Georgia On My Mind (Part 2)

Lake Burton, GA Family Vacation 2011
Top Ten Continued...
#6 through #10

#6 THE FAMILY CUP.

 We made team flags.

We had team colors.

We did team cheers.

 We competed in 10 events.

AND WE WON.
Cue We Are the Champions...

I cannot gloat too much because many events were determined by chance or dumb luck.
But we did rock it at Cornhole.

The cup was too heavy to come back in our suitcase, so it will be mailed to us soon by my mom.

Come on over and see it sometime...it will be on our mantel.

#7 THE COUSINS.  Watching our kids love each other, play together, annoy each other, and laugh together fills my heart to the brim.  What a gift these kids have in each other.  Five kids in five years.  How many will there be for family vacation 2016??? It's a little scary to think about.

Quinten (5), Samantha (4), Albin (3), Abby (16 months), Jackson (12 months)

We even got to celebrate Jackson's first birthday together.  So special!

        

Birthday party theme was "everything on a stick"

...corn dogs, fruit kabobs, salad on a stick, and yummy cake pops.  

Nicely done Jenny.

#8  THE KIDS FIRST "PAJAMA RIDE".  We grew up doing pajama rides.  Basically, my parents would wake us up (probably around 9pm) and say PAJAMA RIDE!, and then we would go in our pjs to get ice cream, or do something else fun and exciting (anything and everything is fun and exciting when you are out at night in your pjs).  Well, my dad thought the three big kids were old enough, so they had their first pajama ride.  It consisted of a water balloon fight, sparklers, and a night swim under a mostly full moon.     It was kind of magical...for all of us.

Papa explaining what is going on...

Nice shot Sam.

#9 THE WEATHER.  Since we were in Georgia, in August, it is worth mentioning that the weather was perfect.  Not too hot.  Not too humid.  Not too buggy. Great water temperature.  We even got a fabulous thunder storm one afternoon which was really exciting for those of us who live in California.  I miss thunderstorms!

Storm blowing across the lake.

#10 THE PHONE CALL. While not a highlight, it was a big part of our time together.

This was the part of the vacation we were not anticipating.  On Monday I remember looking up from my tube in the lake and seeing my dad waving to those of us in the water saying he had to go to West Virginia (5 hour drive) right now because he had just received a call that things were changing (in a bad way) with his mom, who had recently been hospitalized.  My dad is a physician and knew he needed to get there fast. We all helped him pack up as quickly as possible, and Lars (a pastor) decided to go with my dad to lend support. A couple hours later my dad called from the road to say that our sweet Grandma Gwen had passed away.

We had all just been with Grandma Gwen in June for my cousins wedding.  She cooked her famous spaghetti for 20 people that weekend.  She had 9 people sleep at her house.  She played with her 5 great-grandchildren.  And now, only two months later, she was gone.

There was something special about the fact that we received this news and experienced her death all together.  And it was amazing to see my dad in role of loving son.  He went to West Virginia, and together with his sister, made all the decisions that needed to be made, and then he returned to GA to be with his family.  I think we all enjoyed the time with dad, and each other, in a different way after he returned.  Perhaps a more appreciative way.  Thankful for every minute we all have together.

There was something almost divine about the fact that we were all on the east coast and could travel together to West Virginia at the end of the week to say good-bye to our Grandma. My sisters, my mom, and I all participated in the service, we visited my Grandma's home one last time, and we had dinner with my cousins and aunt and uncles.  We laughed and cried about our Grandma.  She was a really special woman and I will write a bit about her later.

It was a big week.  A bigger week than we had anticipated. A week full of joy and sorrow.  A week full of laughter and tears. A week where we celebrated a first birthday, and a life well lived.

Even in our loss it was a beautiful week...of family doing what family does.