goin on vacation.....

Those that say you can't take it with you,
never saw a car packed for a vacation trip.

~Author Unknown

Tomorrow morning we will be packing the coolers and the cars, and then get a jump start on the annual trek up to the family cottage for our week long vacation with the kids, family and friends.

During the week long vacation there will be no less than 6 children aged 13 to 6, and at the start of the week there will be no less than 5 adults, with that number going up to 9 adults during the last half of the week for a mini family reunion. That number of people required me to take a trip to Costco (can’t get out of there without spending at least two hundred dollars club) last night. By the time I was done shopping I am sure I looked like a freak trying to fit in seven hundred dollars worth of groceries into the cart that seemed to shrink as I took things off the shelf. I was barely able to push the cart to the check out, because it was so heavy. It was a good thing that Brent showed up just in time as I was checking out, as he was able to bring me an extra cart to take things out to the car with. Besides he has the bigger trunk in his car.

Packing all this food and then the kids into the car tomorrow morning should be interesting. Hopefully they will get along for the car ride.

A vacation is like love -
anticipated with pleasure,
experienced with discomfort,
and remembered with nostalgia.

~Author Unknown

I am looking forward to going to the cottage. There is something about being up there that takes a layer of stress off. Once you get there, and unpack it is total relaxation. The kids are usually so excited to jump into the lake. It’s a pretty simple life we lead up there. Sleep, eat, swim, dry off, swim, go for ski or tube ride, eat, swim, dry off, swim, eat, boat ride, eat, build campfire, cook marshmallows just the way you like them. Say yes when the kids want to cook you a marshmallow, even though you know Olivia will burn yours and you will eat it and smile, saying how yummy it is. (She wants to cook for mommy after all) I love making these memories with the kids. It’s so much fun!

Some of my fondest memories are of building campfires with my parents at this very cottage and then cooking treats over the fire. Sometimes we would have caught a fish that day that was big enough, and we could have it for an after dinner snack. That was so yummy. My brothers and I would experiment with throwing pine needles, cones and leaves into the fire to see what affect it would have on the fire. We would all have our own marshmallow stick which was an old branch that we found, and my dad would have sharpened it at one end so that we could stick the marshmallow on it. That was our stick for the week, so we better take good care of it and not play too much in the fire with it. For playing in the fire, we would find other sticks that we would use to poke at the amber wood and make little sparks that would fly up and disappear into the night sky. There is something so magical about a campfire. That is definitely part of the experience.

If you are wondering what this has to do with being creative and inspiring. I would ask, how could someone be surrounded in nature and not feel inspired by it all. For example, I have been fortunate enough to become acquainted with a local artist who works in all different medias. Her work is entirely inspired by nature. I have a feeling that I will be thinking a little like Linda Lee this week, and absorb all I can from this inspirational and world of nature. When I think of it like that, it’s kind of like going to an art gallery for inspiration.

What inspiration are you going to have this week?

Take care and have a great week.
Shelley
☺

The Last Lecture you ever need to experience

Don't follow your dreams; chase them.
- Richard Dumb

Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) died this past week. I know that perhaps people are wondering why I might be talking about someones death on a blog that is meant to inspire. But Randy's message is one that is truly inspirational.

Randy was featured on Oprah, he is the professor who has terminal cancer, and who is probably most known for his Last Lecture. Reading this, you might think, oh yeah I heard about that guy. I truly I hope that everyone who is near and dear to me, and even those who may not even know me watches this video.

In this video the Carnegie Mellon Professor gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed Auditorium. In his moving presentation, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. But its so much more than that! Please if you were planning on watching summer reruns tonight I beg you to watch this lecture first. Enjoy, you will be inspired....



For more, visit www.cmu.edu/randyslecture.