Back from the Beach

We took our annual Gulf Coast vacation with my parents last week.  We rented a 4 bedroom/4 bathroom house at Cape San Blas, Florida.  While there, we went horseback riding on the beach, rented a kayak and explored the ocean and Saint Joesph’s Bay, caught fish and scallops, went to eat at several local restaurants, and spent lots and lots of time relaxing on the beach.  This is our tenth year vacationing with my parents.  They always make sure the kids have a great time.  I am so grateful to them for treating us to a vacation every year, because without their generosity, my children would miss out on this tradition that was such a special part of my childhood.  Here are some photos.  

 

Matt, Will, and Luke all spent a good bit of time fishing in the surf.

  

This was the year of solitary beach walks for Bonnie.  She wasn't angry or mopey; she just wanted a little time to herself throughout the day.  She spent hours walking and collecting seashells. 

When we looked at the photos of the house online, the boys and girls each chose the rooms they wanted.  It turns out that the room the boys picked was the master suite with a private balcony.  Matt and I claimed it.  We had quite a bit of drama over the swap.  My kids don't understand how good they have it.  When I was Luke's age, we stayed at the Blue Dolphin Motel every year.  My parents got the bed, and my brother and I slept on a pallet in the floor.  And guess what?  We didn't complain.  We were happy to be there!  After a change of bedding, the boys settled into their very nice room downstairs.  Matt and I didn't mind the "dorky and girly" bedding.  I realize all that has nothing to do with this photo of him on the pier with his net.

Note the beautiful sky.  This was when we set out.  About ten minutes later, we got caught in a downpour.  It was raining so hard, the drops stung when they hit my skin.  After enduring ten minutes of that, the sky cleared up and we were on our way again.

 

After the rain

This is the reason I love this area of Florida.  The beach is ours.  To me there is nothing worse than renting chairs in a line on a crowded beach (except not being at the beach at all).  There is no one here to take your shovels or beach towels.  It is awesome. 

Every year we make family photos.  I make my parents a photo book as a gift to thank them for the trip. They are so much fun to look back at.   Khaki and white has become a bit old, but I still love seeing how the kids have changed from year to year.

Matt and I celebrated 17 years of marriage on Friday.  We went out for a nice dinner at The Owl Cafe in Apalachicola. 

A personal favorite.  Such emotion in Bonnie's face.  She says, "It's so hard being the oldest", but you know she loves it.

Souvenirs!  Bonnie got a new shirt from the Blue Parrot on Saint George Island.  My parents took them there to eat while Matt and I went out on our anniversary. 

Matt and Will kayaking in the bay.  Luke caught scallops around the pier while they were out. 

About to head home.  They just fed leftover bread to the seagulls.

Random Stuff

 I have so many things I’d like to do with our home.  It is pretty, and it sits up on a hill with a pond and a big yard.  We did the bare minimum when we moved in ten years ago, and everything else was going to be done later when we had the time and money for it.  Neither commodity has thus far come our way.  There is a website I love called houzz.com.  I was reading an article for people in my situation to help them love their homes more right now, instead of just focusing on things that aren’t the way they wish they could be.  I have come away with some lovely insights from this.  Keeping a space neat and tidy can make you love any old room more.  And it’s free.  I am a minimalist in my heart.  It is just really hard not to have a lot of stuff when you have a lot of people in a house.  I am redoubling my efforts to clear out the clutter, and it feels good.  The other thing I’ve done is to make photos of things and spaces in my home that make me happy.  The fact that I love my family goes without saying, but there are lots of things I encounter in and around my home that give me the warm fuzzies.  There is more that I like about this home than I dislike, and if I can’t change the things I dislike, I can concentrate my energy on the things I do like.

That being said, one thing has changed.  When I designed the house, I made a place for a window seat in the girls’ room.  My Dad was going to build it, but things that are out of sight are often out of mind, and he forgot.  We put a toybox in the hole and it worked.  Now that my dad is retired, Bonnie asked him if he would build it.  Now everything is done except the cushion, and Bonnie has a wonderful new place to relax and a storage place for her crafting supplies.  I’m sure he will regret it because the boys are already asking if he’ll build them loft beds. 

So here is something dumb I did.  I thought my nursing school orientation was on August 8^th.  I made my work schedule around that date.  On August 7^th, one of my coworkers came in and said “Amanda!  I can’t believe you worked last night!  How in the world are you going to stay awake at orientation today?”  Oops.  After working 3 nights in a row, I had to come home, rest for two hours, and then get up and drive to Carrollton for orientation.  Terrible, but it’s classic me.  That is exactly like something I would do.  I’m just glad that coworker was there or I would have missed my mandatory orientation.  I was sleepy, but I lived.  Really the worst part of it was that I had to reschedule my hair appointment. 

The kids started school this week.  Matt is homeschooling all four kids this year.  I will do a separate blog about that and our Fall outlook.  One week is complete, and now we will take a week off for vacation. We are going to Cape San Blas, Florida this year.  It is close to Saint George Island where we usually go, but it will be a little bit different and a lot of fun.  I went to the liquor store this morning to buy supplies for the week, and I had a man ask me it he could come party wit us.  He was serious.  He wanted to come home wit me! 

One more thing.… when we finish watching a movie and the upbeat song comes on as the credits roll, all the kids jump up on the coffee table and dance.  If I ever try to sneak in a video, they immediately stop.  But it is a fun little family tradition and it always makes me happy.  I have been known to jump up there with them.  It made me have a flashback to an “end of the world party” some friends had in college where they trashed a house they were moving out of and we jumped on the coffee table until it caved in.  Then we set it on fire in the back yard.  Ah, to be young again....

Thing I love - my Wade porcelain

Thing I love - fresh coffee in a pretty cup

Thing I love - Caidleigh

 

Thing I don't love - whatever the hell this is

The Best Days

Ah, the best days.  The best days are the days when babies come.  July 24^th was one of those days.  My beautiful niece, Annabelle Elizabeth Ingram, graced us with her presence. 

Fortunately, she decided to make her appearance when I had several days off work.  I woke up at 9:00 am Monday morning and had a regular day with the family.  Just as I was getting ready for bed, Jonathan called me to say that Lisa was in labor.  He wanted me to be on standby to come to the hospital with my mother-in-law who doesn’t drive at night.  I took a shower and got dressed.  I didn’t rest at all.  I was too excited.  FINALLY at 3:00 am he texted us to head that way.  When we got there, contractions were regular and getting stronger.  Lisa labored all morning and into the afternoon.  She got an epidural around 5:00 pm and kept right on going.  By midnight, we had all been awake for 40 hours straight and we were exhausted, so we came home to get some sleep.  At 4:30 am, the beautiful baby made her way into the world.  Mother and baby are healthy and beautiful.  And I must add that Jonathan is the world’s best labor coach.  He should teach classes. 

That evening, the whole family went to the hospital to meet her.  She is precious.  The Ingram babies are now in balance with 4 boys and 4 girls.   All the kids are so excited to have a new cousin.   Jonathan and Lisa are going to be fantastic parents, and I am so very excited to be an aunt again!

           The whole gang. Photos stolen from April.