Vacation time has come and gone. What a relaxing time we had at the gulf. It is something we look forward to every year. Lots of sun, sand, waves and good food. This year may have been the most relaxing trip I have had in years. The children are getting older, and it seems we were all content just to enjoy the beach and take it easy. Just a real no fuss time of resting. I read three books and started a fourth: Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen, and started We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was by far my favorite. It was just such a surprise of a book. We Were Liars left me feeling confused. There is lots of discussion out there about We Were Liars. I suggest refraining from any Google research and just reading it blind. It was interesting to learn after reading Looking for Alaska that it was sort of autobiographical for Green. I may have enjoyed differently if I had known it was loosely base on actual events.
The vacation time was more than just the three Rs (relaxing, resting and reading). It was such a good time of togetherness. Our room with a view was small, but we really did not feel crowded. There were lots of moments of laughter. There were several times we laughed til we hurt ,and the hubs would say, "you need to write that down". The hubs and I so enjoy our children. Now, don't get me wrong, there still had to be mandated stretches of silence along our trip because the bickering would just escalate. But, for the most part the kids were happy to be in each other's company. It is so fun being a spectator to these different personalities growing up together.
I started almost every day getting up and getting out on my own. I ran two mornings and walked the beach the other mornings. With my day started, I would return to find the family still sleeping. I would pull back the drapes and open the sliding glass door. The light and the sound of the ocean would come flooding in. I would wait. Most mornings, one by one they would rise. But one morning I had to resort to old tactics. I started singing, "It's a good feeling to know your alive, that your happy, healthy, and growing inside. Wake up!! ready to say let's make a snappy new day." And from under covers I heard fingers go <snap> <snap>. My 12 year old would later reminisce and say he had forgotten that song until I started singing it and he knew to snap.
As we left and headed home the hubs stopped for birthday beignets. (I turned 39, really 39!) As we sat enjoying our breakfast we talked about what a great vacation we had had. We were sad it was over, but glad we were headed home. There was discussion of wishing we had a place at the beach. My hubs jokingly said, ''well, when we win the lottery we will buy us a place down here." The kids jumped on board and started imagining what kind of place they would like to have if such a dream came true. I had to ask myself what makes ocean front property so desirable even to the youngest of people? Of course, there is hardly anything more beautiful than looking across the ocean as the sun shines and the water sparkles. But, for my children, I want to think what makes a place at the beach something desirable with them had nothing to do with the beautiful sight of the vast body of water. I want to think our shared dream had more to do with the wonderful time we had all had while there. The break and time out from our everyday life was so refreshing and rejuvenating. There was nothing scheduled or any places to be. It was just good feelings of being happy, healthy, and enjoying each day <snap> <snap> !
The vacation time was more than just the three Rs (relaxing, resting and reading). It was such a good time of togetherness. Our room with a view was small, but we really did not feel crowded. There were lots of moments of laughter. There were several times we laughed til we hurt ,and the hubs would say, "you need to write that down". The hubs and I so enjoy our children. Now, don't get me wrong, there still had to be mandated stretches of silence along our trip because the bickering would just escalate. But, for the most part the kids were happy to be in each other's company. It is so fun being a spectator to these different personalities growing up together.
I started almost every day getting up and getting out on my own. I ran two mornings and walked the beach the other mornings. With my day started, I would return to find the family still sleeping. I would pull back the drapes and open the sliding glass door. The light and the sound of the ocean would come flooding in. I would wait. Most mornings, one by one they would rise. But one morning I had to resort to old tactics. I started singing, "It's a good feeling to know your alive, that your happy, healthy, and growing inside. Wake up!! ready to say let's make a snappy new day." And from under covers I heard fingers go <snap> <snap>. My 12 year old would later reminisce and say he had forgotten that song until I started singing it and he knew to snap.
As we left and headed home the hubs stopped for birthday beignets. (I turned 39, really 39!) As we sat enjoying our breakfast we talked about what a great vacation we had had. We were sad it was over, but glad we were headed home. There was discussion of wishing we had a place at the beach. My hubs jokingly said, ''well, when we win the lottery we will buy us a place down here." The kids jumped on board and started imagining what kind of place they would like to have if such a dream came true. I had to ask myself what makes ocean front property so desirable even to the youngest of people? Of course, there is hardly anything more beautiful than looking across the ocean as the sun shines and the water sparkles. But, for my children, I want to think what makes a place at the beach something desirable with them had nothing to do with the beautiful sight of the vast body of water. I want to think our shared dream had more to do with the wonderful time we had all had while there. The break and time out from our everyday life was so refreshing and rejuvenating. There was nothing scheduled or any places to be. It was just good feelings of being happy, healthy, and enjoying each day <snap> <snap> !