vacation is in full swing!

we are so blessed. our rental home for the week is away from the busy hubbub and in a private community. it has a pool, which is clean and even has 2 cascades which flow into it. we can see the lagoon and the ocean, and the walk to the beach access is not too far.

i awoke about 4 a,m with insomnia. after tossing and turning for an hour, i got up and took my journal out to the front veranda. i call it a veranda because porch is too generic a term. the thing is huge and has 16 steps leading up to it. anyway, it has a couple of comfy wooden adirondack chairs, and i positioned the chair so i was facing east, with the lagoon in view to the left, the "city" skyline straight ahead in the distance, and the ocean to the right. it's interesting to be awake before the seagulls. from my vantage point, i noticed quite a number of bikers, joggers, and even families out for morning exercise. though i am not normally a morning person, i savored this opportunity to pause and reflect on God's awe-inspiring creation.

a while later, i journeyed down to the beach for the first time since our arrival last night. my only company was a great blue heron, and he was several hundred feet away. stoic. poised.

as the sun rose, the harmonies played by nature's orchestra increased. i returned back to the house, and this time i went out on the upstairs balcony. caslon and photo guy were not here yet, so i could get to it without waking baby bear by going through their room. i sat down again, this time able to see the various shades of grey and black under the wings of the sea gulls as the flew within feet of me. mr. heron perched atop a neighboring villa. i had forgotten what unusual screech can come out of a heron. it is hardly musical, but entertaining none the less.

we had a wonderful day. baby bear experienced her first steps in the sand and splashes of "ocean" in her face. she shoveled sand, and "swam" in the pool. she idolizes her cousins. she adores her gramma and grandpa and her aunts and uncles.

while we waited outside the restaurant for dinner, who drove past and recognized hubby but some old friends, one of our groomsmen and his wife and daughter?!?! we hope to get together with them at some point this week.

hubby and i walked on the boardwalk over the marsh and to the lagoon in the dark tonight. fish flew out of the water, even at 10:oo-ish. the fog was starting to form over the water, but there was also a nice breeze, and the stars sparkled in the sky.

this vacation is so greatly needed, and it is already more than i could have imagined. having family plan ahead to take time to spend together is so important. holidays and other gatherings can often be so rushed, we need this time with our extended family to relax and enjoy one another's company. and since our girls live 5+ hours apart, it's so special for them to spend time with their cousins.

well, good night, friends. i may or may not get around to posting again, though most likely i will try to post photos on one of my blogs.