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| The colors! |
Our long awaited, family beach vacation finally came to pass. It was such an enjoyable time away that it has been difficult to transition back to home. The colors, the ever changing sky, the tides, the relaxation, being surrounded by my sixteen favorite humans, the laughter, the love, the total disconnect from reality, I will have the fondest memories of this time away.
Last Christmas we gifted our four daughters and their families a beach vacation. The July reservation date finally came to be! Every one of us truly looked forward to this week with great anticipation. We rarely gather as a complete family. With school and work schedules and some families living so far apart, it just cannot happen often enough. We approached the vacation with plans for many activities we would do together and we ended up doing only half of what we planned. The water and sand were so inviting that we were content to sit or swim at the shore every day.
My favorite memories include bobbing in the waves together, parking our beach chairs at the water's edge and staying until the surf forced us to back up, the grandchildren digging in the sand... a lot, evening walks searching for treasures, gathering for meals at the big table, slow mornings, slow days, slow evenings, playing the spaghetti and marshmallow challenge, excitedly showing each other our found ocean treasures, having the children and grandchildren all together, morning coffee on the deck, watching the kids play freely, planning our day according tot he tides.
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Being cooled by nature's air conditioner |
A game of whiffle ball while we watch a storm in the distance.
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| Two of Mari's aunts braid her hair before heading down to the beach. |
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The tallest spaghetti structure that remained stable with a marshmallow on top. |
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Everyone in one place! (One SILwishes to remain unknown on the internet : ) |
