There comes a time in the existence of every family that all the little birds leave the nest and scatter to the 4 corners of the earth. My family is almost to that point, so my parents have set the goal to have a family reunion every single year to make new memories and keep old traditions. We congregated on the East Coast, just north of Boston where I grew up. Nate and I LOVE having both of parents living so close to each other so that we can see both when we travel home. The festivities began the day that we arrived with the celebrating of my Dad’s birthday. We made his favorite dessert: Banana Splits and Root Beer Floats. Unfortunately, the ice cream melted quite a bit with the burning of all those candles. ; ) The next day we headed to the beach, Ogunquit, and it was DIVINE to hear the ocean waves again and smell the salty air.
We also took Jace to the Children’s Museum. He LOVED IT!! There were just so many buttons to push that he could have spent numerous days there. After that, my family traveled to Martha’s Vineyard to do some camping. I hadn’t been to Martha’s Vineyard since I was an early teen. This little island was SO much fun, and so different and exciting. They have THE BEST seafood around, dozens of lighthouses to see, beautiful beaches, quaint homes and shops… and for us, a fun little camp ground. Here we are on the ferry over from the mainland… I know, my hair has some explaining to do. ; )Every little girls first love will always be her Daddy… I sure love mine. These adorable painted casitas are called ‘The Painted Ladies’. There were hundreds of them, all with unique names and themes. This blue and yellow one was one of my favorites because it had a wrap around porch, a large backyard and those honeycomb doors. I love it!The same day that we got back Boston, my siblings and I threw my parents a surprise 30th Anniversary Party. We had it at Winnekini Castle and it was one of the most special nights of our entire trip. We sang to them, we provided live quality entertainment [dancers], we dedicated a speech to them and we made a slideshow of their last 30 years. At the end of the speech, my brother Andrew announced that he and his wife, Danella, are expecting a baby!!! She is due 2 months after me, and we could not be more excited for them! We ate, we danced, we laughed and we cried, and it was such a magical, wonderful night. I hope that my parents felt our love and appreciation towards them. Here is the whole motley crew [from back left to right]: Andrew [brother], Nate & Jace, Alexander [brother], Lecy [aunt], Danella [sister-in-law], Javier & Sebastian [cousins], my Mom & Dad, Shannon [sister], Me, my Abuela, a family friend, Brooke [niece], Cameron [nephew] and Melanie [little sister].
Here is the video that we played for them. It really captures what we feel for our parents, and what they have taught us. “I won’t give up on us… even when the skies get rough. I’m giving you all I’ve got, I’m still looking up.” I love my family and I loved the time that we were able to spend together. I am so grateful for the life my parents have given me… they have sacrificed so much and have been such wonderful examples. I love them and I feel loved by them. I hope that I am as good of parents to my own children as they were to me.
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