Finally. A full week into this wild ride we’ve been on and it’s beginning to feel like the vacation I hoped it would be.

With no wheelchair to fix and no medical supplies to chase down, the morning began by the pool. Some of us stayed longer than we should have, and others had the dumb luck to be blessed with the olive skin tones of our ancestors. After a quick stop at a vegan smoothie shop, we showed up at my aunt Kathleen and uncle Jamie’s house for a barbecue with my mom’s side of the family in varied shades of brown, pink and red.

We were joined by a smattering of aunts, uncle, first and second cousins. Despite not seeing some of them in almost 20 years, we fell into lively conversation as if it had only a matter of weeks instead of decades, filling in the gaps in time with relative ease.

My uncle Johnny is a major history buff and has researched our lineage extensively, so I got to hear some incredible stories about my other grandfather. Everything from how his mom died in childbirth and he was adopted by his grandparents and raised with his aunts and uncles, to his days designing many of the old casino signs for Sinatra’s Vegas. Like the sunshine earlier, I did my best to soak up every minute of it.

Later in the evening, Claire and I got some cooking lessons as we watched Jamie make homemade granola bars, while the Lobster Bobbseys took Kathleen to an urgent care down the street for a case of laryngitis — fortunately it’s nothing that can’t be cured a little bit of medication and long rest.

We left late with stuffed bellies and even fuller hearts. On the way back to the hotel, all three of the girls could not stop talking about how incredible my family is and I couldn’t argue one bit. I know how lucky I am to have them.