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!
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