The very first time

Well, we had our very first.....our first friend to sleep over and our first trip taking friends with us. I was SO excited. Really....I know that some people might not be excited about such but I was. Growing up in my house, I can remember having friends spend the night often. I remember friends wanting to spend the night at our house. It was fun there. My mom would often cook brownies or cookies at night as a special treat and then cook breakfast the next morning. And I can remember many trips with friends. Now usually this was a church activity and there was quite a group but my parents being the pastors were always chaperones as well. So, I think that kind of counts as a family trip.
One great memory is my Senior Trip. I know that typical senior trips don't include the parents going. However, I attended a Christian school and in order for us to have fundraisers during the school year for our trip we had to follow certain guidelines. That included having a chaperone. My parents weren't the first choice. Actually during our entire junior and senior years as we raised money, planned our trip, etc. we had a couple of teachers who were going to go with us. But on the day before graduation and one week before we were to leave on our trip, both teachers backed out. Can you say traumatic???? What were we going to do? Well....the senior class looked at me and said "Will your parents go?"
I asked and they said yes. So that's how my parents and brother ended up going on my senior trip to Virginia Beach to a house known as Sand Pearl. Wow.....I was so proud that they were my parents at that moment. They came through and didn't just drive and "chaperone" but they sacrificed and helped us to have an awesome senior trip. All the seniors and mom piled into a 15 passenger van for the long trip to VA beach. My dad drove our personal mini-van loaded down with all of the luggage. We made it there to the house and spread out into rooms. Mom and dad got a room on the bottom floor with their own balcony - they would need a break from all of us at some point! We went to the grocery store with mom who helped not only figure out the budget for food but shopped getting good deals so we would have snacks, breakfast, and a dinner or two at the house. We played on the beach, enjoyed the sun, mom got together a trip to Busch Gardens (great budget work again). We had some dinners out but then cooked at the house as well. Mom again being head chef. And we do what teenagers do best...we "hung out". And everyone was comfortable because they'd all been around my parents from the times hanging out at my house or spending the night.
And that is just one of the awesome memories that I have. I hope that I can recreate that same thing for my boys.