Saturday, May 30, 2015

Sippy Cups and Sharks

It’s been a long time since I put fingertip to keyboard. Instead I’ve been consumed almost entirely by 6th grade history and science exam review sheets for the last two weeks of school and regular 6th grade history and science and language chapter reviews before that to will my son through the end of the school year. This has been a tough academic year for my son and I and I don’t see them getting any easier. Are there trade schools for middle schoolers? If so, call me! Thankful to God in heaven that my other two children at home are doing ok academically on their own for the most part, give or take a 5th grade test here and there.

The last day of school finally came and we set off for Hilton Head Island where we would have a week of fun at the beach with our 3 children currently living at home as well as our grown children, their husbands and our 3 small grandchildren, all in one tiny villa. We unanimously decided upon arrival that we have outgrown a villa, condo, or anything smaller than an entire apartment complex.  After we unloaded everything from our 5 vehicles, we were unable to move. This included nineteen hundred sippy cups of every variety multiplied by 3. Back in the day, there was one brand of sippy cup; Tupperware and they only had two parts, the cup and a rubber lid with a small mouthpiece that had a slit in it. You have to have a degree in mechanical engineering to put my grandchildren’s sippy cups back together after washing them. This disqualifies me right away and happily so.  




The particular villa that I chose was just steps from the beach. You can actually see the beach from the back porch which was lovely. But carrying my 22 lb. 1 year old granddaughter over the dunes through soft sand, I couldn’t help but feel like Ralph Fiennes on the English patient trudging through the Sahara dessert to get help for the love of his life, Kristen Scott Thomas who lay dying in the cave. He didn’t make it in time to save her but thankfully I successfully transported Baby Bridget not once but several times. It was our special bonding time/cardio workout. Poor little one couldn’t last as long as her older, wiser, 18-month-old cousin Wyatt or her almost 3-year-old sister, Lucy. I didn’t really mind. It gave me a chance to hold her sweet chubby little body. Next time, she’ll be walking on her own carrying her own sand bucket. Lest you think Mr. Jakstadt was relaxing somewhere. He was carrying a tent to set up on the beach for our short stay by the ocean. That is a good man that I married and one good pops!


We walked, beached, biked, swam, ate, danced at Salty Dog Cafe, played Nertz,  and watched the dolphins frolic in the ocean, in spite of our tight quarters. The men got away on a deep sea fishing excursion and Pops caught a shark! The women got away for a grocery store run and our outlet mall shopping was replaced with a quick trip to purchase a cool straw hat for the sun. I think we got the short end of that stick.The last thing we needed was one more guest, but we got one nonetheless, the stomach flu. She came midweek and came home with us to Marietta as we drove home a day early. I do not like this uninvited guest one little bit!


And so we close another memorable week at Hilton Head Island.  Our very first HH beach trip,  Laura and Kristen were teenagers with their minds on boyfriends and getting a tan while Kelly Clarkston was just starting out with her hit, Miss Independent. Another trip Lucas, Summer and Stormy saw the beach for the first time when they were 4 and 5 and 8 yrs. old and Jason brought his very complicated kite that he flew. The kite did not make the trip this time, too many sippy cups I think. Summer rode in the bike carrier and Lucas could barely make it over the bumps in the sidewalk on his tiny two-wheeler. Another trip, Stormy ran into a tree with her bike and her finger swelled up so that Jason had to remove her new dolphin ring from her finger somehow. I couldn't watch. 



This trip our youngest are 11 and 12 and 15, they lead the pack on the bike ride,  they can walk to the general store by themselves and they help take care of their nieces and nephew.  We also gained a son in law, Ben, and two more precious grandchildren, Wyatt and Bridget. Lucy and Wyatt discovered that they love the beach and swimming with their new puddle jumpers! I couldn’t get enough of Wyatt’s dimpled smile and Lucy’s wild hair as they ran and played. They weren’t so sure about the pony ride at the stables and the reviews were mixed on the bike child cart that we pulled them in. All the same, vacations are to make memories and memories we always make. Until next time!