Another Last Family Vacation

Our first "last big family vacation" was in 2002, if I remember right. We all went to Alaska for a week of salmon fishing, hiking, petting sled dogs and petting glaciers. Since then we've had one other notable LBFV, to Maui in 2005. There was also 2006, which was the year that we could have had another  LBFV, but chose to split up, guys to Alaska with Uncle Kevin, girls to the Caribbean.

I know we do this because the kids are grown and going separate ways and we all feel a need to get in one last big fling together. Although there have been the alternating annual treks to South Carolina and Arkansas for Christmas, we don't usually consider those as vacations, though I suppose we could.

This one, to Barcelona, was really something. A place we probably woudn't have selected had it not been for the fact that I was there on business. Caroline is almost 18 so I suppose this was the first one with all adults, sort of, if you include me. Although I was working I got to spend a fair amount of time with the family. Mainly it was nice just to see everyone together and the interactions that are uniquely ours.  

....the punches in the arm, the nicknames that go back to some event known only to us, the words and phrases that are just ours, a sister laying comfortably next to her brother. Occasional talk about weddnig plans, career plans, college plans, but mainly a few days of no plans. Just time together. Time for shared bathrooms that bring back memories of a full house in St. Louis. Time for shared food across a crowded table. Time to remember vacations past with toddlers in tow. Time for strolls in ancient churches on ancient streets. A moment or to for thoughts of Spain and old lessons from grade school about the long past glory of this country. One more time to just be together and be thankful that we have each other. Was this really the final LBFV? Perhaps, but not the last time together.