This, that, and life's joys: We're baaaaack!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since mid-May. We have been so busy with our "6-steps to school" plan. We are struggling with step 5, which is finding another vehicle which is good and we can get for less than our van is worth. Sigh... would you pray for us?

We had an awesome trip to the beach to celebrate my parent's 50th anniversary, which isn't actually until Oct but we celebrated now. It was 53 years ago on Memorial day weekend that they went on their first date. He went because he liked her and she went because her parents said she could. Ha! The rest is history.

Here is our trip in pics. Keep in mind it's a crappy phone so I was really pleased with the pics considering what I took them with! R and her friend C, who's hubby is also in Afghanistan with JT, got to our house from CO on Sat afternoon. We all took off Sunday morning and when we got to the beach house we unloaded the cars and decided to go out to eat. We were back in a gated community and on the way out, there was this awesome double rainbow. So pretty!

On the way to the beach J said, "I know we are close when we see de big red chair." We couldn't remember what he was talking about 'til we went by it. The next day R, C, T and I headed over to the cider place we love to visit. On the way back we stopped and bought strawberries and took the girls' pic in the big red chair.

They're so cute!

The beach house. There were 25 steps up to the front door. And a second story. And a "crow's nest".

A short-legged starfish I found in the ocean.

An old piece of driftwood that people have decorated. As we were driving up to it on the golf cart we couldn't tell what it was. From far away we thought it was a person.

There are various shells, flip-flops and hats attached to it.

J was the designated driver and loved every min of it. And thankfully he was a good driver.

The view from the porch.

We played a crazy game called Quelf which had people doing some interesting things.

Look at our reflections in the window. Hysterical!

That paper is stuck to her forehead with gum, which started oozing and running down her face. Eww!!

Our little gated community was back off a dirt road.

So pretty!

There were 13 of us celebrating and several of them went deep sea fishing one day and caught some shark. We also had some shrimp and some snapper and we all worked together to make dinner that night.

We had so much fun all working together.

We used coconut rum in the shrimp and it was awesome.

We sort of made up the recipes as we went.

At one point my SIL and nephew were both standing in the kitchen with their phones comparing recipes and trying to figure out how to modify them with what we had.

It all turned out great!

T and I went for a sunset golfcart ride one evening.

This almost looks like a painting.

I love this pic but I don't really know why. It's slightly blurry but it has an "old-timey" look to it. Or something.

These are the eggs of some sort of sea creature. I was probably told which one but I don't remember.

View from a little bridge on a golf cart path.

Everyone except my parents, T, J and I left on Sat morning. After they left we did a bunch of cleaning and packing and then after lunch we went out to "the point" one last time before we left. By then the tropical storm was coming in and the sky looked awesome!

To the other direction the sky was pretty clear.

J and I on the back of the golf cart. It was getting quite windy by then.

Mom and Dad took home a bunch of shells. The whole back of their van was full.

There were a few toys at the beach house which J set up as a very interesting pirate scene of some sort which included the Hamburglar in a get away boat. Too funny!