“Are you going anywhere this summer?”
For the last 15 years, ever since my sister-in-law bought a house in the Adirondacks, I have replied with the same answer: “Cousins Week at The Lake.”
My in-laws coordinate their annual vacation to make this happen. Over the years, we’ve managed to stuff the pickup truck with a wild combination of gear: fishing rods, tackle boxes, life jackets, stand-up paddle boards, water guns, coolers of food, bags of snacks, a wide variety of drinks, clothes, linens, pillows, airbeds, pack ‘n plays, baby bottles, strollers, bug and sun protection, and all of our electronics and chargers (even though the Wi-Fi is spotty and signals are hard to come by).
Honestly, everything we could possibly need is a mere 20-minute drive away, but we pack as if we are leaving civilization far behind. Mentally, I guess we are. It is a week-long break where our biggest decisions are, “What are we eating?” and “Do you need another drink?”
Embracing the Chaos
My husband is one of four siblings. Our crew, more often than not, gets larger in any given year, bringing all the wonderful commotion you would expect from a crowd that big. We endure the endless packing and unpacking, the constant meals (someone is always hungry), and the struggle of sharing not enough bathrooms.
Together, we have gone through all the different life stages: from babies to teens to adulting. And that is just the children. The grown-ups have also grown up. We were newlyweds, then new parents, and now, almost empty-nesters. Together, we have experienced love and loss.
We now have three houses full of family and close friends spread out across the lake.
As the kids have grown, so have our activities. We have expanded from rainy-day arts and crafts, s’mores, and fishing from the dock to jet skiing, water skiing, and tubing, with teen drivers coming and going.
My nieces and one nephew, who lived there all summer, had their first jobs at the local convenience store, a true rite of passage. They would scoop our ice cream, pump our boat gas, and invent sandwiches for the deli. Now, they have moved on to careers, internships, and jobs at Saratoga for the race season.
Another nephew will be going away to college next year, and my son and two other nephews will be in high school. Although I do not identify as outdoorsy, I appreciate the close-knit family time, and the realization that this season of life is evolving makes me incredibly nostalgic, despite all the craziness and endless mosquito bites.
The Core Memories We Keep
I am comforted that we, and especially the kids, will take these core memories of lazy days, sun-dappled waters, fresh air, cool nights, fire pits, misty sunrises, sunset cruises, birthday cakes, late nights, and inside jokes with us wherever we go. And that these cousins will always have deep bonds woven over the years and strengthened during Cousins Week at The Lake.
My son would fume every year if we were the last to arrive, and sob uncontrollably when we left. He wrote the same “Cousins Week at The Lake” essay each year at school whenever prompted to answer, “What did you do this summer?”
Now that our young adults are branching out, this time together has become all the more precious. It’s a joy to witness my niece (5) and my daughter (7) experiencing these same traditions with their fresh excitement. I was relieved to hear that everyone, even the big kids, will be back at The Lake again this summer. We all get to experience the magic of Cousins Week for a little longer.
