Each family vacation is different. Not only with the changing of destinations but the changing of the kids. No two experiences will ever be the same.
Our trip to Panama was seven days, three hotels, the city and the beach, three bags and five backpacks. I didn’t need candy to distract them or false promises to bribe them, I didn’t hear moans of tired feet and legs or field endless questions of what was coming next. They were simply travelers, experiencing the new. They took each new experience as it came; hearing, smelling, tasting and seeing everything, drawing comparison to what was familiar and identifying what was new. They took the discomfort of being in a new country and not knowing the language and embraced it for the adventure that it is.
When we travel we come with expectations, plans, baggage, we leave behind routine, responsibilities and stress and we hope for renewal, fun and lifelong memories. This trip we came away with a newfound understanding that our kids have benefitted practically and spiritually from all our travels. We have left an indelible mark and planted the seeds of appreciation and gratitude of this wide, wide world. 
Tagged: Casco Viejo, family vacation, Panama, travel
The water was so blue, the sky was so clear, the sun was so warm, the sand was so soft, the breeze was just right, the time was so needed. 
During the long months of quarantine the one constant was family. Every week I saw my family, my lifesaver in a sea of isolation, restlessness and fear. I didn’t tell many because it was a personal decision and judgements were being dealt swiftly and fiercely. But just as important as our physical health is our mental health and when our minds have nothing to do but wonder, wander and overthink seeing family was our sanity. We told the same stories, shared the same opinions and laughed at the same jokes week after week; it was wonderfully predictable and comforting. So after months of quarantine we took our routine on the road. For one week our jokes had new air to breathe, we had new scenery for our stories and the foundation of family remained solid in the sand.
Our Everyday 