Up North

We've been back for a little over a week now and life has picked up right where we left it.
Sports, church, work, family... well... life.

I absolutely love our little family life. I love the chaos and the silly moments and the not so great stuff. Sometimes though, it's nice to get away and connect in a different way.

So we loaded up the car (loaded to the max!) and we headed north... way north.
We went back home... my home.

I can't tell you how absolutely peaceful it feels to be there. For me, that's my sanctuary.
Hiking, stand up paddling, beach time, fishing... oh, it's home alright.

It was nice to let go of the routine and schedules and fall into an easier pace.
There's nothing grand about my little hometown. It's quaint and simple.
But there is something grand about being surrounded by God's creation.

Trees, birds, lakes... family.

My family is like most - we're all a little off and we all love each other like crazy.
To be with them is to relive a little bit of my childhood again. They know the ins and outs of the parts of my life that made me... well, me! It's fun to listen to them and laugh with them over stories of the past all the while creating stories to tell in the future.

Home.

I asked the kids if they'd ever take their kids there and they said they would.
I sure hope they do. I hope they feel the deep roots of their French Canadian family and that they find the same kind of peace I do when I head up there.