5 Lessons Learned on Family Vacation
We dream about them. We plan for them. We long for them. Family vacations (and to be honest, vacations in general) are one of my favorite things!
This Spring Break, my husband and I planned a relaxing trip to Mexico and we were excited because all 4 of our children would be able to join us as well as our son-in-law and future son-in-law. We were all set!
But you know, life is a continual process of learning and I'd like to share the top 5 lessons I learned while on family vacation...
- Passports for children 16 and younger expire after 5 years. Let me do my part to give you a public service announcement about this fact 😣
- You know what you can't do with expired passports? Go to Mexico. So my 2nd lesson is Flexibility (and Forgiveness of yourself when you make a mistake). My husband searched for the hottest place in the US and we hopped on a flight to Palm Springs, CA!
- Spending time with family is a necessity! Time relaxing, talking, sharing meals, and laughing together is food for the soul and very precious time.
- The right mindset and an attitude of surrender will go a long way! Our trip began with expired passports, a mad dash and (unsuccessful) trip to the Dallas passport office, and quickly changing plans. We thought the craziness was over, but the trip home was quite eventful involving:
- A cancelled flight
- Scrambling to get 8 people on a flight together headed somewhere closer to DFW (along with everyone else headed there who also had cancelled flights due to severe weather in TX),
- Flying to Phoenix, then when trying to check our bags for our next flight to El Paso (still trying to get closer to home), we were denied (long story involving flight time and a very... shall we say "unhelpful" airline agent).
- Deciding to take matters into our own hands, we rented 2 vehicles so that we could drive the rest of the way home (roughly 15 hours away). While driving through the night, we encountered a snowstorm (you can't make this stuff up!). I'm talking very little visibility and absolutely no hotels in sight.
- Lesson: While it took patience, prayer, and a healthy sense of humor, we did make it safely back home! I was reminded of the power of a positive mindset and an attitude of surrender to God's providence. I'm so proud of the way my family took it all in stride!
- 5. In spite of the bumps in the road, this vacation rejuvenated me and inspired me to get back in my studio and create items that you will love! The beauty of the desert mountains and the pure blue sky of Palm Springs has all sorts of designs dancing in my head (maybe blue topaz on a textured setting??).
While I hope that your next vacation doesn't involve the twists and turns that mine did, I do hope that you will get some rest, relaxation and rejuvenation in your life very soon! (And hey - if you can't get out of town, a spa day can be just as great 💕)
All My Best,
Leah
PS - Surprise! I just added some new items to the website that I think you'll love.
