An interesting thing happened on vacation: I had fun. Ok, that’s not unheard of, I’ll grant you. But I was surprised by how much fun we had in the place where I grew up … the place I couldn’t wait to “escape” when I was younger. Who knew?! I realize now that it’s what you make it … there are adventures out there, but you have to look for them.
Part of my enlightenment came from a book I read recently: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller. Miller writes about editing his life story for a movie, and realizing that his story was rather dull. Bit by bit, he got off his couch and attempted new things, making his story one worth telling. It’s a wonderful, compelling book, and it made me want to create a more interesting story out of my own life. The other catalyst was the death of my sister recently. I realize how short life is, and I want to live it to the full.
And so, this indoor girl who is much more comfortable in the concrete jungle, got outside and created some stories, trying some things I’d never tried before. Some of the stories were much more geared to making memories than making us comfortable (read: Wigwams), and some were way more fun than I’d expected (that’d be the horseback riding).
First stop: horseback riding. Emma had never been riding before, and I don’t remember that I ever have. Maybe once? In Gatlinburg? Not real sure. So we went on an hour-long trail ride at Mammoth Cave Adventures. This was not a tame ride! Jared says it’s the best trail ride he’s been on. We rode along ridges, through the woods and meadows, up steep hills and down rocky paths. It was the real deal, and it was a blast!! It helped that my horse was very well-behaved and responsive. 
Emma was so scared to begin with that we were on the verge of leaving her behind with Mom and Dad. But she got the hang of it and loved it so much that she asked every day for the rest of the vacation if we could go back and do it again. Ben took right to it, whooping and hollering along the way, declaring, “My middle name is Speed … except when I’m not on a horse. Then it’s just Caleb.”
After we rode, the boys headed out to Mammoth Cave National Park to camp for the night. Nope. I’m not that dedicated to making a story. I don’t do camping much. 
Next stop: a tea party with my Aunt Thelma. She recently turned 80 years old, and is my last surviving aunt on my dad’s side. She lives alone in a fabulously decorated little house (I just love her taste!), and I thought she might enjoy a visit from us girls. We picked up some cookies and Diet Coke (couldn’t find any unsweet tea, and she’s diabetic … and besides, y’all know how I am about my Diet Coke!) and Mom, Emma and I headed over in the afternoon while the boys headed out to their campsite.
The next day, we went ziplining, again at Mammoth Cave Adventures. This was way out of my comfort zone! I felt better about it when Jared commented about what a great setup these folks have. He’s jumped out of airplanes and rappelled out of helicopters, so he knows a thing or two about safety and riggings. The folks who work there are also calming and reassuring – they made it a great experience. Jared went on one course with five ziplines and two skybridges, and the kids and I went on another course with three ziplines and one skybridge. (The kids were too small for the five-line course, and I didn’t think they’d zip by themselves. Besides, I was skeered.)
Jared
Ben
Emma
The last, slow line. My first one was a doozy! Wish we had video of that!
The next day we went canoeing down the Green River. I hadn’t canoed before. If I had, I would have known that a 7.5-mile ride with an ADHD kid in a canoe isn’t the best idea. Bless his heart, Ben made it, but he sure was getting antsy! The company we rented from, Mammoth Cave Canoe and Kayak, runs a great operation. They drove us to Dennison Ferry and dropped us off. We made it to the Green River Ferry in about three hours. It was such a pretty, peaceful ride.
We couldn’t get a lake cabin for the Friday and Saturday nights that we were in town, so we stayed at the Wigwam Village in Cave City, one of the three remaining wigwam villages left in the country. I’d always dismissed those when I was a kid, but it occurred to me that my kids might think it was a hoot. And they did. The four of us stayed in one wigwam, which had two double beds and a full bathroom. The kids really enjoyed the playground and made several new friends (yes, there were other families staying there, too). [Side story: One of the nights, Ben was asking each the kids on the playground if they were Christians. One kid asked, "What's a Christian?" and Ben explained it. I sometimes complain that he has no filter and doesn't care what people think, but in this case, what an asset that was! It's important to him, and he believes it should be important to everyone. What if we all were compelled to share the Good News for that reason, and not out of some obligation?] I’d like to give the Wigwams a good review, because it really was full of simplicity and nostalgia. But it was also full of mold, as we found out the hard way. The first night we were there, Emma was up almost all night sneezing and blowing her nose. She was miserable. Jared went looking in the unventilated bathroom the next morning and found the source – mold. :-/ Once we moved out on Sunday, she was fine.
On Sunday, we went to a Green cousins family reunion. That was a lot of fun, meeting and hanging out with 80 or so cousins!
Ben just adores this man, my cousin Suesan’s husband, Robert.
Greeters/name-taggers. Emma went after this job with gusto. I was surprised!
My beautiful great-niece, Gracie.
Gracie’s parents, my nephew Chance and his wife, Tabby. Shout out to y’all in Italy! That’s right. Italy. sigh
And this guy – I just thought he needed to be photographed. Look at that face. It’s seen a lot in life, I’ll wager.
Wow. This is a really long post. Is anybody still out there?? Hello? Is this thing on? Ok, moving on.
After the reunion, we went out on the boat with Mom and Dad. Perfect ending to a fun day.
Our last day there, we ran around a bit, stopping by the cemetery and an Amish market before going to a cookout at Mom and Dad’s.
Yep, it was a busy week … and these are just the highlights. We also made time for some walks/runs, dinners out, a visit to the E.R. (sigh), and a girls night out with an old-as-in-longtime friend. And yard sales. Always time for yard sales.
So I’m looking for more ways to make my story worth telling. I want to make it memorable. I want to “live out loud.” What about you? We’ve each been given this gift of life … are you using it? Are you investing with it? Or are you missing it? Look beyond your comfort zone and see what’s out there. Make a memory. Try something different. Write a new chapter. Live!!
