Vacation Report, Part II

After Church on Sunday we elected some new members to the building committee in order to replace one member who was moving. It was a quick and easy meeting, with good results. I came home, changed and we left for Texas.

After the six-hour drive, we arrived at my sister’s house, ate and got a swim in before the kids went to bed. Every year there is discussion at whose home we will sleep; my parents live in a small home on five acres next to my sister’s large home on ten acres. We often alternate “home bases” with each visit, but since my girls and my nieces always want sleep-overs, staying at my sister’s makes more sense. Florida Suzanne with hubby Christian and Baby Marcus decided to stay at my sister’s too, so that we could all stay up late to visit and play Spoons.

On Monday, all the girl cousins went to a dance camp (my sister graciously sponsored my kids’ tuition! Yeah!). They did tumbling, dance, cheer and crafts for two hours every morning and had a blast together. The grown ups and boys (my Jack and his two younger boy-cousins) hung out at the “Compound.” Several mornings Jack and I went to Grandpa’s house and played guitar or poked around Dad’s wood shop. Good fun.

We swam in the afternoons, celebrated July birthdays before dinner (we had three over the course of the week!) and then once the kids were in bed, my brother-in-law and sister discussed the fascism they think is descending upon our nation. They watch a lot of Fox News. We joked about building a wall around the two properties–hence, the Compound–and shutting ourselves off from the world. Marjorie thinks emigrating is the better answer.

And so it went. The children played wonderfully well together, the adults got along, despite some political differences , and Marjorie and I both gained five pounds. The Buchhofers had to go back to Florida on Thursday, and we said a sad goodbye, knowing that it would probably be next summer before we saw them again. It was also sad that my oldest sister was unable to be there with her boys, but we also get to see her more often.

We had a great time, and now it’s back to life as normal…whatever that means.

Related posts:

1. Vacation…Part I
2. Sunday Off
3. They’re Back!
4. Our Anniversary Date
5. VBS Fun