I attended a Celebration of Life this past weekend of someone who will always be remembered as extremely kind, God-fearing, and genuine.
As I sat in the church, waiting for his Celebration of Life to start, I couldn’t help but realize that many of the pictures in his slide show were from family vacations. It really got me thinking about the memories that we create with our loved ones.
Speaking from my own experience, I know how important the memories we created with Gus while on vacation are. We have great memories of doing the “normal” daily things in life, too, but our vacation memories really stick out!
I wanted to write a blog post about the lessons I have learned from Gus regarding family vacations. I hope you can take some tips from Gus so that you can make special memories, too.
Lesson 1: Always Stop and Smell The Flowers
Gus was always our guide when it came to slowing down. He would stop to notice the little things—a beautiful flower, a funny-looking rock, or just the joy of running through an open space. Through him, we learned that the essence of a vacation isn’t found in the big attractions; it’s in those small, fleeting moments that often go unnoticed. So, don’t forget to always stop and smell the flowers on vacation, take a moment to take a deep breath, look around, and be thankful for where you are and for your family - small moments mean so so much.
Lesson 2: Follow Their Lead
We always let Gus lead while we were on vacation, even more so when we were at Disney. If he wanted to leave the parks and go back to the resort for a swim, that’s exactly what we did. It didn’t matter where we were—Disney parks or the hotel pool—Gus's joy came from feeling heard and having the freedom to guide our adventures. By letting him take the reins, we found ourselves having a far more relaxed and enjoyable experience. That being said, we did encourage Gus to try new things, knowing he would love them, but we never forced anything. I think following Gus’ lead truly helped to make him feel like a rockstar when we went on vacations. If you have multiple kids, maybe give each kid a day to be the leader - doing whatever they want to do!
Lesson 3: Pack Your Patience
Nothing ever goes exactly as planned when traveling with kids, and that’s okay. We always said that "the plan was that there was no plan." Being flexible and embracing the unexpected allowed us to focus on what mattered most: enjoying our time together. Thanks to Gus, we were able to “stop and smell the flowers” more.
Lesson 4: Instill Excitement Before Your Vacation
Before each trip, we would sit down and watch YouTube videos of rides and parks. It became a special tradition that built anticipation and excitement for Gus. It also helped us all know what to expect, making everything feel more familiar once we arrived. We talked about our vacation a lot and always built it up so that Gus was ready for the fun! Even if we weren’t vacationing to Disney, we would build anticipation by reading books about our destination, looking at pictures, and just simply talking about the fun we would have while there.
Lesson 4: Always Make Time For Ice Cream
As long as we had ice cream, soft serve vanilla ice cream to be exact, Gus was a happy camper :)
Some of my best memories are those I would have never “planned,” but instead, they just happened.
-During Gus’ Make-A-Wish trip, he wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy over and over again. It started raining just as we got in line to ride. We were walking up to the ride, and Gus decided that he wanted to instead go play in the rain (there wasn’t any thunder/lighting). So, that’s exactly what we did. We turned around and got out of line, and I let him dance in the rain. It’s truly a memory I’ll never forget. I can still hear his laugh and see his smile.
There are so many other memories that I have with Gus from our vacations that I could share - but what I want you to take away is this - Gus showed us that the magic of travel isn’t in extravagance; it’s in the time spent together, doing what we love, with the people we love. The most special places were the ones where we laughed, explored, and created memories that we now cherish forever.
Soak up every detail, no matter how small. I promise you, you won’t regret it, and I hope it helps you create everlasting family memories. I really hope Gus's lessons can bring a bit of magic to your own family travels and help you focus on what truly matters: the time spent together.
This blog post is in loving memory of Gus and Jerry.
Jerry,
I know how much Gus loved you. I bet he was a part of your welcome party when you got up to Heaven, ready to play some baseball with you and ask you why you called him ‘fuzzy’ :D.
I love you both,
-Kayla
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