La Ventura: The Next Generation

My blogging break was unintentional. It was always on the "I'm Gonna" list. Life has just been busy, busy, busy. I have taken an even longer hiatus, because I wanted to catch up. Instead of falling behind another day due to the fact that I don't have time to "catch up," I am going to pick up with today. Maybe I will be blessed with lots of free time in the near future and I will be able to fill in the gap, but don't count on it;)

We are preparing to embark upon a family vacation. Our last family vacation, where the entire family came along, was eight years ago. At that time we were only a family of ten. The whole experience we chalked up as an "experience" and after weighing the cost/benefit ratio, we decided vacationing from home was far more practical for our bunch. Fast forward to today. Amanda turns eighteen in less than two months and our family of ten is now a family of fifteen. Knowing that change is inevitable and our darling daughter is growing up regardless of how often I tell her to stop it, we want to do the ultimate family vacation ALTOGETHER at least once!

The Darlings - Yosemite 2002

Don't think for a minute that I feel sorry for my poor babies who were thrust into this large family. They get to do far more than kids of my generation ever did. Home schooling has afforded us more opportunities than I could ever list. Southern California living has provided us with even more. I don't think my kids have missed out on a thing. Having lots of brothers and sister to love and to be loved by far outweighs any sacrifices they may have had to make along the way.

However, as a child I experienced "La Ventura!" That meant living life with a dad who made living large apart of our lives and a mom who helped make it happen. One of my greatest memories of living La Ventura was "The Great Summer of '84." Yep, you guessed it! I like zippy, zany names because I grew up with them. It is an inherited trait. My parents packed my two brothers and I up in their Buick and drove to Minnesota stopping at numerous God Spots along the way. Pictured above is one of my "Top Ten Moments" with my daddy. This particular day at Bryce Canyon I drank up his love. As you can see, I was in my awkward stage. I was trying to figure out how I fit in the world. That day looking over the fence with my daddy in awe at God's handiwork was surreal. I knew I had a father that loved me. And nothing else seemed to matter. How thankful I am that God gave me an earthly father that taught me in so many ways about who my Heavenly Father is! "The Great Summer of '84" was the best of the best vacations. I have always dreamed of taking my kids on the road and trying to give them a little of what my parents gave me.

In 1993, Willie and my dad took a whirlwind trip to Minnesota and back making many God Stops along the way. It was a mentoring time between a father and his son, but my dad was purposefully giving Willie a taste of La Ventura hoping that he too would be inspired to take my daddy's grand babies to some of those very same places some day. IT WORKED!

Next Friday "La Ventura: The Next Generation" continues. We only have a couple of weeks, but it is going to be amazing. We are planning God Stops at Zion National Park, Yellowstone, Minnesota, and the Grand Canyon. I am especially looking forward to our family reunion where I will get to introduce ALL of my darlings to my uncles, aunties, and cousins. To top it off, my parents are flying in from Hawaii and my brother Darren and his family are making the trek too. To say that I am excited is an understatement. I have dreamed of this vacation for years!

The logistics of getting fifteen people across country is a bit overwhelming at times, but things are slowly coming together and the crazy idea is soon becoming a reality. So stay tuned....