The LesslieBlain Odyssey: Family Vacation

Picture this: Rapid City, South Dakota. Family vacation. Eight adults, one infant, one child. Two campers, one tent. Two trucks, one car, and 15,000 motorcycles.

Yep- we just had our Lesslie family vacation in Rapid City during Sturgis Bike Rally, and it was a riot.

If we could do it all over again, I would do everything the exact same. Originally we had planned on a cabin, but long story short, dates got a little confused, and three weeks before vacation Josh scrambled for an alternative, which his wonderful family helped with. I loved the campers, tent, Cedar Canyon Wesleyan Camp, Mt. Rushmore, Bear Country, Badlands, putt-putt golf, s'mores, Martin pooping in Grandma's shoe...the only thing I would do differently would be the week we chose to vacation.

All things considered, though, it was a marvelous week. Despite the never-ending string of scantily clad bikers, it was quite ideal, actually. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the company was grand.

It was so much fun to watch my parents as Granny and Grandpa all week with Martin.
They have fallen in love with that little boy, and I think Aunt Ashley and Uncle Josh have, too.

Josh and I let my parents have the bigger camper, along with baby Martin, and we took a pull-out bed in the camper where Blake and Tina were staying, which was loads of fun. Grandma, Grandpa, and one of my cousins did the tent thing, and were a little flooded in the middle of the week, but were not bested by soggy bedding. I think I laughed all week long!

Josh and I also got to see his grandparents, two uncles, two aunts, and eleven cousins. One uncle, one aunt, and five more cousins would have made the trip complete.

We celebrated my parents' 25th wedding anniversary at the beginning of the week, which was very low-key and fun. I won't mix words; my parents are blessings, and I admire their love, even when marriage is tough. They have never pretended love is easy, but always savor the moments when love is sweet. Josh and I covet the examples of marriage our parents exhibit, and cherish the wisdom from those marriages.

Apart from family, we also got to see our favorite ballerina, Rebecka, one of my best friends who danced in our wedding. Her husband, Brett, was at a wedding in Ohio, so we missed him, but we relished our time with Rebecka. Brett and Rebecka just got a kitten, Chloe O'Brien, who was a ball of energy until I found her shut-off switch. I'm attaching a video simply because you have to see it to believe it!

On our way home, we stopped by Josh's grandparents' and Josh's uncle and aunt's, then attempted to drive through the night to meet up with another friend from OWU, Nate, who traveled with me my second summer on ministry teams, and who roomed with Josh his senior year.

That all-nighter was a miserable letdown. After trying to push through, we pulled over 30 miles from Nate's, and slept at a rest stop until sunrise, then met Nate for coffee in Gillette.

We drove through the night Sunday the 8th, pulled into Rapid City Monday afternoon, partied hard all week with games, sight-seeing, and Baby Martin, then drove further east to visit Rebecka, then back west Monday morning at 9:00, arriving safely in Kooskia Tuesday night around 11:00.

What a splendid week of vacation. But I'm pooped!