enjoyed being near the water. Our campground came equipped with a playground right on the Lake Michigan shore. Cubby loved sitting in the swing and staring out into the lake. The Bear loved playing in the sand and was very eager to create/destroy sandcastles. He also enjoyed the seagulls, which received a daily verbal assault from him with the words, "DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK," screamed at a very high decibel with accompanying high speed chase. I also enjoyed the lake once I realized that my toddler enjoyed being buried in sand from the waist down. This greatly heightened my ability to keep an eye on him, keep him entertained, and allow myself a bit of time for much needed R&R.
My hubby and I met each other six years ago on Lake Michigan. We jumped in the freezing water together and played in the sand dunes during our fantastic Honduras Project Team retreat. Now we came back with our two boys, and together we walked the shores that started our life together.
Come on, Feel the Illinoise
After a great week in Michigan we traveled back to Chicago for a visit with my sister. The car ride was smooth minus one projectile vomit/ highway roadside clean up courtesy of the Bear. Bass Pro Shops is officially my new favorite pit stop. We used the facilities, changed diapers, ate a quick snack, nursed the baby and kept the toddler infinitely entertained with the store's massive fish tank and ATV collection. Florida really ought to build a Bass Pro into every service area as a God-send for parents with small children or adults with severe fishing fetishes.
We loved seeing my lil' sis in her new place with her husband. We've gone from bugs and barbies (albeit with shaved heads) to kitchen aids and home businesses. Her creative capabilities are visible throughout the house. She has a flair for decorating and photography, and makes a mean batch of red velvet cupcakes. The Bear especially enjoyed this part of the vacation since we do not own a television and Big Bird was on demand at Tia's house.
Going back to Wheaton changes each time for us. The school administration left a bad taste in our mouths at the time of my graduation. I lived my senior year in complete fear of another student that had assaulted me on campus. The administration tried to cover up the crime and the student continued to stalk and harass me. Needless to say, it was a very painful and terrifying year. At times I wished never to see Wheaton again. But we went to the campus and were amazed by all of the changes that had taken place. New buildings, renovated facilities, fresh landscape, everything looked beautiful. I was also relieved to hear that the two student Deans responsible for that final year were replaced! Wonderful news for the campus and for the safety of its women.
After viewing the campus we ate at our favorite local spots and caught up with old friends. We took a small journey to the grave of our beloved JWF, who passed away last year. Our grief was great when we saw the stone with his name etched on it. We still cannot believe that he is gone and that his widow and children are left behind without him. We saw her on Sunday and then spent a few bittersweet moments with her. This couple ministered to us greatly during our premarital counseling. We love them greatly, and miss JF dearly.
One of the highlights of our trip for me was getting to spend Saturday morning with my sister and her husband. We ate breakfast at my all time favorite cafe (Egg'lectic, whoop whoop!) and walked over to the Downtown Wheaton French Market. I bought some tea-stained ribbon and a beautiful copy of a vintage book edited by Red Skelton. The candy alley in Wheaton was a favorite haunt during my college days. We took the boys there and bought the Bear his first lollipop, red for the benefit of sticky stain evidence in pictures.
I love that despite the horrors of my final year, this trip helped me begin to redeem some of the good memories I lost and build new ones with my children. Now that the bulk of my emotional recovery is behind me I am looking forward to the restoration of former joys that vanished after the initial trauma. I feel like one of those historic buildings covered in scaffolding, about to unveil a long forgotten mosaic. Funny how one afternoon of walking around with your children and watching them discover your past life can do more healing work than three years of soul searching.
So we did get the R&R we so desperately needed...well, come to think of it, the initials should be R&R&R&R.
Rest. Relaxation. Restoration. Relatives. All in all, vacation success.
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