Summer? Yes, It Was Pretty Warm There for a Little While

It’s not officially fall yet, but with everyone in my family back in the classroom this week, it might as well be. I’m not entirely sure where summer went. Between travel and work and sickness and my grandfather’s passing, summer seemed especially short in 2014. Before it escapes entirely, I thought I might reflect on a few highlights and lessons learned from the hottest part of the year. First up, our July staycation.

Last summer, we went on the epic Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Tour. This summer, in an effort to stay on budget, we went with the staycation option. I took off the week of July 4th, and we spent our free time having fun in and around Nashville. We took in a Nashville Sounds game with some friends, we visited Cheekwood and its “Big Bugs” exhibit, we visited Franklin’s July 4th festival with my mom, we saw Nashville’s July 4th fireworks show from the front lawn of Adventure Science Center, we took a DinoTrek at the Nashville Zoo, we did some browsing (and a little buying) at Phillip’s Toy Mart, we caught fireflies, we went stargazing, we took Luke to a few dog parks, we played a lot of board games, we stayed up late and we slept in even later.

In an earlier draft of this blog post, I wrote about how stressful I found our staycation. Although the AVM Tour took a metric ton of planning, I knew we were making memories that would last a lifetime. I wanted the same thing for our staycation, even though I knew there would be no whales or redwoods or Grand Canyons. I was disappointed that we weren’t traveling someplace new, and so I wanted the staycation to be the best staycation ever. I spent much of the week worried about planning the rest of the week. It really wasn’t until just now, reviewing that list of all the things the girls and I did, that I appreciated what a great time we had.

Sure, some things didn’t turn out as planned. It turns out, the Adventure Science Center isn’t a great place to watch the Nashville fireworks. Also, if you want to go stargazing and actually see a lot of stars, you need to go a lot further away from Nashville’s city lights than half an hour down the road toward Leiper’s Fork. And the July 3rd Nashville Sounds baseball game? Pretty darn crowded.

But most of the week went really, really well. The girls loved the bug-themed jungle gyms that Cheekwood installed as part of its “Big Bugs” exhibit. They were thrilled to visit Phillips Toy Mart, which is, as far as I can tell, the absolute best toy store in Middle Tennessee. Adventure Science Center might not have the best view of Nashville fireworks, but they do have a whole set of fun, moderately educational exhibits that the girls enjoyed exploring. Plus, we got some mighty fine donuts from food truck Loco Donuts.

The dinosaur exhibit at the Zoo might have been the best part of the week. When I mentioned to the girls in the spring that DinoTrek was coming back to the Nashville Zoo, Lily was super excited. She had fond memories of the exhibit when it visited back in 2012. Animatronic dinosaurs hidden along a forest path at the Zoo? What’s not to like? I knew we had to go back.

I also knew that DinoTrek would be at the Zoo this year for a limited time, but it wasn’t until we got out of church on July 6th, the last day of our staycation, that I realized that the exhibit’s last day was, in fact, July 6th! (Thanks, @NashvilleZoo, for tweeting about DinoTrek that morning!) We immediately ditched our afternoon plans, went home and changed, and headed straight to the Zoo. DinoTrek was pretty much the same as it was in 2012, which is to say, completely awesome. The girls loved it, and I felt happy that we had ended the week on a high note.

Looking back, I shouldn’t have stressed out about our staycation as much as I did. I should have just relaxed and enjoyed the week as it came — maybe after doing just a bit more planning before the vacation actually started. (One quick Google search would have shown me what I could expect for fireworks viewing at the ASC.) If we’re going to spend time at home, having fun in and around Nashville, I just need to “Let It Go” as the song says. (I finally saw Frozen this summer, too.)

However, I learned another lesson from this summer’s staycation: At this stage in my life, I want to take my daughters on adventures. We don’t have to go all the way to California, but I really dig exploring something we haven’t seen or done before. Like our trip to Reelfoot Lake, TN, to see the bald eagles. Like our trip to Foster Falls, just outside of Chattanooga, for a little hiking. For our next weekend trip, I have my eye on Chattanooga and points east. Apparently, America’s largest underground lake can be found in (well, under) Sweetwater, TN. There’s something about all three of us experiencing something for the first time — together — that’s really special. I want those adventures to part of our family’s story.

One chapter of that story I’m considering: Taking the girls to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea. How great would that be?

Here’s my takeaway: Plan for adventures. And when adventures aren’t feasible — when the budget says “staycation” — plan to relax.

I should add that going on adventures with my kids is my thing. It might be your thing, too, but it doesn’t have to be. We all have different priorities as parents. I think the key is to know yourself and know your kids, then set priorities that work for your family. Too often, I fall into the trap of seeing what all my Facebook friends are doing with their kids and thinking I need to do it all. I can’t, but I can set priorities and spend time and money intentionally.

Speaking of priorities, I’m going to do my best to carve out more time this fall for blogging here on the dad blog. Writing these posts prompts me to reflect on my experience parenting, and I need to spend more time reflecting. No promises, but I’m setting a goal to blog more often in the future.