vacation

VACATION

1

: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission

2

a : a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspendedb : a period of exemption from work granted to an employee

3

: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation <had a restful vacation at the beach>

4

: an act or an instance of vacating

Before I post pictures of our time at the beach, I must include here pictures of the act of vacating.  This, along with the settling back in at the other end, is the part of vacation that can (but doesn't necessarily have to) steal from the benefits of the intermission which is, after all, the goal of the scheduled period.

The act or instance of vacating requires forethought:  How many changes of clothes does one need at the beach?  Will we wear two outfits a day because we get wet and dirty?  Will we dress up in the evenings or go for the beach bum look when our adventures take us abroad (or to worship on Sunday)?  How many diapers are needed in addition to swim pants?  What will we do with ourselves if Tropical Storm Emily turns into a hurricane?   (Note to self for next time:  LESS IS MORE!)

It requires skill:   How do you fit everything needed for a family of six to live for a week or so into two large duffels?  And by needed, we also mean pillows, and snugglies, and books we might want to read, and electronics - which, by the way, required two bags of their own.  (Another note to self:  There ARE modern conveniences - such as washers and dryers and grocery stores -  even in such exotic locations as... Myrtle Beach.  But the stroller, which was left on the living room floor, would have been nice to have!)

Thankfully, with these challenges, I have helpers.

Jim is an expert at taking all of the various bags, boxes, and bundles that were determined needful and fitting them into every conceivable space in our van not occupied with a human body.

And Cordelia (with some help from Gemma) did an awesome job organizing clothes for herself and her three younger sisters for our recent trip with Jim's family.  Which brings me to my third point.

It requires flexibility.  Here is a glimpse of one of the messier moments in the process.

Thankfully, order was restored when we walked out the door, which made coming home just that much nicer.