10 Things I learned while on summer vacation

1)  Using a handful of shampoo is not smart if the house you are visiting has a water softener.  Twenty minutes later you might have the shampoo mostly rinsed out.  By the time you jump in your clothes and open the door – uncombed and no make up – there might be a cheering crowd waiting.  Just sayin’

2)  Many hands make light work and a lot of fun.  We had some really busy work days with family on both sides.  We inspired and encouraged each other, teased unmercifully and dared the impossible. We found out we remembered the same songs, even if some siblings remembered certain childhood happenings way wrong!  And we were unbelievably productive.

3)  Your sister has your back at all times.  Our combined eight sisters (and sisters in laws) have housed, fed, listened and shared, entertained and vacationed with us.  They always go the extra mile – like getting up at 6 am to fry a package of bacon for a salad I was taking to the next stop when I didn’t do it the night before and planned to leave at 7:30.

4) It’s a real adventure putting on makeup with a three inch magnifying mirror and a flashlight. 

5) Packing light means you’ll  be begging those accommodating sisters to use their washer and dryer.

6) Carry your own  breakfast in your suitcase.  Opening a packet of your favorite oatmeal or breakfast bar gives you a feeling of home on a long trip where you are changing lodgings every couple of nights.  It saves the hostess the headache of coming up with a breakfast when they don’t eat one or they have to be a work by eight am after a late night.

7) Being without a phone because your provider doesn’t cover that area is a pain only if everyone else has service.  If no one has phone service (except emergency landline), you will all survive and prosper.

8)  Iowa has fantastic rest stops – recently rebuilt, clean, functional and educational – that make a long road trip seem shorter.  Each one has a different theme according to its location and they do a wonderful job of tying the building and interior design,  outside art and informational pieces to the theme.  Nebraska has some pretty cool art installations at many of their rest stops, too.

9) You never know when you are starting a tradition.  My mother’s family started having reunions when they gathered to celebrate a fiftieth wedding anniversary years ago.  The family had so much fun that some cousins got together and planned a family get together the next year.  That became the family reunion  attended by 60-100+ people for the last 37 years.   New traditions have grown – like storming an ice cream store en masse on the night of the reunion while letting other customers go ahead, and helping clean up afterwards – we even mopped the floor once.  Meeting for breakfast the day after – then standing in the parking lot in little clusters to say goodbye for another hour or so before hitting the road. 

10)  Family is amazing.   We like to travel, see new places and do new things.  But the most enjoyable times we have are gatherings of family.  Thanks to each and every one with whom we swapped stories and laughed, shared a table at a restaurant, a picnic with way too much food or an ottoman with pizza, sweated and worked, got sunburned and sang songs, sliced corn and swung a paint brush, mixed laundry and hunted lost belongings, shared concerns and car seats, teased and cheered, cooed at babies and made way for the broken footed (a popular thing this year, it seemed), petted goats and toured new houses, watched a parade and crossed a mile long pedestrian bridge into the next state, conducted business and had a photo shoot!  We love ya! 

I’m so glad you stopped by today!   Be sure to follow A Pinch of Joy so you don’t miss a thing! 

Subscribe by email  on the sidebar  Follow on Facebook, RSS feed, bloglovin’  twitter  or   pinterest    If you found this helpful or inspiring please share below!  Your support of A Pinch of Joy is  appreciated!