Thucydides
I have always have conflicting attitudes about traveling, it seems. The idea of it is very appealing to me, but the actual mechanics of getting ready and going somewhere have been a barrier for me, especially now that I'm alone with my boys. There's also an element of being away from what I know and sometimes not being able to get back to where I came from at my leisure. So, yesterday the boys and I took a day trip to the glamorous Paris, Idaho.
Paris is just north of Bear Lake, barely across the Utah-Idaho border. It took us about five hours of driving, round trip. We had been planning on staying overnight, but I suddenly didn't feel like staying around 6pm. So we packed up and drove home. This morning at 8am sharp, I started having incredible stomach pain. Since I was home, I had everything I needed to treat the pain and even had help with the boys. I feel blessed to be impressed to go home. It would have been awful to be stuck up there with my children while I was so miserable.
The home we visited was really awesome. The picture below is a plaque nailed to the original front door. In retrospect, I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures of the home. It was beautifully kept and very fascinating.
Gee is the married name of my mom's cousin's Pam. The home has been in her husband's family for four generations now. I would love to go back on a long weekend!
The boys and I went up to Paris to celebrate my great aunt and great uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. It was so much fun! Pam coordinated the whole thing. She and her family organized a great program and were so kind and generous. Below is a picture of the happy couple taken by Pam (or one of her daughters), my Uncle Bob and Aunt Kathy. Don't they look great?
The next ones are ones I took during the festivities. We had a piñata, water balloon fight, tons of other games, and good food. It was really nice to get away for a little. I used this trip to reward myself for turning in my first major college paper! After my first semester, I think the boys and I will take a longer trip.
Charlie kept swinging on this handrail until he fell off and scraped his ankle. Then he got back up and kept swinging. Check out the outfit he picked out and his awesome crepe paper headband!
Charlie "Bucket Hat" Mendez, braving the water balloon war zone. Everyone just couldn't get enough of how cute and funny he was.
Cousin Gerald, after Jeff rallied the troops against him. Gerald got them back. With the hose.
We got to go inside and watch from a safe distance after Charlie decided that the streets of this small town were a perfect place to play. I don't know what it is with him and the street lately...
Sweet little Noah was happy as usual. He was great on the trip. Bob's sister, Karen, came up with her adult daughters. They were impressed at what a happy, easy-going baby he was. That's my little man, all right!
Watching Gerald get soaked by a bucket of water that his four year old daughter dumped on his head while he was drying out on the sidewalk.
Overall, this weekend was about being brave and independent. I can go on vacation if I want! I'm the mom! I can make plans and preparations. I can make decisions. I can problem solve. I have the ability to get myself and my children somewhere and back safely. It seems that there's always been a voice in the back of my head, telling me that I am at the mercy of those around me. No more!
When I think about Paris, Idaho- the little bitty town- it's silly to think of everything that the trip means to me. But I feel liberated. I am now planning a trip to see a good friend of mine out of state at the end of summer semester. I feel like I can do things and go places! I'm beginning to feel free in a way I've never experienced.
Final Thought
"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you."
Jean-Paul Sartre
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