Summer Staycation

As a kid, I always looked forward to summer vacation. Each year we went somewhere new and Mom did such a great job planning everything from A to Z. She would decide what route to take, plan stops along the way, activities at our destination and even gave us a copy of the weather forecast so we would know what to pack. I totally took her for granted!

Vacations as an adult are a lot less fun. Not only do you have to pay for things but you also have to do all of the planning yourself (unless you have a travel agent, that is). While I love seeing new things and going places I've never been, there is also something to be said about actually relaxing during your time away from work. So this summer, I decided to take a staycation in Hennessey. Zach was home and the Donahue family was visiting, so it was a perfect time for it. Unfortunately, Kyle doesn't have as many days off as I do, so he had to work, but he did get to join in on the fun when everyone came to Stillwater at the end of the week.

Being together with family always reminds me how truly fortunate I am. Sometimes the people we love the most are the people who hurt us most deeply, which explains why many families have painful pasts. I am so grateful to say that isn't a part of my story. As a kid I didn't get everything I wanted, and I had some challenging years (3rd grade and 6th grade, especially!), but I always knew I was loved by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and cousins who cared about me and took the time to be influential figures in my life. Whether we saw each other every day or once every few months, I was always  happy to spend time with the Taylors and the Donahues. Now that I'm a wife and aunt, I hope I can positively influence the lives of our growing families in the same way.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." - Luke 12:48

 The weather was wonderful. It got a little humid in the evenings, but we still spent a lot of time outside on the deck and playing volleyball. 

 Asher thought having Quinn ride his horse was hilarious, and so did she. No one can make her laugh like her big brother! 

Uncle Gary made it down the next day, and we decided to go to the new snow cone stand and ice cream shop in town. 

I held out for ice cream but Asher couldn't resist Tiger's Blood with cream. 

 He ended up getting something at the ice cream shop, too, and eating all the whipped cream off Uncle's shake. 

 Terry and Cheryl started the LONG process of getting a pool this summer. It was supposed to be done by Father's Day and then by my trip, but here we were two days in and still waiting... The kid pool was not a good substitute!

  Erika was about to embark on a 3 week camping trip with no tent, so Dad let her borrow ours. We set it up the morning before they left just to make sure Erika knew how. It was way larger than I thought and should have plenty of space for three girls! Asher's favorite part was the doggy door.

 Haley was Asher's favorite play mate! 

 Quinn is such a happy little girl!

 Sitting on the front porch waving goodbye to the Donahues. 

 Later that day we got to take our first dip in the pool! It was a little slimy from all the chemicals, but we didn't care and neither did Fenley. It was incredible to see the improvement Asher has made since last year when he wouldn't put his head under or take off his floaties. Now he's jumping off the board and asking to take his floaties off every chance he gets! 

 Looks like Uncle passed his favorite childhood obsession on to Asher. He found Zach's binder of Pokemon cards and now he's hooked. He can always be found with a few in-hand while watching old episodes on Netflix. Some fads were meant to die out! 

 Back at the pool and this time, Quinn got to join us!

 She loved splashing! 

Before I knew it, we were ending the week with a cookout in Stillwater. Kyle got his remote control truck out for Asher. (He also won him that pink owl he's holding in a claw machine. Yes, to confirm what you're wondering, he is just a kid in a man's body)

 Maybe Mimi and Angie can save him. 

 What a cute little pair they make!