TN vacation reflections {Lake Norris}

The lake was oh so very good. After I got over myself and my inability to relax, ignore all the “what if” dangers, and actually turn my frown upside down I actually enjoyed myself. I missed most of the lake fun do to my cousin’s baby shower, but my girls? They grew leaps and bounds on the lake. 6 and 8 is all of a sudden looking so very old to me. They swam until just a few minutes before 9:00 Saturday night. They laughed, tubed, and swam their hearts out. They both tried things I didn’t think they were capable of and my man got to drive a jet ski. Now he’s ready to buy a lake house. He dreams big and has never failed to get us going towards all our individual and family dreams.

One thing vacation with family taught me? I’ll never be as good as my Mom. I will never have her patience, I’ll never have her willingness to teach, I’ll never be able to answer questions that are nonsense the way she can. I will never be able to stand in a forest in search for the best rocks- I don’t do forests. I’m okay with our differences as parents, but I Iong to be as good as she was, but ½ as good would be better than I’m doing.

After the baby shower I got a chance to sit around a table with my Grandmother, Aunt, 2 cousins and my Mom- just talking. We haven’t all been in a room together in many many years and the last time we were I wasn’t old enough to really be accepted at the table. This time? I was accepted. I was respected as a parent, a wife, and I was listened to like I knew what I was talking about {let’s be honest, I’m sure I didn’t}. Laughing with family is good for the soul. Right down to the core. It is the best medicine/therapy money can’t buy.  It saddens me to think the next time we all get together at a table it will be so different. We might not all be there. My cousin will have joined Motherhood. My Grandma will hopefully keep hanging on for years to come and we will all be older. Perhaps a little wiser. It is in times like this when I am able to take the {long} car ride home to reflect on how I could be better, different. And how much I need to appreciate where I came from and what I have, and how great the weekend really was.

Baby Shower {camping/outdoor theme}

TN lake fun

And then our wedding song came on the radio while I was typing this and it made everything feel . . . complete.

This post is feeling pretty sappy. I feel I have found my inner Kelle Hampton {Author of Bloom}. She always manages to find the glory in every life moment and makes everything butterflies and rainbows. I guess this post proves that I too can shit rainbows and butterflies.  I’m sure my sappy reflection has to do with my lack of restful sleep in my own bed. Give me a few glasses of wine and my own pillow and I’m sure I will be back tomorrow having forgot everything I wrote in this. Remind me to look this up when I’m ready to run for the hills if someone asks my “why?” one more time.

Until next time.