Growing up, I wish my parents had taken us on real family vacations. I'm talking at least a week-long, out-of-town vacation. It could have been a tour of Spain or a road trip to Niagara Falls. I'd even settle for a weekend in Chicago. The most we ever got was a day together in the Dells.
In high school, I started to accept the fact that a real family vacation was never going to happen. My family was just different. We prioritized work over play. My parents barely closed the restaurant on Christmas. There was no way they'd close the restaurant for a week to simply relax. Why relax when you can work?
Finally, it happened. We took our first family vacay ever in May. And, I now understand why we never went on family vacations before.
Coordinating logistics. With cousins, aunts, parents, and siblings, we had a lot of people on our trip, which made figuring out transportation and lodging loads of fun.
Adults are essentially children in larger form. The older I get, the more I realize the term 'adult' is fictional. Like children, adults get cranky when they're tired, hungry, and kept in cars for too long.
Family drama. With 9 people on the trip, there were bound to be some family members who didn't get along with others. Thankfully, we had two cars to separate people in.
But, I shouldn't complain. We made wonderful memories, enough to keep my parents from wanting to take another vacation for a while. After 12 days away, my dad couldn't wait to get back to work. Classic Baba.
First few days
During the first few days of vacation, we hung out in Portland, Oregon. We arrived on a Wednesday. My aunts would arrive the next day on Thursday. My sister's graduation from optometry school would take place on Friday and Saturday. We'd spend Sunday in Portland before going to Mount Rainier on Monday, Seattle on Tuesday, Vancouver on Wednesday and Thursday, drive back to Portland on Friday, and hang out one last day in Portland on Saturday before flying back to Chicago on Sunday. I planned the heck out of this trip.
We went shopping at the Woodburn Outlets, where my parents had Red Robin for the first time. I took my aunts and cousins to Pok Pok, which was delightful.
We waited in line for ice cream at Salt & Straw.
We took photos at Pittock Mansion.
We walked around my sister's neighborhood in Portland, where my aunt and my dad discovered a tree with blossoms they used to eat as kids growing up in South Korea. "We were so poor we'd stuff ourselves with these flowers," he said as my aunt laughed. I could see the memory and joy in their eyes.
Graduation
My sister's graduation was a happy time for my parents. All their hard work paid off with a doctor in the family. Livin’ the American dream.
Cannon Beach
We drove two hours for an hour at the beach. It was totally worth it to see my dad feel the sand between his toes. "I've been in the US 40 years and this is the first time I've seen the ocean [stateside]." I think there’s something about sound of the waves crashing on the shore that gives people a sense of serenity. It was the first time on the trip I saw my dad enjoy himself for a moment.
Mount Rainier
Here's what they don't tell you when you visit Mt. Rainier - driving up a mountain can take hours. Two hours in our case, and that's after driving three hours from Portland. But, we made it to the top. It was covered in snow, my mom was freezing - luckily she brought pajama bottoms (??) with her - and the views were amazing.
Seattle
The best part about Seattle was our sweet Airbnb. Walking around Pike Place Market was cool but we were all happy to rest after a long day.
Vancouver
In Vancouver, we stumbled across a free shuttle that would take us to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. A free shuttle? We were ecstatic. Then, we got to the park and realized admission tickets were $46.95 a person. Fortunately, we got a discount for being considered a group.
Because tickets were so expensive, my dad wanted to see everything the park had to offer. This was awesome. My dad went from acting like we kidnapped him from work to actively exploring bridges and trails. We ran around the park like kids at a resort, except better since we were surrounded by trees.
Portland Saturday Market
The market was our last outing before heading home to Chicago the next day. It's hilarious to me that my dad was the only person who got something. My aunt spent $2 on a little metal stand for his phone. The most frugal person in our group left with a purchase.
Little things that seem minute to some people were a huge deal for me on this trip. Seeing my parents hold hands for the first time. Having a conversation with my dad without being interrupted by the restaurant. My dad relaxing and watching a movie. Being on an airplane, or at the ocean, or on a mountain with my family. It was all very surreal because these experiences have literally never happened to me before.
Moments of the trip that weren’t caught on camera:
My dad brushing my mom's hair back with his hand while we were sitting at a picnic table at Pittock Mansion.
My dad and his younger sister telling stories about their childhood in Korea: eating tree blossoms that taste like honey, melting snow as soup bases, my dad pretending he was a king while playing make-believe with his siblings.
My aunts making every Airbnb feel like a home, whipping up meals in a matter of minutes, ensuring everyone had a blanket, scrubbing the place spotless before we left for the next city.
My dad and his sisters watching 20 hours of Korean dramas together. Thank you, Netflix and Roku.
My dad eating Red Robin and Taco Bell for the first time.
Piling into cars and going to 6 Asian supermarkets in 10 days.
As a family, we never spent time doing nothing together. My favorite parts of vacation weren’t necessarily the sites we visited, but being a little closer together and enjoying time simply as a family.