Haha! I started this blog with the intention of keeping up with it:) We can see how well I am doing that!
The girls had Fall Break last week - school was out Thursday & Friday! We had decided back in May/June to take them to the beach for the weekend. We were supposed to go to the beach back in the summer of 2005 with Papa and Nana, but that trip had to be cancelled unexpectedly, so the girls hadn't been to the beach since Hannah Grace was 1 year old! Way too long:)
We reserved a condo on Orange Beach - 2nd floor with a balcony overlooking the beach and the pool! We were so excited!
We let the girls skip school on Wednesday and headed out. We stopped in Millbrook and dropped the 2 little dogs off with Nana and headed down. We finally got checked in and to the condo around 4:30 - I think we were out on the beach by 4:45! you have to put your toes in the water first thing:)
On Thursday morning, the girls and I couldn't sleep. I made them go back to bed at first, but then as I saw the sun coming up on the horizon, I let them get up. How many times in their lives are they going to get to see the sun rise over the ocean?
We spent literally every minute we could on the beach! Poor Rob! The girls enjoyed playing in the sand and looking for shells. There was a bit of a sand bar so the water wasn't too rough right there in front of our condo. So nice. There was another family there that we are good friends wihth & it was nice to have someone to hang out with, but not feel obligated. Our girls had a great time with their kids and Mr. Kevin taught them to boogey board
One of the highlights for me was spending some time alone with the girls each morning before the others came out (we couldn't stand to be awake and not on the beach!). On Thursday morning, Abbi was trying to make a sandcastle and the sand kept crumbling and she made a comment about building a house out of sand. Opened the door for an awesome object lesson on bible story of the 2 men - one who built his house on sand and the other on solid rock. We had an awesome discussion on that. On Friday morning, we talked about creation and how amazing it is and how only God Himself could have created the world when you take into condsideration how things all work together and the beauty of it all. Saturday morning, the girls couldn't think of any one topic, so they just started singing praise songs as the three of us walked up and down the sand bar. What an awesome experience to be there in one of my favorite settings with 2 of my favorite singers and hear them singing "My God is Mighty to Save, He is Mighty to save...." at the top of their lungs. Wow. It was incredible.
We had amazing weather with just a bit of rain on Friday night. On Saturday, we took some time to actually clean up and take some family pictures on the beach. Coming soon to a Christmas Card near you:) It was such a great family vacation. We are so blessed to be able to do things like this. We are definitly going back next year - probably will do more cooking on our own rather than wasting time getting cleaned up and going out for dinner. Who knows! I do know that we will go again!
While we were there, I noticed a little rash under my arm. Thought it must just be a heat rash as it was hot and right where my swimsuit rubbed. I didn't think much of it until Sunday when I noticed it was very sore and my back was hurting as well, right around from it. By Monday, my brain was running the gammut! Working in the medical industry, you sometimes have just enought knowledge to be dangerous! I looked up rashes on one of our resource websites for the clinic, and self diagnosed with shingles - all the while holding out hope that I was wrong! When our close friends had their baby early Tuesday morning, I decided to get it looked at, just to be sure so that I could go to the hospital with a clear concience......no such luck! I was right this time:( so...... I have shingles. Anyone who has ever had chicken pox can get this & it is not contagious in that I could give someone shingles, but I could give someone chicken pox. Very strange thing. They say it comes out when you have been under a lot of stress....not sure how stressed I was laying on the beach, but I must have been before we went. So - needless to say - I couldn't go see the baby:( The biggest thing now is whether I can go to Denver next week to help Mom while George is still recovering from his stem cell transplant. He has a whole new immune system, so will have to be revaccinated.....but not yet. If my rash starts to clear up, i can go....please pray for that. Mom really needs some help. Why do these things always happen to me;) Just lucky I guess?
I have to laugh at myself sometimes when I get that attitude of Why me..... Sure, crazy things happen to us and our live have been one storm after another for the last 4 years, but....when I look at what other people deal with, I am quickly reminded just how blessed we really are. Storms come and things happen and we struggle just like everyone else - but God is still with us, still holding us up, still blessing us, still faithful to His promise....
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