The Greatest Tradition

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes your richer." -Unknown

Years ago my husband and I decided one of the best gifts we can give our children is the gift of travel and adventure. Our parents had given this gift to us and we wanted to do the same. Every year since our daughter was 3 years old, we've gone on a family vacation. The very first year we started off simple and drove the 3 hours down to Kansas City, MO. It was just the three of us with our son on the way. Needless to say I had the worst case of "morning" sickness lasting all hours of the day, but we still had a wonderful time at Union Station, Crown Plaza and Oceans of Fun. The most memorable part of that trip was our daughter learning how to swim by herself with the help of floaties. We were ecstatic, and it's something we will never forget. Since then we've been to Orlando & New Smyrna Beach, FL; Mt Rushmore, SD; Dallas & Galveston, TX; Branson, MO and most recently Niagara Falls & Saugatuck, MI. We've taken many mini vacations too with our extended family to places like Bridges Bay in Okoboji, Lewis and Clark Lake, Lake Rathbun,and many more.

The memories we've made on these trips is something I will cherish forever. To explore new places through the eyes of our babes is like no other experience. Planning the trip is a big part of the fun! I love asking the kids where they want to go, mapping out the road trips and deciding where we eat along the way. For months leading up to the trip we'll plan and re-plan portions of the trip. I love having a plan so that when the time comes, I can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

One of my favorite trips to plan was last year's trip to Niagara Falls. Nels and I had been there by ourselves the year after our daughter was born, but we knew we wanted to take our kids there one day. We drove last time so we knew it was doable, and we love road trips. It helps that our kids are excellent car travelers. From the day they were they were born, they've spent countless hours in the car from commuting to work with me to driving back and forth to visit family. They are seasoned to say the least. That being said, 15 hours in a car is a lot to ask of them. We made sure to make lots of pit stops and pack tons of books, coloring books, DVDs and action figures. I knew we wanted to stay in the same cute little Michigan town that we stayed at last time on the way out there and take the same route to Niagara Falls through Michigan. We stayed on the Canadian side which is a must. The view is incredible. We paid a little extra to be able to see the falls from our hotel room. Being able to watch the fireworks from our room was so much fun! When I first started planning the trip, I wanted to go to the falls, stay for a few days, then head to Toronto, then onto the UP of Michigan with a stop at the Indiana Dunes on our way back home. Realistically, this was not going to happen in the week to 10 days that we were able to be gone. We didn't want to feel rushed and decided that Toronto and the UP would have to be trips on their own. We planned on the falls and the dunes. Two stops in one week was very doable considering the driving time alone would take up three full days. So we picked out our hotel in Niagara Falls and we started planning the second half of the trip, the Indiana Dunes. Nels had gone there with friends in college and insisted we go. Think East-coast-like beaches in the Midwest. The pictures online looked gorgeous; I was stoked! My husband loves to fish and by association, I have come to love it too. We had booked a fishing charter when we were in Texas and minus the sea sickness that struck myself and my daughter, we had a great time. Visiting the Indiana Dunes meant being on Lake Michigan which meant the possibility of a salmon fishing charter. We found a guide service and contacted them about scheduling a charter out of Michigan City. The fishing guide quickly became a travel advisor as well. He told me the best place to stay which was not Michigan City, it was actually a small town north of there called Saugatuck, MI. I cannot tell you how incredibly thankful I am that the guide suggested this place to us; it was the cutest little resort town. It sits right on Lake Michigan with a channel of water running through the middle of the town. There is small chain ferry that takes you from one side of town to the other. The ferry was right across the street and the beach was within walking distance from the Beachway Resort where we stayed. The road was windy and didn't have a sidewalk so on day two of that stop we drove to the beach. I was in awe of how beautiful the beach and dunes are. We did go on the fishing charter, but didn't have much luck which is the risk you take with fishing. We still had a great time. Everything came together just perfectly. I cannot say enough good things about Niagara Falls and Saugatuck. An excellent family vacation and one we will talk about for years and years to come.

Traveling is a big passion in my life. Of course I don't get to travel as much as I would like to to, but any chance I get to go somewhere new, meet new people, try new foods; I take it! I have an adventurous spirit, but in day to day life I'm Mom to my kids. The one who scolds them for leaving their towel on the floor. The one that can always find the lost shoe or belt or robot. The rule maker and enforcer. Meal maker and de-clutter police. But when I'm traveling, I get to be an adventurer with them. A wonderer and wanderer. I get to sit back and let someone else prepare the meals. Someone else cleans the room. It.is.glorious! And in these moments of relaxation and freedom, I hope they see me. I hope they see me as the person I am and not just the rigid authority figure I need to be on the daily. Now, of course there are moments during regular life that I get to let my hair down in front of them. One of those moments happened when we took the kids to an Eric Church concert. Let's just say it was eye-opening for the kids to see mom and dad at a concert. At one point, my daughter turned to me and said, "Mom, clam down!" ha! We all had an amazing time! I love sharing these experiences with them!

I believe it is possible to have the balance of having an absolute blast with your kids and also disciplining them and teaching them manners and handing out consequences when they cross the line. We are not perfect. Let me say that again, our family, our parenting, our relationship is not perfect, but it works for us. Traveling with our kids has been one of the greatest traditions we started. This year we've decided that instead of one big trip we are going to take a few little mini trips taking our boat and tent and outdoorsy spirits. I cannot wait!

What traditions do you cherish?

~S