Holden Beach Memories

You'd think with all the picture-taking I did that I wouldn't have anything left to write, but--believe it or not!--I didn't always have my camera with me for all the little moments I want to remember. For example:

*walking along the beach at 6 am with Aaron after he woke up at 4:45 am and wouldn't go back to sleep. Not exactly how I wanted to start my day, but it was so peaceful and beautiful. We played in the waves on the shore and watched the sun rise together.

*belting out "Let it Go" with Catherine as I held her and jumped up and down in the big waves. She loved being a "fish" in the deep water.

*well, she DID love the deep water. Until Jon took her out during the intense waves. There was a giant one that knocked him down and swept Catherine out of his arms. She was traumatized after that.

*being at the beach makes me feel like a little kid again. My sisters & I loved the Southern California beaches and couldn't ever resist getting in, even if we were fully-clothed and fully-grown.

*losing my swim bottoms several times to the huge waves. I now see the benefit of one-piece swimming suits. Luckily I never completely lost them, but I did learn to be very, very careful before I stood up after getting knocked around by a big wave.

*getting a chance to hang out in the waves and chat with Wendy WITHOUT ANY KIDS.

*Mom Blood thinking that one frozen lasagna would be enough to feed 22 people.

*how much Catherine loved her room at "Grandma's house." She and Seth shared a full-sized bed (they slept sideways). She loved that she could jump on her bed, but she especially loved having a quiet place to go hide from all the chaos on the main level. I think she liked her bedroom more than the beach...

*my kids loved that our rooms (on the lower level) could only be accessed by two outdoor staircases. Admittedly, things were a bit complicated when the hurricane hit and we were running up & down stairs in pouring rain, but the kids still loved it.

*the splinters we kept getting from the deck

*the stupid rusty gate we broke and then wasted an entire day trying to fix so we wouldn't lose the deposit on the house

*eating at a Golden Corral (our kids' new favorite restaurant--chocolate fondue fountain!) in the shadiest place we've ever stopped. Capitol Heights, you are just trashy. And more than a little bit scary.

*what should have been a 7.5 hour drive taking more than 10 hours thanks to construction and beach traffic.

*Seth watching the World Cup with his uncles and cheering enthusiastically: "Go green guys! Get the ball!" (Sorry, Seth--you're not getting any sports-watching tips from your dad or me).

*taking Catherine potty no less than three times during sacrament meeting. I think she may be conning me.

Hoping we make it back next summer!