The Beach

Ever since we moved here, Shawn has been talking about taking advantage of our proximity to the beach.  Numerous factors have prevented us from going in the past but over the weekend, the idea finally came to life.  Our timing couldn't have been better because the end of the month ushered in the "off" season for beach front hotels, which instantly made our destination affordable.  Since  temperatures remain in the high 90s we knew that we'd be more than comfortable spending the weekend in our swimsuits.  Shawn booked us a one-night stay on the ocean and we instantly started planning and praying for a great trip. 

We picked up books about the ocean from the library and started purchasing one special item for our trip each week leading up to our departure.  End-of-summer clearance sand toys, a special dessert and car snacks slowly filled our home, ready and waiting to drive 5 1/2 hours south to say hello to the ocean. 

Enthusiasm mounted as departure day drew near and the reading we did in the meantime served us so well.   Our book of choice was Hello, Ocean by Pan Munoz Ryan because its beautiful illustrations and descriptive words helped us learn about and anticipate what the ocean was going to be like.  The book describes a day at the ocean using all 5 senses, which ended up being powerful knowledge for Nicole.  She wasn't surprised about the constant breeze, overwhelmed by the roar of the water, or upset about being splashed by the waves.  She was armed with just the right amount of information to navigate a brand-new experience and the result was a girl who swam with enthusiasm, was splashed without fear, dug with abandon, and ran across the squishy sand to her hearts content. 

Our Jonah-buddy was a little too young to embrace this experience for all it was worth but his jovial heart and relaxed spirit makes him a great companion no matter what.  He loved digging in the wet sand and was enamored by all of the birds comfortably sharing the beach with us.  He was also a huge fan of the special snacks we got to eat along the way. 

We ended our first day with a cozy dinner in our hotel room.  Our tired kids ate eagerly and we were very thankful that we had the foresight to bring dinner with us.  I usually think that our kids are going to be worn out enough to sleep well in their new surroundings but I have yet to learn that even the best (unfamiliar) accommodations can't coax our small kids into a deep sleep.  The night was long but the next day brought buckets of fun, especially waking up in the morning and watching cartoons.  The TV was later turned off without complaint while everyone scampered into their swim suits and rubbed in their sunscreen so we could squeeze in the last bit of fun before our mid-morning departure.  We had the beach completely to ourselves for an entire hour which was very peaceful.    We let our kids run around in the warm morning sun with a lot more freedom since we didn't have to keep track of them through a crowd.   That extra latitude and space was restorative for all of us and was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. 

God prepared our way by clearing the storms and restoring the beaches to completely safe standards.  The high tide was the only evidence of the storms that had recently passed through, but it served us well because the wet, smooth sand made for easy walking.  All in all it was a great trip and we are so glad that we finally made the drive. 

I hope you're having a great week! 
Love,
Erica