Our summer trips to GS are full of fellowship, family time and long days at the beach. We travel in a caravan of RVs and usually spend upwards of ten days camping at our favorite State Park, many of us stay for a month or more. We spend most days at the beach, one day shopping and several days lazing around our campsites riding bikes, reading books and playing cards.
I am so lucky to be a part of an amazing family and we are all very close. There are as many as 35 of us at the beach together on a given day. It is crazy to see us all spread out like a Bedouin community not far from shore. There are coolers and umbrellas, tents and towels, toys and sack lunches. It is without question my favorite time of the year.
I know that people like the beach, some people love the beach. My family adores it. Despite the naysayers, we love avoiding the overpriced hotels and condos in favor of time outside and a place to stretch our legs. We’ve watched the park change after hurricanes and other natural disasters and love it’s scarred landscape all the more. Sitting outside listening to crickets after dark, fighting racoons for your trashcan and waiting in line for a shower are all part of the charm. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for the most beautiful house on the beach.
That said, this trip was a little different. Wait, this trip was very different. There were only three of us and we stayed in… {gasp} a hotel! We ate out almost every meal and were absolutely indulgent. It was just what we needed to shake the January blues and remind us that in five short months we’d be at it again, only that time there would be sunshine and cousins to fill the days.
We didn’t tell Ella where we were going. When we arrived a little before midnight, I asked if she wanted to look out the window and see where we were. She told me that she’d rather go to bed. Just before sunrise the next day, I woke up to a sweet little girl peering at me over a nightstand that separated our beds. She said, “G’morning Mommy.” I smiled and waved. She said, “We taked a trip!” I tumbled out of bed, crazy hair and all and whisked her away to the window. We shoved back the curtains {much to SD’s dismay} and she screamed, “DADDY! We’re at the beach!”
She stood right here on top of the heater for almost thirty minutes. Watching dolphins and seagles {sea gulls} and admiring the ocean.
We had horribly overpriced pancakes for breakfast, with loads of syrup and apple juice.
We took a walk on the beach and got a manicure from SD before naptime.
We went swimming in the hot tub because our ‘indoor’ pool wasn’t heated; she didn’t even notice.
My favorite part of the weekend was snuggling on clean white sheets while the sun filled our little hotel room, listening to the waves roll in before we even brushed our teeth.
Ella had her first solo ice cream cone and insisted that it be pink with candies. We rode the elevator countless times and Ella always pushed the button. We had no major meltdowns, no food aversions, no tummy aches and no accidents. She cried when we left; she begged to go back to the hotel. Can we ride the elevator one more time?
GS, we miss you already.
