Last week, we vacated our place and exchanged it for the beach. It was completely due to the kindness of friends. And I kinda think God had something to do with it too.

When we walked into our “home for the week” I kept pointing out special things to the kids:
“See this awesome kitchen? God did that!
Check out this amazingly large tub! God put that there for us!”

Because God did do it for us. Sure, it may have been a standard feature in each room. But God let us experience it. And I just had to take time to remind them – but really to remind myself – of God’s specific love for us.

I left my phone on silent the entire week except for a couple times when Jonathan and I were separated. That was awesome. I even deleted my social media apps for a couple days. It’s amazing how much brain space it takes to look at other people’s lives. Contrary to popular belief, rest is a very, very good thing.

We made a few goals for the week, like conducting our video marriage interview,

video interviewing our kids individually, and Jonathan spending a few mornings to study…but mostly we just kept the schedule open and focused on being together, whatever the schedule might bring.

We collected shells,

dug in the sand,

and ate italian ice.

One of our kids’ favorite vacation traditions is for Daddy to have a daily “Sunday school time” with them. You know how some traditions start just of their own accord? This is one of those. But nevertheless, it’s one thing the kids asked for when we told them about our plans to go to the beach.

Jonathan teaches them a Bible story, sings songs, they draw pictures of the story together, and then he gives them a special treat. He even let me in on the treat part even though I didn’t always participate. What a nice teacher.

Every year we go on vacation, we re-learn the lesson that sometimes the best plan is to just focus on being together instead of planning a bajillion things to do. I’m guessing that might change as our kids get older and want to spend all their time exploring the outdoors. In that case, we’ll rent wheelchairs for Jonathan and I so they can push us around when we get tired of walking. Our kids won’t be embarrassed about this situation at all. Ahem.

On the last night of vacation, we headed to the outlets to look for shoes. Although we didn’t find the shoes we were looking for, we did spot the Disney store, much to the delight of our kiddos. And when I saw a display of kid’s shirts that were discounted when you bought 2 or more, I figured it was providence. Anna Grace takes after me in her decision making skills, so we spent quite a while at that display.

After she chose her Doc McStuffins shirt, the employees asked if she could use her doctor kit {which she had conveniently brought from the car} to fix one of their stuffed animals. She happily obliged.

It’s always a bummer to come out of vacation mode. I usually spend the last day in a thoughtful + slightly sad state. But I’m always reminded of the blessing of doing everyday life with my people. Vacations are awesome – especially as a way to spend condensed time as a family.
But I get to do life with these lovelies every day.

And that’s something worth coming home to.