We’ve been dreaming about this trip since before the kids were born and in the past few months – almost every minute of the day! Anticipation of what will happen, the activities we’ll do – a lot of those come to fruition. For example:
- Things of that I knew I would love – A West End show (The Lion King), Hop on/Hop off bus to see the big sites, the Harry Potter tour (which the kids covered in other blog posts in detail), and the first few days of the Disney cruise aboard the Magic.
- Things that I knew would be a pain – 14 hours+ on a plane with the kids complete with red eye flights and jet lag (although they did surprisingly well); the 5 family members challenge – a table for five, a taxi for 5 etc.
But I had almost forgotten my favorite part of travel – the unexpected. Those things that you can’t anticipate and aren’t in any guide books yet delight and become a memory for all time. We are less than a week into the trip and I already have had several of those moments with the kids.
- A sibling’s genuine kindness – When we were getting ready for WB Harry Potter tour, Macy had her Ravenclaw shirt, I had my Slytherin shirt and Tommy (a relatively new Harry Potter convert) asked – “What can I wear?” Seeing the disappointment on Tommy’s face, Macy offers, “You can wear my Gryfendor shirt buddy.” (We don’t tell Tommy that it is a girl cut shirt). An small unexpected act of selflessness that reminds me this trip is ultimately strengthening our bond as a family.
- One on one time doesn’t need a fancy location – Kaitlin and I went to an origami class on the Disney Magic. She had been feeling along for the ride with all of the London Harry Potter excitement (she’s not a big fan). So the smile on her face when we folded flowers together (and then folded a bunch more) – the kids just really want to be with us, the location is just the gravy.
- A new language, “Tomminese” – A visit to the British history museum and an active 8 year old can be a recipe for disaster. But the first thing that Tommy saw – the Rosetta Stone – inspired him to create his own hyrogliphics language and write pages of journal entries using his new language. What makes me laugh the most – he gets frustrated when we can’t read it – he insists we need to learn it!
Even thought I can’t know the specific moments that will follow – I can anticipate many more of these along the way!
Mary is our Sherpa Momma, carrying water bottles, sunscreen, snacks, tissues and more in her backpack. But, thankfully, no diapers. She's really just looking forward to having a rest. When she's' not tired, she's an aspiring coffeehouse singer / guitarist.
3 thoughts on “First Rule of Travel: Cherish the Unexpected”
Comments are closed.
What memories you are making!
God Bless!!!
I LOVE IT! Can’t wait to hear more 🙂 You guys look like you are having a blast and are bubbling over with happiness!
Sounds magical! I’m impressed with the blogging – keep going, it will be a wonderful thing to look back on.