TGIF Cuz I Feel Good!

I am so, so, so glad it is Friday! It's been quite a week- lots of busy-ness at work, some drama that played out a bit here on the blog (but seems to now be done), lots of commitments to keep. The good news is that I don't have a super packed weekend like we've been having! I'm going out tonight with a group of women in celebration of a couple of birthdays. Saturday morning, I plan to head out first thing and hit the Hamilton County Master Gardeners Plant Sale. Teagan has soccer at 10:30. Then the rest of Saturday is wide open! Sunday we head to Cincinnati for a farewell family dinner for my cousin, Ryan. He's a lawyer and has been accepted into JAG and is off to "lawyer boot camp." Here is my official Feel Good Friday offering: A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Indiana Tourism Media Marketplace and learned about tons of way cool stuff to do right here in my home state. I found places I want to go with Christy, with my mom, with my husband, with my husband and kids. And I made connections with people from various counties and cities in Indiana- people who are part of their county's convention and tourism office. I am VERY excited that my family and I will be heading out for a couple of overnight trips to a couple of spots in Indiana that we've been wanting to visit. In June, we are going to Spencer County and will spend some time at Lincoln's Boyhood Home (they have a living history farm), checking out the town of Santa Claus, and spend a day at Holiday World / Splashin' Safari. We will stay at Lake Rudolph in a rental RV (where I will totally pretend to be Garret... or Jim). Lake Rudolph looks like a lot of fun- they even have camp activities and a pool and other fun family things! It's not scheduled yet, but we will also take an overnight to Fort Wayne! I've been wanting to do a quick trip to Fort Wayne for a while now because I've heard such great things about what they have to offer families. There is the award winning Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. There is a small Amish community- Grabill, IN. Maybe a trip to Science Central. And I hear it's a ton of fun to take in a Tin Caps game! 2 summers ago, we took a 3 year old Teagan and a 9 month old Zach on a long drive to Pennsylvania. We had an awesome vacation at Sesame Place and then driving up north to spend time up in a small mountain town called Dushore with my mom, dad, and brothers. We even got to spend some time at the beach- with a very cold lake! I've been wanting to repeat that trip ever since. We had such a good time and were all so relaxed and happy for so much of that trip. I had really thought it might be stressful to do that much travel with 2 small kids- but it was really the kind of vacation that sold me on how important it is to have that fun time away from everyday life. It was that trip that taught me that a family vacation is important. We stepped away from our normal routines and comfort zones and stepped away from our computers and phones and jobs and commitments. When I was a kid, there weren't a lot of vacations. There wasn't money to afford vacations. We did go to Disney when I was 5 (the only time I've ever been). My mom and I went to Jacksonville, FL for my aunt's graduation from something. My mom took me down to Orlando to see the Mouse. I don't remember most of the trip aside from the pics I've seen- but I very much remember the "It's A Small World" ride. When my mom and dad were dating, we would go to the Zoo or to a local park and hike through a forest. Once my parents were married (and I was adopted), trips consisted of visiting family. We certainly did fun things on those trips- but the trip was always focused on visiting family and that meant that we always traveled to the same places. So I never really experienced the classic "family vacation." Maybe it's because I didn't have it that it has become so important to me. But it's truly become a value for me- that time away from the norm and insulated in our own family unit. So we won't be venturing very far from home this summer. A trip to the southern end of our state... a trip a little north of here... maybe a weekend in Cincinnati... and maybe just enjoying the fun things we have right here in Indianapolis. The important thing is that we will be on an adventure together. We will play and laugh and let loose and just all be kids together. And that really leaves me feeling good on this Friday!