Vacation. We look forward to it. We plan for it. We pack and get ready to go. That's what I've been doing for a few weeks now. And this morning, that's what we did. Anna was excited to go to the "vacation house" which is our time-share condo in Williamsburg, VA.
We started down the road and heard, whump, whump, whump. I said, what's that noise? Daryl had no idea. Thankfully, our mechanic is only a short distance from our house, so we drove there. We need something called a HUB. Chip's Auto Repair is the best there is. He's working on it now and we're hoping to be on the road in 2 hours. This is what we call a typical Halter vacation.
But Anna is totally confused. She refused to get out of the loaner vehicle and get back in the house. But we got her in and she's looking longingly out the window as I'm writing this.
Vacations are funny things when you have a special needs child. Anna looks forward to going, but in a couple of days, she'll want to come back home. We'll try to keep her occupied with videos and toys and we'll get her out as much as possible, but she'll still want to come home.
I want the change of scenery. I want to relax in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine and a good movie. I want to get some writing done. Instead, I'll fight with Anna. I'll pray she doesn't have bad seizures. One time, we were packing to come home and she had a seizure and cracked her head open on the corner of the doorway because she wasn't sitting down like we asked her to do. We never escape without something happening to either Anna or the van.
So, why do we do it? I have no idea. I suppose the change of scene and routine do us good, even for a little while. And I need to be thankful - more thankful - that we're able to get away. There are people right now who don't even have a house for living let alone vacationing. Thank the Lord for His protection and grace!
How are your vacations? Do you wish you could have one without your child? I do, but who would I ask to take the responsibility of Anna and her seizures? I wouldn't put anyone else in that situation, and really, Anna loves riding in the van, so there you have it. Share your vacation experiences with us!
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