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For my kids, visiting my parents (Gramma and Grandaddy)  is right up there with going to Disneyland.  It's high up on the list of top places to spend my vacation time too.  They live a block form the beach and have a fabulously large and kid friendly backyard to play in.  Plus, they take their role as grandparents very seriously and never say 'no', there are always cookies and other treats available at anytime of the day regardless of mealtimes, Gramma is always up for feeding the birds or going to hunt for squirrels (with peanuts in her pockets just in case some are found), and Grandaddy will read any book the kids bring to him. The count down starts weeks before we leave.  Every day I have to answer the question, "How many more days until Gramma's house?"

The trip takes us 9.5 hours in the car.  That's pretty good for a 550 mile road trip.  But we leave as close to 4 AM as we can manage and only stop for gas and potty breaks.  Meals are eaten on the drive and miraculously no one complains.  We have been making this drive at least twice a year since the triplets were 10 months old. The kids now know all the landmarks and the order in which they will appear.

Anyway, for me going 'home' is a mix of a really relaxing time of being able to walk to the beach - or anywhere, really, in this small coastal town - and the chaos of trying to fit in meet-ups with old friends who still live near there (from grade school through college). In this case, we were there for my 20th High School reunion (yikes!) and there were several events planned including the day-long 4th of July celebrations and an 8th grade reunion thrown in for good measure!

Out of 8 days, we only had two free of previously planned events.  So what did I do?  Set up some plans to meet up with some sorority sisters I haven't seen in years!  But as exhausting as it was, it was a great experience seeing how everyone has grown into adulthood.  The 20 was definitely better than the 10 yr reunion (but that is another topic). And TripletDad was such a good sport with all this reunioning - I think he enjoyed hearing all the stories of the good ol' days.

I'm exhausted.  The visit was 8 days, and we all had a hard time saying goodbye.  As I was tucking in Daughter2 the night we got home, she started crying.  She said, "I thought we were staying for 12 days."  I don't know where she got that number, but I was right there with her, missing my mom and dad already, just as much as she missed Gramma and Grandaddy.

And I know I was fortunate to grow up in such an ideal (and some say sheltered) place.  Maybe if we win the lottery we can go back and live there.  For now, we have a great place to vacation with no time-share fees. Besides, what timeshare can beat cookies and treats made by Gramma anyway?