You know, something always goes wrong at some point in every family vacation. This time, it was waaaay out of our control since about twenty seven fires appear to be surrounding us causing horrendous air quality. But it was almost a relief to just get the something going wrong out of the way. We were able to see three out of the four plays we planned – one cancelled for air quality. We had to spend a lot more time indoors than planned so we stopped into the game store and have had a good time playing Code Names. Instead of our cancelled play, we finally got a chance to see Won’t You Be My Neighbor which gave me an opportunity to cry continuously for 90 minutes and my kids an opportunity to make fun of me (such a wonderful movie). And in spite of the smoke, we even managed to fit in a college visit today to SOU, touring buildings and squeezing into dorm rooms so terrible they made me nostalgic for Redwood Hall and HSU (sort of). Because we are a family of humans, we had high and low moments, and even now I’m writing this while laying in bed with Margaret, both of us needing a break from “together time.” And somehow I managed to only take two pictures the entire trip. I think that’s all ok.

I have a friend on her own family adventure who noted that they were “making the best of it” and I think that’s an apt description. Perfect is overrated. Sometimes you just make the best of it. We did.