I truly wish that I could just hand out a free vacation to everyone I know. I know so many people who so desperately need a small break, to just escape and fill their heads with nature and be able to read books and just RELAX. We all know that 2020 has been hard, y’all. SO HARD. I think of all the missionaries who are stuck overseas, unable to take a break, living and breathing ministry with little to no healthcare and typical American physical comforts. I think of all the healthcare workers who have worked day in and day out helping COVID patients, holding their hands when family isn’t allowed to visit. I think of those who are teachers, booting up their computers to teach just one more online class with those absent students who haven’t been seen since March. I think of all those who are working in racial reconciliation, where the emotional exhaustion takes as much a toll as the physical exhaustion. I think of the first responders who have worked throughout this pandemic, worked 18+ hour days at protests and had insults, jeers and constant misinformation about them spread all throughout the internet. I think of parents who are at home for ANOTHER day with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Except work. Because you know…the full time job must continue on.
And as I think of all of this, I grow heavier and heavier. For so long I just craved a break. I whined and often complained that I don’t get a break. When will my next break be? How will I achieve that break? During the pandemic and the following month of protests, Theo was not allowed to take any days or hours off. The police department needed every man they had to work every hour that they could.
In May, we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We booked a little couples getaway- our first one ever in 8 years of marriage. We arranged for an entire weekend of childcare from our in-laws and had it all set.
And then due to the protests in our city, Theo was not allowed to take off any time for work. He had to stay. Which meant we could not go. I was crushed. Devastated. So, so frustrated. And hurt. And angry. And exhausted. To my core.
After taking several days to calm down and meeting with a counselor, I was reminded that perhaps I was putting too much worth into a vacation. Perhaps I was seeing a vacation as a cure-all, when in reality the ONLY cure-all I have is Christ and his Word. It was a hard lesson to learn the hard way!
Finally, after another four months of this breakneck pace, Theo was finally allowed to take some days off. We didn’t feel comfortable traveling anywhere and staying in a public place, so we asked our in-laws if we could crash at their cabin for a few days. We are so thankful for this little space to be able to take over and breathe in the pure air of Up North, Michigan (no, this is not an actual town name, but it what the residents of MI refer to as the northern part of MI that is full of lakes, outdoor recreation and vacation homes).
We arrived after our 6.5 hour drive and crashed hard. We went to bed around 10, but it was still light out and the neighbors decided 1am on July 9th was a great time to celebrate America’s independence (eye roll). But still, there is something about finally being able to rest that makes the tiredness feel so much more real.
The next morning we were up bright and early and ready to enjoy the lake life! Tera and Kiah both got to drive the boat!
Ezra had mixed feelings about boating. On one hand, he really enjoyed being out on the water and going fast. On the other hand, he really didn’t enjoy the life jacket and the wind!
After our boat ride, I spent some time getting ready for the day while Theo took the kids for a golf cart ride. Now that was an activity that Ezra loved!
The best part of Grandpa and Grandma’s cabin is that we can do all kinds of things on water or land, and we can switch back and forth all day long! So after the golf cart ride, we went back out on the boat for some tubing! Theo and his brothers and his friends would tube and waterski fairly hardcore as teenagers and young adults. It was always a blast before we had kids to get out on the tubes and be as wild and crazy as possible. Theo and his brothers/friends have perfected many tricks on the tubes over the years! Once the kids started coming along, the boat started going slower and the tube tricks were less impressive (and half the time I’m pregnant and can’t even go on the tube or hold my breakfast on the boat LOL). Last year, Theo shredded his hamstring while tubing. Needless to say, none of that has stopped Tera from wanting to tube like the best of them. She will be six next month and is incredibly brave with a little dab of daredevil. Kiah isn’t so sure, but he was so BRAVE to get out there. Don’t worry, we went s.l.o.w.
After tubing, we headed back to shore for some lunch and the kids played in the shallow beach area of the lake for HOURS.
We took a break from the water for a golf cart ride around the neighborhood. One of our absolute favorite family activities is to drive around neighborhoods and look at houses. We talk about the features, the paint colors, the front door, the gutters, the amount that they probably cost, if we would live in them or not. We love to look for ones that look abandoned and dream about buying and flipping it. It’s like “our thing”. Our kids also talk all the time when we are driving about house features, houses for sale, which houses have problems, etc.
That evening, we realized that the kids feet had been all cut up the shells and rocks on the bottom of the lake. Both Tera and Kiah had an epsom salt foot bath and Theo spent over an hour cleaning out little scrapes and cuts and slathering their feet in antibiotic ointment while watching a movie.
One of my personal favorite parts of vacation is taking the time off from cooking. We didn’t eat out at all (due to the pandemic and also $$), but we do buy things like pre-made pizza’s and rotisserie chickens. It’s so nice to not have to cook a meal every night!
The next morning was back to the boat for a long boat ride around the lake! July in Northern MI is seriously GORGEOUS!!!
Ezra even fell asleep!
I have so many more pictures of Ezra from this trip because he is the only kid who stays close to Mom anymore. The other kids are off playing and running and tubing and doing all the fun things! Haha! I love it– seeing my kids grow and become a bit more independent has been pure joy for me!
Later in the week, Theo’s parents and two nephews came to the cabin to join us. When I first met Theo’s nephews they were the ages of my kids now, and now they are these big nearly grown teens. They LOVED hanging out with Theo and getting him to take them tubing and knock them off the tubes.
Upon request, we even took the kids to the park. This park has not been updated in a hundred years because they still had all the types of equipment (teeter-totter, spinning wheel of dizzy death, metal climbing dome, etc) that has been outlawed on modern playgrounds. Haha!
That evening, we decided to take the boat out to a canal to drive around and look at more houses (it’s a thing, I’m telling ya!). When we left, it was looking a bit stormy and the water was slightly choppy, but the water was completely smooth in the canal and we had no problems. The problem came when we were trying to get back to the house. The boat was on Empty and the wind and the waves were so strong and so high that I seriously thought our boat was going to capsize! It also started to rain and we all seriously held on for dear life wondering if we would ever make it back! It was a memory I will not soon forget.
It always amazes me how much chillier Northern MI can be than Ohio in the summer! Theo had to borrow his Dad’s sweatshirt. This thing dates back to pre-1997, because it is missing the brother who was born in ’97! I’d say this sweatshirt aged well, though! Yes, Theo does have 6 brothers (he is #6 of 7), and yes, they all have Bible names!
We finished out our vacation with a wagon ride from Grandpa! The kids had a BLAST!
Even though taking a vacation does not cure all our problems, it certainly helped me clear my head enough to be able to deal with our current state of affairs a bit better. I still need to learn the hard lesson that I do not NEED a vacation to fully rely on God and trust in His Word and his timing. But, boy, am I thankful for the time that we were able to spend away from work and home.
