Tradition is part of what makes life so rich. Tradition helps punctuate time, time that continually ebbs and flows as the calendar months fly by. Tradition grounds us and gives us a feeling of belonging, constancy, and community.
This week, during the most tumultuous time of my adult life, I could use a bit of tradition to make me feel "at home" in my skin. As luck would have it, this weekend brings a time-honored event that we make a priority to attend…come hell or high-water.
the scoreboard…which was painted on the wall last year, because the old Lake House was demo-ed to make way for the NEW Lake House.
The Annual Lake House Olympics are this weekend, and we have attended since we were in high school. This weekend is filled with ultra-competitive (no really…ULTRA COMPETITIVE) lawn games, lots of food, lots of fun, rest, community, and friends we have been close with for many, many, many years. For the past several years, we have been the only ones with kids…but this year will be the first year that there are 3 other babies at the Olympics. We've opted to leave ours at home with NaNa…and it will be a much needed retreat for me.
our National flags. each family has a name and a flag. it's rad.
It's funny to watch our husbands get a little older–and to realize that playing ultra-competitive lawn games is harder at 27 than 18. It is also so fun to watch our girl-time talks turn from looking at colleges, to going to college, to planning weddings, to decorating houses, to being pregnant, and now to having little ones. Life is always moving, but this weekend each year allows us time to get together and press pause.
the lighting of the Olympic Torch. maybe the most frightening part of the day. think old t-shirts wrapped and tied around a stick, soaked in gasoline, set on fire. yes…a torch, indeed.
Our Olympic Commissioner, Doc the Man of the House
So, this weekend, we head off to the Lake for our Annual tradition. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and really observe and notice what makes this weekend such a priority for more than 30 people each year. It is the highlight of the summer for our men, and the women don't mind it one bit at all. It will be especially nice this year when we aren't all sharing one bathroom. :)
What traditions do you do year after year? What do you think makes for a successful and long-lasting tradition?