Family Vacation at the Beach

Yay!!!  I have been looking forward to this week all year.  To have all my children and grandchildren in one place at one time --- what sheer delight for me.  I am so thankful for this opportunity.  We start out on Monday morning driving from Dallas.  Cass helps us load the car and we are on the way with her along as her sweetie has to stay and work.  So sad that we don't have Scott along, but am thankful for the time with my "baby girl".  With only a brief stop for lunch, we arrive at the beach house and only have a few minutes to wait for it to be available.  We walk down to the beach while waiting and discover dead fish all along the high tide line and it reeks!!!

Yuck.  Found out there was a fish kill in the Gulf a couple of days ago. The water was too hot in areas, which removes the oxygen and the fish die. Matt and Becca arrive just shortly after us and so Cass, Becca, and I head into Lake Jackson to buy the groceries for the first half of the week.  It takes us a couple of hours and soon we are on our way back to the house, unload the food and put it away and then all drive down the Bluewater Highway to the Red Snapper Inn for dinner.  Yummm.   Off to bed upon return as tomorrow everyone else arrives and it will be a busy day.

Tuesday:  (and, NO, I am not going to do each day as that would be incredibly tedious, lol.)  Mister and Matt are up early and down on the beach cleaning up the dead fish in an area that they then stake out with a canopy, chairs, and umbrellas.

We have a simple breakfast and prepare for others to arrive.  The kids are already down at the beach having fun.  Amanda and family arrive around lunch and Hyrum is one happy camper now that cousins are here. Shortly thereafter, Jen and her family arrive and the house is filling up.  Rhiana had flight issues at the airport, so Mister headed into Houston that evening to pick her and the girls up (Kyle stayed home and worked, ugh) and by midnight the house was full.  There are 22 of us and this house is perfect -- with 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, there is plenty of room for all.  Off to bed and looking forward to a great week.

Wednesday-Saturday:  Days are spent enjoying each other with visiting, swimming, games, cooking, eating, crab hunting, fishing, sand-castle building, etc.

What an absolutely great time for all.  The location is perfect and everyone is able to just have fun and relax.

 

We do some afternoon crafts and games with the kids during the heat of the day and they seem to enjoy them even though some make quite the mess.

 We even got to celebrate Becca, Rhiana, and Amanda's Birthdays as a shared party with ice cream cake.

I am a bit sad that I cannot swim as I am still under a doctor's care and am forbidden to lift anything or soak my tummy at all.  It does make for a restful time, but I feel a bit guilty for doing such a small amount of the work.  We all go into town on Thursday afternoon to visit the Sea Center in Lake Jackson and then Jen, Amanda, Rhiana, and Cass do the shopping for the second half of the week.


Scott is able to pop in for one evening on Saturday and it is nice to see him and we are glad he gets a chance to be in the water.  Really wonderful time -- cannot ask for anything more, except we could do without clearing dead fish that have washed onto the beach in the night.  Oh well.

I get the grands together (wearing their craft t-shirts) and the kids together for group shots. Haven't had everyone together since last summer.

Sunday:  The departures begin and by the end of the day it is just Mister and I.  We have this big old house all to ourselves and it is soooo empty.  I have shed tears several times today as I am not sure just when I will have another opportunity like this one.  The time is so treasured by me.  Mister and I spend the afternoon/evening with a walk on the jetty, a stop for a beverage, and dinner back at the Red Snapper Inn again.  What a completely wonderful evening.

Monday:  We finish cleaning out the house, pack everything into the car, and drive to Galveston for the day.  I fall in love with this little city and cannot wait to go back.  We take a "city tour" that is amazing and see the mansions, tree sculptures, and learn the history of this great city.  The day ends with a drive back to Dallas and we are sad that work starts tomorrow and this relaxing time has ended.