My Family Is Crazy

My mom and sister recently mentioned they were taking a trip to the beaches of Alabama next month.  After randomly glancing at my schedule, I realized we somehow had 2 weeks free of gymnastics competitions.  I then realized that I no longer had to worry, if I wanted to up and leave on a vacation, who would cover my job.  There is no long a need to ask for time off.  Plus, I get to bring my job with me!  I can work on a deck overlooking the ocean just as easily as I can work on my couch in my sweats or sitting in a coffee shop.  I had dreamt of the day I would have this luxury.

As for my kids, I would have to take them last minute out of school.  Does it really matter if they are getting all A’s and B’s?  Oh, and there might end up being 15 children in the beach house if I decide to go.  Just sayin’ that sounds a little crazy.

You know what is crazy though?  All those things my family did growing up that many people might have thought were crazy are where my best memories were made.  I got good grades in school, I spent many hours in school….but I remember very little from school.  My memories are filled with 3 families crammed into a 1 bedroom house on the beach…tons of camping trips (most we broke down on the way)… mom taking me out of school to go shopping at the mall just because…12 hour drives one way to spend 24 hours visiting some friends, only to turn around and then drive home.

My family is well known for random vacations, driving too far to spend too few hours, flying 8 months pregnant with 3 other kids just to not miss a trip (I’m not the only one in my family that did this), deciding to buy a beach house out of the blue, and plenty more.   Still today, though my parents both work full time,  I recently overheard them say…”What do you think about driving to Georgia this weekend and exploring to see if we can find a place that would be fun to retire.”  A couple days later, they were in Georgia!

Not many people can handle this spontaneity and go with the flow attitude of my family. We don’t care if things go wrong…it makes us laugh.  We don’t care if it is practical, if we have to miss school, if we will be driving more hours than we will be spending at a place.  My family has a “life is short, just go for it” type attitude that I absolutely love.  Our mission is to take advantage of every chance to have fun.

Because of this, I’ve gone on many, unpractical, last minute trips with my mom to Florida.  I drove 10 hours in a 14 passenger van that was scary to drive, with just my sister and our gaggle of kids, to go to the Jersey Shore.  And because of these crazy genes I’ve inherited, I’m highly considering taking the kids out of school to go to Alabama…to be reminded of God’s power as we overlook the ocean each morning…to swim in the indoor pool if it isn’t warm enough to swim outside…to bond with cousins…to teach my kids life is fun…and to just be crazy.

I wouldn’t trade my family for anything, and I pray that I can teach my kids how to live a life of craziness, laughter, and a “just go for it” attitude.  God didn’t put me on this earth go through my daily routine on autopilot.  There’s too much out there He’s designed for me to see, too many experiences He’s waiting for us to take a risk and go for.

See ya’ll at the beach!