When I was little, our family vacations consisted of packing a bunch of food, fishing poles, clothes, the Coleman stove and bug spray. We always went camping. It was fun, cheap and everyone could pretty much do what ever they wanted. Russell and I would go fishing. Keith would have his nose stuck in some book the whole week or would find a way to play with fire. Mom and dad would spend their time cooking and relaxing, and trying to keep the three of us out of trouble.
We would always eat together and would somehow meet up with other members of our extended family for the day. We would swim, play games, eat s'mores and fry fish.
With my mom being a teacher and being raised in the woods, would always find a way to teach us something. From showing us different leaves to how to tell if a snake was poisonous, we had a summer education through exploring our world.
It was the one week that we were able to escape
things at home and be just the 5 of us. We had our own jokes, sense of humor and a dysfunctional way of functioning. We all knew that getting out of our driveway would consist of 4-5 trips inside because some one left something. Dad would try to pack the car and mom would come behind and fix it her way, which would always give us more room. Keith and I would fight within two seconds of being in the car. When we finally got on the road, there were disagreements about the best road to take and what was playing on the radio. When we got to the campsite, we usually stayed in a cabin and were able to set camp up pretty quickly. It seemed almost magically to me and my young self. All of our issues and fights would dissipate into the clean lake air and sounds of happy families laughing and enjoying the sun.
It was the best week of the summer!

Some might say that I missed out on lavish vacations and seeing places that are out of this world. That maybe true. I do wish I had gone to Disney or to a European country while I was younger...this does not mean I cannot go now or when I have my own family. I do not think though, that I missed out on anything. I had every experience I needed or wanted...making memories with my four favorite people! :)
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