Built From Broken

Let me start off by saying, I don’t think I have relaxed in at least two weeks! I’m exhausted, y’all. There is not enough caffeine in Pennsylvania to keep me going right now. So, what’s going on you ask? Well, I’m going to pretend I’m not talking to myself and answer that question. 😂 We took our FIRST family vacation! Years ago, I imagined me and W talking our boys, N & L on their first vacation. Well, life is nuts, so things didn’t end up working out that way. What did happen though, was me and D – my boyfriend, and future husband – took the boys on their FIRST family vacation!

My kids have been pretty sheltered most of their lives. Me and the boys’ dad didn’t have much money while they were growing up, so we didn’t get to go on long extravagant vacations. We were always in save money mode, to save up for a downpayment on a home. Now that I’m about to be divorced, I realized how much of our time we had wasted just saving money for a house we barely lived in. We lived in our marital home for less than a year before we separated. Now, THAT was a waste! Me and W were always chasing a dream, instead of having experiences. I’m trying to live life differently this time around.

D gets to have his daughter M every summer. Since we don’t have the money to fly, we have been driving instead to go pick her up. It’s a very LONG drive. Pennsylvania to Kansas – it’s about 1000mi one way. So, it’s about 14 hours in the car, each direction. We always have to split the trip into two days, so we don’t go insane! Months ago, D said to me, “Wouldn’t it be great if we took the boys to Kansas with us this year?” My first thought was, HELL NO! 😂 Are you nuts?! I have two boys, 11 and 6. The idea of bringing them on such a long car ride sounded like a lot of work, to put it mildly! But…then I started thinking. You know, this would be their very first vacation. They would LOVE it! So, against my better judgement, I agreed. LOL Just as a disclaimer, I do not advocate bringing two young children on that kind of trip, let alone the three we had on the way home. Do it at your own risk! Just kidding, guys…..but not really. 😆

We left early on a Tuesday morning. Everyone was in good spirits, and we were all SO excited to see M. The anticipation of seeing her kept us going on the way there. We had fun showing the boys the sights, taking them out to eat and taking a lot of pictures. We drove 9 hours the first day, and for the most part the boys did great! The second day was a lot harder. The closer and closer we got to our destination, time seemed to drag on. We picked M up at D’s parent’s house – we were also there to visit them. We hadn’t seen any of them since November! This was only the second time D’s parents met the boys in person, so we were all excited to see each other again. The boys, N & L don’t have much family on my side, so it was nice to have family welcome them with open arms and treat them like their own.

Seeing M and D’s parents, R & L was emotional and surreal all wrapped into one! We had been waiting for this moment for so long, counting down the days on the calendar. It was finally here, and it was great! I can honestly say, we had an amazing visit. The boys got to see where M goes to school, D’s (Pops) hometown, the beautiful Kansas views and to spend time with their Grammy & Grandpa. It was hard to leave. There were a lot of hugs and tears, but we will be back soon enough!

Now, here comes the fun part! The dreaded drive home. LOL I wish I could say I had a good time. I wish I could say I can’t wait to do it again next year. But, I can’t! Ha! It was HARD. Driving with 3 KIDS in the car for a total of 28 hours was ROUGH. With all of that said, even though it was hard, it was worth it. Even though we had to stop and feed them every few hours, even though we had to take 436 bathroom breaks, and even though they all took turns having meltdowns – we WILL do it again! Hopefully with another year under their belt, they will be able to handle the trip a bit better. Fingers crossed! 🤞

I am a realist though, so I am aware it will be just as hard next year. Onward and upward, folks! LOL