When Home is at the Heart of Your Greatest Memories
Do you remember when home was mostly a place to eat, sleep and do laundry? Ha… You remember it like it was just last year, right?
I am definitely learning a new appreciation for “home” and where we live.
I don’t mean the assembly of brick, mortar, two-by-fours, and sheetrock that make up our shelter or the land on which it sits. I’m referring to its general location and the many characteristics that make it unique.
My family and I live on a beautiful ranch in Utah. We have enough chickens, furry friends and a variety of other four-legged creatures that it may feel more like a mini zoo to some.
Remember, I have 6 kids (+1 this summer)… so yeah, “zoo” may not be too far from the truth most days. But it’s home… our home. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Like most, I have considered the “perfect vacation” to include traveling thousands of miles on a plane so my kids could experience life and create special memories.
Well, sister, that would be about as wrong as buying cheap wine.
I have had a few ah-ha’s throughout the past six months of stupid.
One of the greatest eye-openers has been my realization that there is so much to enjoy and experience right outside our front door.
I will go out on a limb and suggest that the same is true for you.
Several weeks ago, Mike and I rented a room just minutes from our house. We needed a hot moment and some time to exhale.
We enjoyed a nice dinner together, sat by the pool, had a couples’ massage… It. Was. Incredible.
We didn’t have to go far… we didn’t have to break the bank… heck, we didn’t even have to really plan.
We just got a wild notion and did the thing.
I love this simple perspective I now have about the incredible experiences we can make available for and with our family. I can hardly wait for the close-to-home monthly adventures we have planned for the months ahead.
I want to encourage you to look outside your front door for the simple, yet incredible experiences that are waiting for you and your family.
Home… wherever that is for you… could be the heart of some of the greatest memories your family will enjoy.
So, how about a “Heart of Home Bucket List” to get you started?
Visit a local attraction that you keep telling yourself, “Oh, I’ll do it later” (Google if you have to, sister.).
Try a new restaurant or coffee shop.
Locate all the parks within a 100-mile radius. Pick your top four and visit one every Saturday for a month.
Find the closest berry farm, apple orchard or pumpkin patch and make a visit. Purchase whatever fruit is available and do something with it… make jam or apple pie filling, carve pumpkins, etc.
Find a different place each week to enjoy the sunset.
Take your family to a local Hotel overnight and enjoy their amenities.
Take a day trip to a nearby museum.
Locate a list of Fall Festivals and put your top picks on the calendar.
Treat your family to a drive-in theater one evening. If there isn’t one within a reasonable driving distance, create your own in the backyard… outdoor projectors are inexpensive or you could probably even borrow one.
Find the historical buildings, monuments, etc. within a 200-mile radius and plan a road trip
Now, doesn’t that sound like so much fun? This is just the beginning of the things and places you can explore close to home.
Do you have ideas you would like to add to this bucket list (I so hope that you do)? If so, please, please, please share with us on my Facebook page in the “Heart of Home” thread. Add your ideas and take advantage of others’ suggestions.
I can’t wait to see the many shared ideas.
