week ending July 8, 2007:

Week ending July 8, 2007: This week was our Poconos vacation. Save for one of the kids getting a pretty nasty cut on his forehead, the trip was a big success. The 10 kids got along very well and since they were a bit older and there were a few older kids around who knew well enough to get a parent if things were getting out of hand, we let them play in rooms where there were no grownups. After a while my kids started to think they were in Neverland because they complained bitterly whenever we interacted with them and when we’d force them to do something horrible like brush their teeth, they’d say “I wish there were no parents, only children!” We actually got all 20 of the group out together on 2 excursions, one to some really beautiful waterfalls and one on a 15 mile bike ride on the rail trail in the Lehigh Gorge (which was also breathtaking). Several other excursions were in groups of 2-4 families. A few days of doing everything by committee made me pretty tired. Every time we’d want to do something we’d have to ask 8 other people if they wanted to go, and which day, and what time, and if we were packing lunches, etc. I’m just not used to that much talking, but in the end it was worth it to share those experiences with friends. There was much less crying from the children than last year. Last year we concluded that there was some child or other crying during just about every waking minute, but this year with everyone a year older things were a bit quieter. 9 of the 10 adults on the trip had been on a white water rafting trip together 11 years ago. Amazingly all the couples are still together and we’re all keeping in touch, but many things have changed over the years. We’ve traded our muscle cars, and Corollas in on mini-vans and sport utility vehicles. Instead of high-fat, high-carb breakfasts we’re eating shredded wheat and Egg Beaters. Most of us know our cholesterol numbers. Instead of discussing what bars to go to, we’re discussing our retirement investments. Instead of staying up till the wee hours, we went to bed around 11 because we knew the kids were going to be up early. Just a few more weeks and I’ll be 35 and I’m the second youngest in the group! The pictures are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/constance.phelps/Poconos