Irish Sparkle: the beach

The beach is my very favorite place to be. All year long I am itching to get back and refill my soul.

The first beach trip as a family of 3 was better than I would have ever imagined. Ethan took to the sand and water like a pro. He was fearless. I on the other hand, spent lots of time biting my tongue for fear he would pick up on how scared I was of the waves hitting his tiny little self. He learned of boats and captains on that trip. This year he learned of pirates and it was even better than the first trip. I think one of the greatest joys in life is experiencing a favorite with your child. And even better - learning he loves it as much as you do. He talked about getting back to the beach all year long last year. Even now he asks to go back from time to time. I can already tell the beach is going to give us lots of great family memories.

Ethan was such a pro at the road trip thing this year. There was no need for me to jump into the back seat and set up his own personal theater. Or for me to think of clever ways to entertain him for 7 whole hours. I got to stay in the front seat the entire trip! I was unprepared for so much alone time so I let my thoughts go and even jotted some of them down...

Vacation means all I have to do is love and take care of my boys.

Being at the beach reminds me of God. Where the sea melts into the sky... That's where He is.

Next to the ocean I feel so small. A small part of this great big earth He created; such a humbling experience. The world washes away with each wave and He fills my soul. Thank you Lord for your waves. Thank you for your love.

The beach: where the birds look different than they do back home. And the trees are taller. And the houses sit on stilts.

I love watching a storm roll in and during our stay at the beach we had a few. One of them came in during nap time and I got to sit on the balcony and admire...

I love sitting outside and listening to the noises of the world. No to-do list in sight - just organic noises of life. Right now it's thundering. A storm will soon be our afternoon visitor. It is bringing lots of rain with it too. It's going to wash the island clean!

I cannot wait to get back next year!