Think back to your childhood. What was your favorite family vacation?

Mine was at Pine Island at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, where my family would stay in a rickety old cottage for a week or two. It was back-to-the-basics kind of living, small and simple, but I have such fond memories of those vacations. I can still get a whiff of a certain tree and I am transported back to the lake as a ten-year-old with perpetually skinned knees. 

My very favorite memory was a rainy night when my entire family was in the living room at the cottage, reading or playing a game of checkers or stroking the dog. I’ll never forget the buttery glow of the lights and the sound of the rain on the roof. It was that rare for my entire family to be together, relaxed. No place to go, no phone ringing, no pressures.

The blog tour for Amish Values is in full swing, and I read this post about another family’s recent vacation:

My favorite Amish proverb in the book was “A happy memory never wears out.” I was particularly impacted by this chapter about family vacations in the book because it was so personally meaningful to our family. Since we are now a one income family, we didn’t have the money to spend on a fancy vacation so instead we spent two weeks in an amazing cabin in the mountains of Virginia. My husband and I drank our coffee together on the front porch overlooking the Shenandoah River every morning while the kids were still asleep, we hiked as a family through the mountains, swam in the river, fished (but didn’t catch anything big enough to eat) and roasted marshmallows together at night. Though we didn’t eat out at fancy restaurants, go to all of the pricey tourist spots or buy a lot of expensive souvenirs it was our most amazing vacation ever. My three little ones still talk about our fun adventures and commented on how wonderful it was that I wasn’t connected to the internet or my cell phone (am I really that bad?). It made me realize that it is the time we spend together as a family enjoying the beauty of nature created by God that creates memories that will last us forever.

Thanks, Simply Stacie, for letting me share your memory!

What about you? What was your favorite family vacation? I have a hunch it wasn’t an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip. I’d love to hear your memory!