The state of Idaho has a brilliant marketing campaign right now and every time I see it, it makes me pause. The campaign is “18 summers”. You only have 18 summers to make the memories your kids will remember for a lifetime. Use that vacation time, and make every summer count.
It pulls at the emotions and heart strings of every parent because when you start counting time as summers, you realize time is short. I have 18 summers with a kid under my roof. 18 summers to go on adventures together. To make them fall in love with the national parks. To see family and friends. To grow as a family. 18 – that’s not very many. Especially when I started considering Hallie is two-thirds of the way through her summers with us. How did that happen?!
We’ve spent many of our summers in Idaho and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We always manage to fit some other adventures in there as well. But I’m fully aware that we are in a stage with our kids where we are in complete control of their summers. That will soon change. In no time they will be off to girls/scout camp, church youth activities, sports camps, jobs and I’m sure a myriad of other things I can’t even imagine at this point. It makes those summer vacations even more valuable. We’re going to really have to carve out that summer time together, it’s never too soon to start planning!
Here’s pictures to catalog Hallie’s summers so far. Twelve down…6 to go.
