Core Scripture: “And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31)

Message: Ah, yes!  The last week of July.  Quite possibly the busiest week for that last second vacation before school starts up.  Needless to say, our family packed up the ol’ family truckster and navigated our way to Potosi, Missouri.

I snoozed a bit in the car and let my wife drive since I had just put in ten hours of work at Amazon.  Then we had the privilege of letting my almost 15-year-old son take the wheel for an hour. (Yikes!) He only hit the rumble strips about 25 times, but we arrived safely at our destination: Trout Lodge. 

It was just how we remembered it.  Fourteen years ago, we visited Trout Lodge for a family reunion on my wife’s side.  My oldest son was just a baby, and as for my youngest, he was still kicking my wife’s belly in the womb.  Obviously, neither kid remembered a thing about the trip, so we just had to recreate it!

It was just what our family needed to get away from the everyday stresses of life at home.  We unpacked in our air-conditioned cabin, complete with two bedrooms, two baths, and a family room connecting them in the middle.  No TV, but hey, who goes on vacation to watch TV?  And they had decent enough Wi-Fi.

The week was full of memorable moments that would be forever frozen in our minds.  From all-you-can-eat buffets to archery to horseback riding to air rifles to mini golf to swimming in the lake to horseshoes to ping pong to cornhole to lazy afternoons in our beds to nap, it was perfection.  A flawless blend of activity and rest.

If you find yourself taking that last second vacation, here are a few tips based on our experiences …

1. Explore God’s creation.  We took two quick day trips to Johnson Shut-ins and Elephant Rock State Park, both of which were unlike anything I had ever seen.  My teenage boys frolicked through the rocks like mountain goats.  My wife and I?  We are both pushing 50 and eased our way around.  It was majestic!  The videos below only tell a small part of our story. 

• Find your quiet time spot.  Exploring God’s Word and praying is something I look for the moment I unpack on vacation.  Where am I going to grow with God?  Sometimes you have to be creative if you are all sharing a hotel room as a family, but for me it was easy.  The family room was quiet, and the screened in porch was perfect as well.  I had some incredible prayer time that led me to multiple epiphanies. 
• Embrace frustration.  Let’s face it.  You are always going to have frustrating moments on vacation.  My moment was when I walked into the lake realizing my phone was still in my pocket.  We spent two hours at the T-Mobile store that night, but we made the most of it, joking around with the two employees on duty.  I taught Luke how to play the name game and left him in stitches—especially after we played it on my wife.  Want to play the game yourself?  Keep reading, and I will teach you!
• Make new friends.  My wife and kids are not into this, and they tease me when I do it.  I just can’t help myself!  People are interesting!  And I love connecting with employees and other vacationers.  You learn marvelous things, and the first thing I did when I got home was write Trout Lodge a personalized thank you letter with shout outs to all the names I remembered. 
• Take plenty of pictures.  We all had our phones.  Following each activity, we sent our pics and videos to a group chat.  My favorite picture was taken on the last day before supper.  My wife and I took my oldest son out to the deck to recreate the magic of an old picture we took 14 years ago.  My back probably popped as I held up all 130 pounds of him, but it was worth it!

Challenge: As you take that last second summer vacation, pick one or two of the ideas above to implement.  Do you have any tips of your own?  Feel free to share them in a reply below!

Song application: “Breathe” by Johnny Diaz

Alarm clock screaming, bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races, everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life

90 miles an hour, going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder, trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life

It’s ready, set, go, it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart, I feel you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls, but all you really need
Is to just breathe (breathe, breathe, breathe)

Just for fun: Alright, it is time to teach you the name game.  My brothers and I play this on my mom all the time, and she is completely oblivious to it.  Well, she now knows probably, because I know she subscribes to my blog and reads all this stuff.  May as well say, “Hi, Mom!”  I promise to try to call you tomorrow afternoon to tell you all about our trip.

Anyhew … the name game …

Each person picks a random word or phrase.  You write the words down on a sticky note so everyone knows the words.  Then you engage a person NOT playing the game, trying to get them to say the random words without them knowing you are playing the game. 

I will never forget playing it on a limo ride to the Plaza with my entire family.  We were celebrating my parents’ anniversary and the three boys had all chosen completely random words.  Trying to get my mom to say fallopian tubes was downright hilarious! 

We played the game at the T-Mobile store on my wife.  She had to leave to fill the car up with gas, and the three of us chose random words: Dominoes, resume, and box.  Being a name game veteran I got my wife to say all three words within three minutes, winning the game.

“Hey, honey, I was thinking … when we get home can your sister help me with my … uh … with my … uh … crud, what is that word for the thing I have been working on to find a new job?”

“Resume?”

BOOYAH!

Here are some fun suggestions for name game words to try out:

• Radiator
• Lampshade
• John Denver
• China
• Marmalade
• Stegosaurus
• Don’t let the bed bugs bite
• Rickety
• Seinfeld
• Astrophysics
• Trip McNeely

Prayer: Father, thank you for the beauty of family vacations!  May our vacations recharge our batteries and grow our families closer to each other but most of all, YOU!  Amen.