I'd like to tell this story backwards, so that it has a happy ending, and I would like to believe that telling it forwards will include a happy ending eventually, too. Yesterday included TWO car accidents, TWO flooded basements, and a million temper tantrums. The day before that included dinner with my divorced parents, their divorce lawyer's wife, and my step-mom. Before that was boating, sunning ourselves, and only mild awkwardness. Early in the week was outrageous, with copious pale ale, clear skies smiling at us, and comfortable strolls down memory lane.
So, here's the situation: We vacationed in my home town, whiling away the time on the lake that we grew up on. We stayed at my step-mom's sister's house, a modest lake house which we were bursting out of with our large families. Imagine five kids under six years old and seven adults in a house that contains only one family room and 1.5 bathrooms (which is the source of MANY, MANY stories, but I'll save that).
Being back where I grew up was surprisingly pleasant, but it was the source of painful discomfort for my mom. I understood that sentiment without being overly empathetic. In retrospect, yeah, that was an awkward venue for her.
There is still fallout, 20 years after the fact, from my parents' divorce. A large part of me wants to make clear that they made this shitty bed and now they gotta lay in it, but it doesn't really work that way in a family. A grim and hostile energy is present in all of the interactions with both parents. It is getting old.
But that is only Camera Angle #1 of our vacation. The lens of Camera #2 is decidedly more lovely. Puffy cummulus clouds in a teal sky over a gorgeous lake, a HUGE pontoon, outdoor dining, inside jokes, hilarious games, Surly Furious Ale, the clever words of a great novelist, and best of all, amazing family.
I am constantly awed when I hang out with my family. I might be the only girl you know who doesn't have an in-law that sucks, a loose canon for a sibling, or a crazy asshole for a mother. Maybe it's only a matter of time or maybe Camera #3 sees me as the asshole/loose cannon in the bunch.
Anyway, Goggins Vacation '10 was pretty spectacular, tempered with occasional sodden spirits. I already can't wait for more of the same next year.
