Road Trip Reunion

We have all been told to separate personal from professional. As a nanny, this can be extremely difficult and in my case hasn’t always worked so well. Several years ago I found myself working for a family who completely swept me off my feet. Despite the warnings of the wise, this family with seven children stole my heart and I cherish and love them all. Unfortunately, my job ended when the parents were required to relocate to Canada for work. Now, several times a year we all get together for lots of laughs, love, and fun. Last week my husband and I headed to Vernon, British Columbia where we met up with my extended family as they were enjoying a leisurely summer vacation on Lake Okanagan.

The drive from Seattle into the Okanagan Valley was spectacular. Clear skies and beautiful scenery greeted us at every turn in the road. Along the way we passed dozen of fruit stands where cherries and apricots were displayed directly in front of the farms where they were grown. In the fall these fruits will be replaced by what the Okanagan is perhaps best known for, apples.

Vernon, a city of 35,000, sits in South Central British Columbia and was a good seven hour drive from Seattle. We arrived to great fanfare and much rejoicing as the kids excitedly gave us a tour and filled us in on everything we missed over the last six months. The house they rented was perfectly situated right on the lake and much of our visit was spent relaxing by the waterside, that is when we weren’t being bombarded by a handful of kids armed with squirt guns.

After everyone settled down from our arrival, we went out and explored Vernon together. We first visited Planet Bee, a bee farm, where we learned about honey production and the multitude of substances produced by bees. Honey as it turns out is not the only product of bees. Royal jelly, produced by the bees to hold the hive together, is supposedly quite beneficial for a laundry list of health ailments. Before leaving we tasted dozens of honey varieties, some which are made when bees pollinate different varieties of flowers, others the company produced by mixing in various herbs and flavors. Next to Planet Bee we visited Davison Orchards where we indulged in some of the most delicious apple cinnamon muffins and apple crumble pies. Davison Orchards hosts all kinds of activities and tours but we found their bakery to be the highlight of our visit.

Planet Bee

Davison Orchards

The next day we took some of the kids into town where we walked through the city center and toured the Vernon Museum. We also went searching for some of the dozens of murals painted throughout the city center.

Vernon is quite small and somewhat touristy, but overall a great place for a vacation devoted to rest and relaxation. The hot summer days are long and the lakes are always cool and refreshing. I found myself escaping realty as I lounged by the lake, but my attention quickly alerted as I saw a seven year old running toward me with a bucket of water…ahh...kids!

Goodbyes are difficult. Hugging the kids as I leave is always the worst as each of them cling to my legs with death hold grips. I hate to say goodbye, but I always know that I will return. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful, intelligent, and humorous extended family and in this case, I am very thankful I risked blurring the lines between personal and professional. In doing so, I have developed seven lifelong friendships with seven amazing kiddos.