do we ever have enough time just having fun with the entire family? thankfully, yes.  sometimes it's a smooth ride and sometimes it's a roller coaster ride!

we all had a great getaway!

considering the way we left home...with the upheaval of septic, flooding, dumpsters, walls ripped out, no working oil burner, no showers, no more sense of humor.....all 4 of us were blessed to have fun from the moment we buckled our seat belts.

anyone who has kids knows that's a gift. actually, anyone who has memories of growing up knows the preciousness

of family fun and good times!

usually, the first few moments in the car are filled with everyone begging for their needs to be met....too hot, too cold, too windy, too crowded, too loud, not loud enough....whoever invented the d.v.d. player for the car didn't take into account that kids don't always agree on a movie...as important as the d.v.d. was when we purchased the car, we never thought about the prospect of action movies vs. romantic comedies....so,it's back to  ipods, radios, c.d.'s!

we do try to squeeze in some lively conversation as well!

sometimes it works! 

sometimes it doesn't!

we have cell phones for texting that need to be plugged in....we have i-touches for tunes....with earphones or earbuds...volume....a girl who loves to belt out her absolute favorites....no matter who else is in earshot! 

thankfully,grace has a beautiful voice. although, this week she let us know that she would never try out for a solo because t.j. doesn't think she has a good voice!  why on earth would she heed to a brother's comment at that moment in time?

so we sing, we dance, we laugh, we play....not that perfect, but our time together was great!  considering we weren't off on a glamorous trip, the energy of the kids was just as if we were!  i do love their spirit!

we had planned to leave on friday night after biff arrived home from work.....only we didn't plan on emotions building to a crescendo....just as grace does while singing in the car....much to t.j.'s dismay and horror and frustration and anger and dislike!

to put it mildly.

needless to say, the flooding drama  had whirled and swirled through my mind for 2 whole weeks.  2 weeks!  i had a sense of humor for most of it.  most, not all. and then.....i didn't.

friday, the big day...vacation finally arrived....and we had high hopes...to get our plans underway...get in the car...one big happy family....and then, no.  it just wasn't possible. it could not happen.  how could we leave?  how could we leave the dogs?  how could we have someone take care of them?  how could we?

i called kit up near boston.  she listened.  i began my list of objections...i began my latest horror of the week....i began to cry and cry and cry....i told her i couldn't leave daisy and fitzy. i asked if they could come....and then i realized that was pretty outrageous.  then, i didn't think i could bear leaving the sweet dogs who kept me laughing for the last 2 weeks.  how could i make them stay home with the chaos.

then, i realized.....the dogs will most likely enjoy the quiet.  they've been rocked and rolled for 2 weeks too!  they haven't even had hot water mixed in their food....never mind a shower. i thought....while weeping on the phone with kit....i guess we could leave them. maybe they deserve a break from it all.

and that's what got us on our way.

that, and the fact that we were able to contact our 2 dogsitters who were happy to spend the week with daisy and fitzy! our lives had come to this.  it was up to our dog sitters whether or not we could leave town.  our lives had gone to the dogs....quite literally!

i hate when that happens.

so, finally...after talking/crying/ blubbering with/to kim, we left it that i would let her know our plans.  it was 9 p.m. and we still had to decide on our timing......and then, biff and i finally got it.  we realized we just had to wait til morning. we would leave early...very early....very, very early.  we would do it right. we would get sleep....which is what i need right now!

we did get our sleep.

we did leave very early.

we only lost one early.

for us, that's pretty good.

no.

for us, that's very good.

no.

for us, that's very, very good!

yay!

we did it!

we got in the car.

we got in the car with our bicycles, our bags, our technological devices, our coffee, our pillows, our books.....

our family!

and we were off to boston. off to boston to see our wonderful friends.  off to boston to be with friends for the whole family....friends like family.

that's another gift in our lives!

who else could stand us? only our friends can handle our ups and downs and decision making skills or lack thereof!

thankfully. they all understand us.  somehow.

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