This weekend I was at a Celebration of Life for a friend’s mother and another woman and I were discussing vacations.  I was explaining my 4 year bucket list and how I want my kids to have vacations that they not only attend but participated in planning, it builds anticipation and fosters appreciation.  I said that sometimes though expectations and limitations in their own imagination can drain my bucket.  I was describing our amazing trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  She asked if our kids enjoyed it.  I honestly said, most of the time, there were moments of absolute bliss.  There were also moments of absolute disgust with their obsession with how many bars were available on the phones at a certain locations.  WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN THE WORLD AND YOU ARE TAKING SELFIES IN THE BATHROOM?!?!?!?!?  WHAT THE @#$%!$^&%)(*!

She laughed and told me about the time in high school her father took her to Jamaica.  He had lived there earlier in his life and he wanted to share that with her; she had dreams of cliff diving, laying on the beach and meeting guys.  When they landed they drove up to the mountains and stayed with friends.  She remembers a few things; her initial disappointment, the host home threw a great big party with a pig roast and that she went out into the fields to see whole cocoa pods.  On the trip she also went to the beach and did meet a boy, neither of which does she really remember other than it happened.  The really cool things that stick out in her memory are not necessarily what she imagined as cool but want she was exposed to while she was there.

I was happy to hear and gave me hope that years from now what will be remembered is the 3 moose we heard one night and amazing sights that saw on our hikes.   Pretty sure they also will remember when I cried in the restaurant because I was sick of the complaining; but I’m sure will be remembered with laughter.  “Remember that time Mom cried because no one could decide on a restaurant?” followed by howls of laughter and impersonations of me.  (We really do love each other.)