Our Vacation

Our Vacation would probably be deemed "boring" to most. We do a whole lot of nothing.  We eat in many nights.  We play board games.  We take walks. Our daily life can get crazy. The last thing we want is a busy vacation.  My Grandma, although now in a nursing home with Alzheimer's, owns this condo. This was her winter home.  I have wonderful memories with her here. I was the only one (and Marty) who spent time with her here.  My family would always come in the summer (she would be back in WV by then).  Marty and I, being college students at the time, would come spend a week with her in March during spring break. My family has been vacationing her for 20 years this year!!  My first time here I was in high school.  My parents let my brother and I take a friend.  I chose, (surprise, surprise) Marty!

Last year, I convinced Marty to stay for two weeks which boiled down to sixteen days.  It is a far trip and I didn't want to be rushed.  He agreed and I think he was very happy he did.  He said it was our most relaxing vacation so far.  I even got this WV boy to consider retiring in Florida one day.  I want to live at the beach for part of my life.  Despite what people say, I would never tire of it.

 The pictures above are of the kids surf fishing. 

Every day I walk 4 miles and Marty runs 2-3.  We obviously do it at different times so one of us can watch the kids.  This particular evening Marty convinced the kids to run with him just a little bit.  It was so cute!

Earlier that day when we were swimming in the ocean, big fish would jump up right beside you.  One jumped over Reese's head.  Marty turns to me and says, " You know  . . . if you see a lot of fish . . . what else is probably close?"  Sure enough, we saw two (although small) sharks washed up on the shore that evening.

Vacations are a great time to work on sibling relationships.  The kids did fairly well.  I will commend them especially on the ride home.  Our usual 12-13 hour trip was 15 due to wrecks and road construction.  They did not complain or fight one time!

In two weeks we only had one rainy afternoon. We went to see Monsters University at the theater.  Going to the movies is one of my all time favorite things to do.  I'm glad the kids are liking it now too.

On the fourth of July they have fireworks over the river.  They are let off of this huge barge.  It is a  spectacular show.  There is a live band that plays songs like, "God Bless the USA, America the Beautiful, etc."   It is a great atmosphere.

We cuddle on a blanket with some kettle corn.  I remember thinking this particular evening, that I had not felt more blessed or content in a long while.

 

One thing the kids like to do at the beach is dig holes.  Reese our resident engineer (with some help from Dad) always has a great design in mind.

Where is Emma?

There she is!

And then the tide comes in!

The last weekend of our vacation, my brother and his family started their two weeks of vacation.  We got to hang with the boys.  We played Frisbee field goal on the beach, played some mini golf, and hung out.   Because summer is a busy season for Marty and I don't see him much during summer, he takes the opportunity to serve me during vacation.  He cooks, cleans, gives me some alone time without the kids, etc.  My brother at one point turns to me and asks, "Does he wait on you like this ALL the time?"  I am super grateful for Marty and they way he takes care of his family.  Although I can be bitter about his time away (especially this time of year), when he is with us he is super plugged in.

Emma and Reese are always busy!

Boogie Boarding!  Actually, Marty taught the kids how to dive into the waves this trip and also how to body surf.  They were getting really good at it.  In turn though, I think they took the boogie boards out much less this year. 

Our fourth of July pictures!  One of the residents at the condo always takes some pics of us. 

 

 

My small group and family know that I have three autoimmune diseases: Ulcerative Colitis, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and Gluten Sensitivity (Probable Celiac). I don't like to talk about it a whole lot because I can start to wallow in self-pity---when truly I have been healthy enough to do what I want aside from some fatique at times.  I have struggled with Colitis the most and experienced a relapse this year from August of 2012 to June 2013.  I am experiencing what my doc describes as  REMISSION as of a few weeks ago.  My vacation was a wonderful way to celebrate God's healing and the end to a season of struggling.  I will always have autoimmune diseases and there is a chance to develop more.  My doctor says that if you have a mouse in the house, you have mice!  When you are diagnosed with one, the chances of having several is high.  For right now though, I feel healthy, strong, and ready to enjoy my family like I've not had the energy to do for close to a year! Stay tuned for Part Two of Vacation!