Rough Creek Lodge

 
  
A few months ago I started thinking about the upcoming spring break vacation. With a family of four young adults, one must be very careful in planning. One must create a very delicate balance of fun and family time with exciting activities and plenty of time to nap(teenagers need their sleep). They also love to eat. So it is imperative that the destination have good, healthy food(per Mom). I must admit that food is one of my "must haves" as I am quite the Foodie. I need fresh, wonderfully prepared food that is as pretty to look at as it is to eat. I dont ask for alot of a vacation personally. But, I must have clean, comfy beds, preferably feather-topped, chef-prepared meals and a spa. What? Ok, I know...but, I am the wife of a Hotel Renovation Specialist and I am quite accustomed to the perks. Anyway.....

In the early years, we looked forward to simply having the week off and staying in town. It used to be enough to hang around the house, play outside with friends and shop for spring and summer clothes. Not anymore. My children are half grown and hanging around the house is NOT what they like to do. In fact, they are always gone if they can help it and heaven forbid they have to stay here on a friday night let alone spring break! That's just NOT cool! To say you are "doing nothing" for spring break is dull. Ironically, when I tell them we are "going out of town" they go into immediate shock and start having social withdrawals.  The complaining begins..."why are we going, we want to stay here with friends?", "how long will we be gone and where are we going?", "Uugghh, why are we doing this, cant we just stay here?". Quite frankly, as parents, we are well aware that they do not know what they want. They simply like to complain about anything that we are planning, anything that isn't their idea. Given time...they warm up to the idea of getting away and begin to get a little excited. They try not to show it, however, because going anywhere with your family is really lamo!

So, in looking ahead to Spring Break, like everything else in my life, this too has changed. It has become necessary to get them away from home if I actually wanted to spend time with them. Leaving town is a necessity to having them all to myself for a few days. And a few days is all I ask.

This year I chose Rough Creek Lodge. It resides on 11,000 acres near Glen Rose, Texas and is an amazing place. Beautiful, west Texas hills and mountain tops, a gorgeous lake full of catfish and very large bass! Inside the Lodge is equally as beautiful. Decorated in true Texas Ranch Style, the Lodge elegantly displays leather chairs and ottomans, heavy farmhouse tables and lots and lots of taxidermy! The beds are topped with feather mattresses(just the way I like them) and there are lots and lots of down pillows....ahhhh. Originally privately owned and designed to be a hunting lodge, Rough Creek is a hunter's paradise...My boys were in heaven! I think we came home with 60 or so birds! There is also an amazing Spa...I knew what I was doing when I planned this trip. Boys hunt, girls go to the Spa!

We had an incredibly fun, relaxing time. Paint balling and skeet shooting were family favorites! And we were able to get enough rest to push us through the next couple of months of school. What my kids dont realize now is how much they really love spring break with their family. They complain about going and being "out of town" and always want to know "how long" we will be gone. They are so grumpy before we leave! Getting them to pack and get in the car is almost not worth the stress. Ahhhh...but, once we are five miles outside of town and we start talking and laughing with each other, singing corny songs on the radio and sharing songs from our ipods...there is nothing worth more than this trip. It is such a blessing to watch your kids interact without fighting over mascara! To watch them hug each other and mean it...not because Dad made you! I love to hear them say things like "Hey Kelli, want to go hit some balls at the driving range?" or "Cara, want to go down to the Fishing dock? There's a really cute guy working, but, dont tell Mom."(Mom already knows).

So, I am happy with my choice of spring break vacation destinations this year...Rough Creek Lodge was a breath of fresh air for all of us. Best of all was the time we were given to appreciate each other again. Time spent remembering the reasons why family is so important to all of us whether we can admit it or not. www.roughcreek.com