Slow Down

It was our chance at making memories, the kind that we both knew from growing up. That common bond we had that made no sense, considering our greatly changed, and even fragmented families. We found each other the way we did because this was the kind of life we were always meant to live. It may sound silly, that something as simple as camping and being “camping people” could be such a significant tether in a marriage. But for us, it always has been. It’s been the place we shine. Where we work together, feel competent; feel greater together than we could apart. And there began the birth of our life at Lost Valley Lakes.

LVL is a camping/RV/condo resort. It has two pools, hot tubs, a boat house, Frisbee golf, putting green, stables, various playgrounds, two lakes, two beaches, a petting zoo and a rec center that houses everything from bingo and shuffleboard to basketball and a movie theatre. Everything anyone could ever need to simply slow down and relax. We found out about this resort because my cousin works there and hosted her son’s graduation party in one of the condos there. We found someone selling their membership on Craigslist at the tent-camping level and we bought it at a fraction of what it originally sold for and is currently worth. We got very lucky. And this weekend, 3 nights and 4 days showed us exactly what an amazing gift we’ve given ourselves.

Watching our girls emerge from whiney and a little self indulgent into capable, confident and independent children, watching with curiosity (instead of terror) enormous Daddy Long Legs as well as silk worms, crickets and a myriad of other spiders and creepy crawlies. We all laughed as I pulled on my swimming suit (freshly taken from the clothes line) only to discover an enormous tree beetle crawl out of the center lining. It’s the desensitizing that I was looking for. It’s he living without air-conditioning, and without television and without video games. It’s the games they constructed out of branches and string and golf balls that they otherwise would have had no interest or desire to create. It’s the sisterhood that emerged as I watched them holding hands again, trekking, exploring, laughing at things we simply didn’t get. It was the conversations around the campfire that we’ll all remember. The stories we made up and the smores we made and my oldest child's discovery that she does, in fact, love burned marshmallows. I mean, really, who doesn’t?

There are so many things to love about this weekend. I can’t even begin to list them all. The time we’ve shared is priceless. It really is the reason we are who we are. Tuning out and tuning into each other. Because less is more. And our test-run was a success. We did over pack. We did forget things. And we did accommodate. Even the girls. It was for all of us. This time we have together is finite. It is for everyone, but I happen to be acutely aware of it. It’s my greatest gift and my heaviest burden. But I can’t think of a better way to spend time with my family than sharing dreams, creating tales and piecing together smoke clouds into our very own fantasies. I love my babies and I love their father for knowing so well, exactly what I need in my life to keep me whole and keep me grounded. It was, in short, an amazing weekend. The first of many.