Let's Keep in Touch

How many times have we said "Let's keep in touch!" to our family members, especially distant family members, after a great weekend or a holiday together and never made it happen? Too many. "Remind me to call your Aunt," "Remind me to call my cousin," "Remind me to send her a birthday card." These are standard conversations we're all used to hearing. But we get busy, we get lazy, we get caught up and forget to do the things we promised we'd do. As the holidays approach and you'll likely see those family members you promised you'd keep in touch with last year, I thought I'd share a few strategies I use with my family to stay connected.

• Family email chain. This is super easy and definitely works best with immediate family. As my brother says, "the spirit of this chain is to make the communication easy; we do not need a daily update on everything but it will be nice to hear from people." We started this email chain when Dan left for Afghanistan, but it's been a great tool for everyone to update each other on different happenings.
• Adding everyone on social media. As silly as it sounds, why not follow or friend your aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings on social media? You might not want your whole family to see you chugging from a bottle of champagne, but let's be real people, that probably shouldn't be on Facebook anyway. Plus, social media is a great way for everyone to keep in touch. Since I have almost 50 cousins on my mom's side, I often forget where they go to college or when their birthdays are, but an extra reminder from the social media we are already checking daily goes a long way. 
• Make time. It's easy to get caught up in our own lives, and I'm guilty of that for sure. But making time for each other is the best way to keep a family close. My family started monthly family dinners, where we all get together and just catch up. They've ranged from fancy dinners in the North End to pizza parties at my parents house. We always invite friends and significant others and put aside our crazy lives, even if just a few hours. Maybe monthly isn't feasible for your family, so make it every other month or twice a year or even use a Google Hangout to virtually eat at the same time. All that matter is that you make time for each other.

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

Family Vacation-All I Ever Wanted

Family vacations were always cause for excitement. 5 kids, 2 parents and a dog piling into a minivan or, if we were super lucky, getting on a plane. It didn't necessarily matter what the destination was or who we were going to see, but the fact that we were changing scenery and adding a little excitement to our otherwise boring suburban lives was thrilling enough.

Disney, ski trips to Maine and Vermont, Arizona, Washington D.C., the Bahamas, Italy, Ireland twice and countless trips to our house in Claryville. These are the places we've traveled and explored together. Although I may not have realized it when I was younger, I think these family vacations have helped to make us as close as we are by creating priceless memories and shared experiences.

 Disney, 1996. Check out those grins.

Arizona, 1998, visiting the grandparents.

The "younger years" family vacations were a blast for us; they meant all-you-can-drink soda (which always made Pat throw up), no bedtime, relatives galore and best of all, missing school. We'd play the license plate game, jump on hotel beds (or cots) and devour the crappy continental breakfast as if it were decadent cuisine. While these vacations meant tons of carefree fun, I've definitely appreciated the vacations we've had in more recent years for different reasons. 

These trips were when I was 16 and we traveled to Ireland, when I was 18 and we traveled to Italy, and most recently, when everyone came to Dublin to visit me while I was studying abroad.

Ballyhaunis, Ireland 2008, in front of the house my grandfather lived in

Rome, Italy 2011 (only missing Dan, he was in flight school)

Wexford, Ireland 2013

These three family vacations all have something in common: rain. Just kidding, they were all so fun and so meaningful and so memorable, but it does happen to be raining in all three of the photos above. We make the best out of rainy days though, you just can't slow down the Quinns. I think I appreciate these trips a little more because we're all older and busier so any time that we do get to spend all together is that much more meaningful.

During our first trip to Ireland, we were able to see where my grandfather was born and lived before coming to America. The best part of this trip was that he was there to explain everything to us-from the shed he was born in to the house he eventually moved into. There were still dishes and teapots in the house, as if one day they just picked up and left. Experiencing where my family comes from with my entire family is something I'll never forget.

Now, family vacations are more about the stories we'll share with our kids someday, the time spent together and the memories created than unlimited sodas and missing school. They're about getting together, experiencing new cultures and taking time away from our busy lives to connect with each other. Some people may dread their family vacations, but for us they're an excuse to leave reality behind and have a blast together. And I guess it doesn't hurt that my family happens to be a really fun set of goofballs.

Do you have any family vacation stories? Comment or share!


As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."-AB