Today Donnie and I took our five children, and Michael's girlfriend on our family vacation. Ryan's wife Annie was home sick with a virus, and we missed her, but we were also glad that Ryan still joined us on our family vacation. When I say vacation, it wasn't a vacation in the typical vacation fashion It was one day spent at Six Flags amusement park in Agawam, MA. A longer vacation was not doable this summer, and getting all the kids together is getting harder and harder. So a one day, fun day vacation, was every bit as wonderful as a full weeks vacation.
We began our day, (as we have for many vacation days before) waiting for Michael to wake up and get moving. We all took turns going downstairs to harass him into getting up, so that we could get on the road. And as always, he took his sweet time....but once he's up and going, the party gets started!
Over the years we have always taken our vacations by piling all the kids in the car and driving to a destination....sometimes it was Disney World, sometimes it was destinations that were closer to home. But most all the times, they were car trips that have given us the most enjoyable memories, that Donnie and I cherish.
From the time the kids were very young, these trips consisted of the children singing Broadway musicals the entire trip. Jane and Mary knew every lyric to Les Mis, by the time they were able to speak. Today wasn't any different....Danielle wanted to introduce the family to the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" and we all enjoyed it very much. The interesting thing about this, is that, even though our children were raised on Broadway musicals....they all grew up to have very different musical tastes. Danielle still enjoys Broadway musicals to this day, but Michael is the lead singer in a Funk Rock group. Ryan over the years has enjoyed Rap music and Country music. Mary and Jane are both big Country music fans as well as contemporary pop music.
What made today's one day vacation fun day, so special to me, was that, no matter what music they choose to enjoy...they choose to enjoy the music of each others company. And when they all start singing together in the car, it is music to Donnie and my ears. They are no longer children singing Broadway songs, but adults singing all kinds of music, but at least they are still singing....and they are still singing together. At the end of the evening on our ride home from a great day at the Amusement park...one of the last songs that came on the radio was Lion King's , "The Circle of Life" It seemed a fitting song, (coincidentally it ended up being a Broadway song) But the song itself was very fitting as we were celebrating our last day of the summer together before each of the children move on to continue in their Circle of Life. Danielle will be head back to NYC to continue in her career and to finish the book she is writing. Michael's band "The WonderMics" is taking the music scene on by storm. Ryan and Annie will celebrate their 1 year Wedding Anniversary in October. Mary will be heading into her junior year at Boston College as a nursing major. And our baby girl Jane will be heading to Providence College in two days to begin her Freshman year majoring in business. As for Donnie and me.....life will go on as usual, It's the Circle of Life.
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