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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

You will be happy to know that I have reservations secured for my upcoming trip. There were a few options that I was tossing back and forth, but nothing felt quite right. I was about to pay for my hotel, when my gut told me to wait and sleep on it. So I did. The next day I went online and essentially started my search from scratch. I wanted to see if I was missing something. I wanted to feel good about the decision that I was about to make.

Now I understand that no matter how much planning and preparation you put into something, there may always be a lingering question or two that remains. To have a bit of nervousness or anxiety about making a large purchase is inevitable. When I purchased my current vehicle, I knew without a doubt that it was the right thing for our family, and yet I still had a moment of hesitation. The way that I felt about my hotel situation was different. I knew I wasn’t ready to make that large of a financial commitment with the questions I still had.

One of the first options that popped into my new search was a small apartment, a little further away from where I had wanted to stay. I had seen this apartment on my previous searches, but for some reason I dismissed this option. This time I clicked it and started reading all the details and amenities offered. I had a feeling of hope spread over me. A moment where I genuinely thought, this might be the place for us.

I sent the owner of the property a few questions and within the hour she responded. She didn’t just answer me though, she sent links to helpful resources and made suggestions as well. I hadn’t given her a dime of my money, and she was already going above and beyond. We communicated a few more times that day and by suppertime, I had finalized my reservation. I was no longer concerned or hesitant. In fact I was kind of excited.

That moment, after I hit submit, was the first time that I felt actual happiness in regards to this upcoming vacation. I knew this was something I wanted to do. I knew that my children would love it. I knew that a good time would be had by all. However, between getting all the things organized at work and getting all the things organized for this trip, I had not allowed myself to get excited. It wasn’t real, yet.

The last 24 hours have been filled with washing clothes, locating travel-sized items and telling my children how much fun they will have. For as much of that stuff as I still have to do, you’d think I’d be stressed, but it’s to the contrary. I feel so calm. I know we have a place to stay and honestly, everything else is just a bonus.

I’m excited to load up my van with probably too many shoes and not enough socks. I’m excited to stop at random fast food places that my children have never heard of. I’m excited to deal with “are we there yet?” and “she keeps touching me!” comments coming from my back seat. Some of my strongest childhood memories came from family vacations and I’m excited to create some with my kids.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears in the Tribune every Saturday.