Coffee tee | Lululemon long sleeve top (non maternity) | Lululemon crop top | Superman T-Shirt (similar here) | Little Girl’s Leggings (striped and prints) | Little Girl’s Top | Zella Girls space Dye  Jacket and Leggings | Boys Top, Similar here | Men’s Window Pane Golf Shirt | Men’s Lucky Jeans | Ann Taylor top | Ripped Jeans | Ball Cap (Similar)

Last week I mentioned a couple of family events in the works.  Last weekend we had the first – a family trip to Disneyland!  We’ve always been big fans, especially when we lived just a few miles from the park.  Back then, at times we took our kids and at times we left them behind.  Don’t judge, but we also had our annual adults-only day with a few other couples – so fun!  And now comes the REALLY fun part – taking the grand-kids!

My favorite childhood memories include time spent with my cousins.  For many years we lived pretty close to three of them, and the five of us (including my brother) had so much fun.  We broke a few things here and there and got into our fair share of trouble,  but most of the time it was all about good, clean fun.  Even now, with a median age of 50+, it’s still about belly laughs until our abs hurt whenever we get together.   These are the kinds of memories and relationships I hope my “grands” will enjoy.  It’s one of the reasons Andy and I host our annual family Easter weekend brunch, and why we wanted to start an annual “family trip” tradition.

We started a bit smaller last year, with daughter Tiffany and her family at the Tall Ships Festival in Dana Point.  We expanded to a true family trip by taking most of the clan to Disneyland this weekend.  We were sadly minus one of our daughters and her husband (he is stationed out of town for a few more weeks and they are expecting their first baby in February, so she opted out).  We were fortunate, however, to get the rest of the group together, including another expectant mom, our daughter Ashley, due in a month and one heck of a trooper.  Our fitness trackers had the group logging between 9 and 11 miles, and Ashley was right in the middle of it!  Amazing!

Besides getting my cardio workout for the day, I had so much fun watching the way my family members interact, especially the grand-kids.  Their expressions were priceless; their giggles infectious.  Seeing them together warms my heart in ways I cannot express.  At some point after dark we had a serious issue when one of our little girls wandered off.  So very scary, as worst case scenarios ran through our collective mind.  Even then, the entire family jumped into action, heading to the four corners, frantically calling for her.  Security was notified, but again it was all about family.  My niece and I headed toward the shoppes, thinking she might have been drawn to the tempting souvenirs.  We kept walking, seeing no sign, and saying to each other, “she would never have gone this far.”  Thankfully, we kept going even though it seemed unlikely she had walked such a distance, because suddenly there she was, standing on a bench, trying to find us over the crowds.  In no time at all she had wandered at least a couple of football fields, through literally thousands of people.  I am still thanking God we found her unharmed.

Other than that very sobering experience, and a couple little hiccups along the way, we had such a great time as a family.  Disneyland provided a lot of the entertainment, but the laughing, the teasing, the good, wholesome fun – that was all us.  Do we always get along?  Heck no!  Do we have differences?  All the time.  But the bottom line remains the same:  We are family, and it’s worth looking past our differences to find and hold onto our commonalities.  People tell me I’m lucky to have such a group.  I’d say I’m blessed, but I’d also tell you it takes some work.  When we have riffs we could allow them to become chasms.  Instead, we work through issues and practice tolerance.  Sometimes we bite our tongues until they hurt. But we still love each other.  We still make it work.  Isn’t that what family is all about?

Thanks for letting me share my weekend with you.