Vacation Highlights

It has been almost a full month since my last post!! Our vacation in Florida could not have gone any better, and we came home about four days ago. We did so much over the 3 weeks we were there and this post would be way to long if I wrote about everything, so i will just go over some highlights.
One highlight: Spending time with my sister and her family. This year we got to spend more time together than usual and i actually got used to going, going, going every day ;). My sister does not like to waste her day by sitting around, and going out and doing something every day was a refreshing treat for me. I am more likely to waste my summer days by lounging around the house and getting not much accomplished. I like Kathy's way better. Always something to do and somewhere to go. That way, by the time the sun would go down each day, it felt really good to just sit, relax after a hot, busy day, and talk. Being able to talk with my sister in this way was one of my favorite parts of my vacation. I love her so much and am so grateful that the Lord has given me such a wonderful sister and best friend. We went to the beach twice, and i am now a beach lover!! The beaches down in Destin are just beautiful. Very much like to beaches in the Virgin Islands, with white sand that looks like sugar and clear water in which you can go up to your waist and still see your toes. Beautiful!!! It also helped that Kathy and her husband Don are experienced beach goers and know how to pack for a fun-filled day. Thank you, Don, for lugging that heavy cooler full of yummy food and drink (and of course thank you Kathy for making that food). Another thing we did was go to Big Kahuna, a water park in Destin. The kids look foward to that all year and we almost did not get to go, but once again, Kathy and Don came to the rescue--we were very spoiled by them both and i am so thankful and appreciative for all the things they did for us. We also spent a couple of days shopping at various malls and outlets, which was a load of fun and very tiring. But, my sister can always smell a good deal, so we were able to save much money (don't ask how much we SPENT, but we did SAVE alot ;))
Another highlight: spending time with my parents. This year i think we spent less time with my parents than usual (at least it seemed that way), but the time we were together was wonderful. Being able to relax in their screened in porch, watching the kids play in the pool for hours, sitting together at the dinner table eating mom's yummy cooking, sitting outside at night having a wonderful talk with Dad, staying up late to hang out and talk and laugh with Mom, knowing that i could see them whenever i wanted, watching my children laugh with pop-pop and talk with grammy. Well, these are all highlights that i will miss. Makes me want to just pick up and move right now. I have been blessed with a mother who knows me so well (mostly because I am JUST like her) that i don't have to explain myself to her. She just knows. I have been blessed with a dad who I can always count on to lovingly tell me exactly what i need to hear and is such a great example of how i want to live my life. My goal is to be like them when i get to be their age. I miss them already.
Another highlight: I got to spend time with both my cousins--which is a rare treat. Shannon lives in GA and came down for a few days. I got to spend time with her and her adorable son. I got to see what a wonderful mom she is and was able to spend some quality time talking, laughing, shopping, eating, and relaxing with her. After all these years she is still like my little sister (aka-cister) and i love her and miss her so much.
I also got to spend quality time with my cousin Beth. Beth and I have also been like sisters and i love talking with her, laughing with her, driving through deadly storms with her (which we did last week. It was like a hurricane and i could barely see a thing--i was so scared, but Beth talked and laughed and cheerleaded me through it, all while she was "strapping things in" just in case we rolled the car-she made a scary situation into something i will always laugh about when i think about it), sitting outside in her backyard hanging out with her while all her animals roam about and all the kids coming in and out of the house is one of my favorite things to do with her. She is just fun. She has alot of things on her plate, but she doesn't complain. She just does what has to be done and tries to laugh about it. She is the ultimate cheerleader and i love her very much.
Well, this post is getting really long and there is more i want to say, but it's time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. All in all, we had a GREAT vacation, but it is time to come back to the daily grind and deal with all that life has to offer here in DE. I'll post about the various things we have been getting hit over the head with next time, but for now, it's time to sleep.
Today i am thankful for:
1. My family
2. My hearing (which i lost for a couple days, but is now back)
3. Summer