Golden memories

When I was in high school, my family was invited to a family friends' lakeside cabin in Canada. I have fond memories of this trip - swimming in the lake, picking blueberries, and attempting to fish and water ski. There were good dinners and a cozy hammock to hide away in to do my summer required reading. We slept in the room above the boat house, lulled to sleep at night by the water gently lapping the lake shore.

I only have nice memories from the trip but I vaguely remember my parents having car trouble with our mini-van; I'm sure my sisters and I fought; and there were probably a few teenage angst moments of being on vacation with my parents. It's nice to know that the good stuff has withstood the test of time.

I'm hoping we're making some golden memories for Jack and Jossie today. We just returned from a week's vacation out east with Jeremy's family. It was time spent in the pool and at the beach. There were ice cream cones in town, a ferry ride at sunset, and Jack triumphantly getting the ring on the carousel.

And, yes, there were the not-so-awesome moments of both kids melting at a children's concert; Jossie waking up six out of the eight nights we were there, screaming and crying; and the overall chaos that two small kids bring to a house. But there was also time spent together and with Jeremy's family. There was Jack loving life as he rode in the back of Papa's convertible (in his booster seat, of course). There were visits to the duck pond. There were dinners full of local vegetables and fruits.

The kids fell asleep every night as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Jeremy and I had some time alone, enjoying a bottle of wine and smelling the salty air at Beacon, as well as wine tasting at Channing Daughters Winery.