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It was a vacation that seemed doomed to disaster before it even began.
Benjamin and I both enjoy tent camping and we both like to go to the beach. Ken doesn’t like either one. A few years ago, he agreed, however, to go camping at Cape May. We had a good time, but he keeps reminding us that we don’t like sand.
Talking last fall about the possibilities of doing it again, Ken again pointed out that he doesn’t like sand and he doesn’t like sleeping in a tent. His recently widowed mother, Benjamin’s Oma, said that she would be happy to go with Benjamin and me. So we began thinking it may be a possibility, just without Daddy.
Then, in January, Ken’s mom broke her shoulder. Well, that’s the end of that camping trip, I thought. When her recovery was going well, I began to think it might be possible after all, but soon she began planning a trip to her homeland of Germany. The camping trip was off again.
The last weekend of April, we took our Pioneer Club Trailblazers (the fifth through seventh graders I teach on Wednesday nights at our church) camping at French Creek State Park. My co-teacher’s wife, who is one of my best friends, went along simply to give us one more adult. Their 6-year-old son, who happens to be Benjamin’s best friend, went along too.
Mae and I got talking that weekend about how much we enjoy camping, and I suggested that she and I take our two boys camping at Cape May this summer. It seemed like a feasible plan, and both boys were looking forward to it.
But soon, another disaster struck. In mid-May, Mae became ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can have a recovery period of up to three years! It looked like the end of the road for a summer camping trip.
God is gracious, however, and Mae’s recovery progressed very quickly. We began making solid plans for the trip, and I booked a campsite. She saw that as an incentive to rebuild her strength and get back to full health.
Finally, the whirlwind week before vacation began. In the midst of trying to get ready for a three-night camping trip, I also had to coordinate our annual Fun at Faith carnival on Wednesday, Aug. 8. On top of that, we had a family reunion on Saturday, Aug. 11. We were supposed to leave at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 13.
Over the weekend, my ear began bothering me. By Sunday night, the pressure and pain were so bad I could hardly sleep, and I realized I would have to see the doctor before we could even think about leaving for vacation. I continued packing and loading the car, while at the same time trying to get an appointment with the doctor. Finally, they called to tell me there had been a cancellation, and they could see me at 11:50.
We were rushing to load as many things into the car before leaving for the doctor as possible. I was carrying something out the door when disaster struck yet again. As I was taking a step – my foot was in midair – I heard my knee go “snap,” and I had instant pain from above my knee to halfway down my shin.
At this point, I wasn’t about to let anything cancel our vacation. I hobbled back and forth, and through the doctor’s office and a visit to the pharmacy to get medication for my swimmer’s ear, and finally we hit the road. I had picked up an elastic brace and some Bengay while at the pharmacy and was determined to make it through the week.
We actually ended up having a very enjoyable time, although between my ear and my knee I couldn’t really get into the water, either at the beach or the campground pool. We even managed to climb the 200 steps of the Cape May Point lighthouse, though by the time we were finished, we both realized that with our medical issues, it was a bit much.
And in spite of the inevitable spats when you have two 6-year-olds spending time exclusively with each other for four days, we liked it so much that by the end of the week, we started talking about making this an annual tradition.
Oh, and my knee? As I promised Mae, I went to the doctor after we returned. It turns out that I tore cartilage in two places, as well as a ligament. The end result was arthroscopic surgery this past Tuesday, but I’m recovering quickly. Now I just have to convince Benjamin that it wasn’t the vacation’s fault.
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