9/20/09

Family Time - Away from Home!



For a very busy family (we have 3 soccer players and one coach in our family!), and because of where the economy has taken us, our family has benefited from 24-hour getaways rather than longer weekends away. We've been able to enjoy family fun times within an hour of where we live, which has been a real blessing.



This last weekend was to a lake where our family has never been, where we were invited to stay in a cabin for one night, with some very hospitable friends!

After a 3 1/2 hour hike.



And dog-tired.



And tired doggies.




And happy family time (how did my kids get so tall?)



Enjoying God's beauty.


We headed back to a cozy time with hors d'oeuvres and a salmon dinner (have you ever seen a broiler at the bottom of an oven like this?) cooked by me and our good friend Minor.



And a very happy birthday to our friend, Jeannie.




One thing about 24-hour getaways is that you don't have to plan for much food or packing, you don't really have to take much of anything, which makes putting away even less when you get home!

Yes, family time is sometimes the best, away from home!

Has the economy affected your family time? And what creative ways have you worked around it?

Don't forget to enter in the Gigantic BOX Giveaway, here. Winner will be posted on Monday.

17 comments:

ellen b. said...

Looks like a great getaway Sandy. What beautiful shots of the whole family and the individual shots of the kids! We had an oven with a broiler in the bottom like that growing up :0)

Suzann said...

Looks like an amazing time.
The broiler in the bottom is really old-school, so of course I've seen it. LOL.
I guess the economy has effected us all. We do more things that are free. Play-games, watch movies, have friends over and everyone brings something...

kim said...

lol well i guess i must have "old" ovens since in all the houses i ever lived in my broiler was in the bottom of the oven. it still is now.

Kathy C. said...

That looks beautiful and relaxing. About the stove, lol, actually we had one of those in a few places we lived growing up - definitely "older" style. :) I never liked the "getting on the floor part", lol. :)

Darla said...

Looks like you had fun. I had to laugh about the broiler, like others who've posted already, I'm quite familiar with those old broilers - and yes, it always seemed a funny place to cook your food. Works tho.

Darla

Gina said...

Looks like a great time! We've been trying to have fun day trips for our getaways-there's so many fun things to do in our area and we've really been taking advantage of it.

Theresa said...

I love the pictures, looks like everyone had fun...exceptin that in the first one it looks more like everyone is on "time-out/" Rough car ride?

Maureen said...

What a beautiful family. Your 24-hour trip sounded spectacular. I love it.

We are looking for more free events for our family - library events, county fairs, cheaper dining....

I did think of you this weekend because your site has encouraged me to have the spontaneous gathering... I had 8 adults, 7 kids, and two dogs here for dinner on Friday - we ate pizza. It was perfect!

Sandy said...

Hey Theresa, no rough car ride. We actually laughed our heads off to Garrison Keillor on the I-trip, on the way up. Hubs likes to play around with photography. You just never know what you're going to get!

Dawn said...

Sounds like a perfect weekend. We used to take more three day weekends to the coast with our boat. My husband's job hasn't allowed him to do that very much anymore so we've been exploring more lakes within an hour or so drive from our home - places we might not have visited if we'd had more time. We've found some beautiful places and had tons of fun together.

And the "together" is what it's all about anyway!!!

Carrie G said...

We are taking advantage of friend's offers to come visit to driveable destinations. We've been to the mountains and the desert and the coast this summer, all courtesy of friends. Thanks, friends!

Betsy Brock said...

I grew up in a home where the broiler was down by the floor like that!...kinda strange cooking beside your feet! ha-ha!

Kristin said...

What a perfect day.
Kristin

Amy said...

Looks like a great time away. We have stayed a little closer to home with our family. We spent a lot of time camping this summer. We did try some new State Parks so we could explore with our girls and create new memories.

GiBee said...

We've taken "local" trips this year. We went to the Maryland Science Center (very fun for kids), Baltimore Inner Harbor, local state parks with lakes, fishing, duck feeding... we usually take a full day.

Kirstin said...

Love the pics!!!

I made your apple pie in a jar...yummy!!!

No Longer 25 said...

Hmm waht is your pudding it looks so yummy?!