The Vacation
Driving down the highway listening to my brothers taunt each other was not the way I saw my vacation going. When my oldest brother Jeb had asked me to go on vacation with the family and I was thrilled to be taking a break. I worked 9-5, 6 days a week as the Front Desk Manager at The Serenity Resort in rural Utah. So, when my brother asked, I jumped at the opportunity to get away and now I was unsure. Driving the car was my older brother Jeb all star athlete in high school and CrossFit trainer. He and his wife Lexi had 3 beautiful girls and lived in a beautiful home - the perfect couple. Lexi was a stay-at-home mom who was dedicated to PTA meetings and her Instagram influencer page. I was crammed in between the door and Jayden. Jay was my 3rd brother and closest to me in age with only one year separating us we could have been twins. Jayden was married to Faith. Faith was my best friend through high school, and we were still best friends but now she was married to my brother and together they had 2 amazing kids. Jayden worked for the city and Faith was a hairdresser once again being a power couple. In the car behind us was my other brother James. James wasn’t married to Amy yet, but they had 2 beautiful twin girls. James and Amy were the potheads of the family. They carried a hippie vibe with them that everyone seemed to love. James was the family clown and in 4 words could have you laughing so hard you cried. Amy was a restaurant manager at The Serenity Resort, and we had become close through work. Finally, mom and dad the most amazing couple I have ever known in my life. Mom was a hairstylist and dad worked for the school district during the winter and farmed during the summer. They were high school sweethearts and had endured so many rough patches from kids, to jobs, and moms breast cancer. This trip was a celebration for mom going into remission. As we crossed the Southern Utah border, I continued to stare out the window listening to my brothers go back and forth about who had been the best athlete while their wives giggled at the nonsense. I wanted that, the house, the kids, the best friend, and spouse all rolled in to one, but I had never truly felt a love like that. So here I was 22 with nothing but an amazing career that I loved.
