2374 miles

I drove all of them. Alone with my kids. How adventurous, right? So many of the moms I encountered on the trip made comments about the impossibility of the trip, how (fill in adjective, some positive some negative) I was, etc etc. Basically I just feel like if I want my kids (and particularly Bee) to feel like they can be independent, I need to show them that things like this can be done.

The last two weeks were a whirlwind of changing plans. I usually don't operate well on a "let's fly by the seat of our pants" sort of course, but this worked out all right. Ben's extended family has a reunion in Bethany Beach Delaware every year in July. Then his immediate family (or what parts of it can make it) go to a second beach week somewhere else. It amounts to two weeks of Bee saying "I'm just going to the beach WITHOUT sunscream."

It was the best trip I've ever had with Ben's family....the sisters-in-law all (well, missing Alta, which was sad, but all of us who were in the state at least) finally had a good long late-night talk. Ben's older sister was the missing link in the equation, I think. It was finally made okay for all of us to participate in corralling all of the kids, regardless of who they belonged to. The result was more peace than we've ever had (still LOTS of chaos....9 kids on the beach for two weeks, you sort of have to expect it, right?), and just lots of revelatory conversations for all us girls....oh, and Eric and Joel too. :-) So Bee didn't get beat up (which usually has happened) and I kept my sanity because we all started actually communicating with one another! This helped me in a lot of ways, but I think that it mostly changed my understanding of these people who had been so mysterious to me.

I'm really glad that I decided to change my plan and stay for the second week. My kids are now all bronzed (though J is a little sand rashed....he liked to eat it, and so it ended up in his diaper) and quite happy. After that trip, I'm ready (at least I think) to finally go back to real life....writing and working. I've finally recovered (thanks to a wonderful family experience) from the horrific year that I lost to my exams, and feel like I can move forward.