back to the land of the living

We slipped away.

For a long overdue (in other words, waiting-patiently-all-summer!) week at the beach.

Of course, I have photos to share.

But not as many as I'd like.

I have sweet stories to share.

But not as many as I'd like.

I have treasured moments, too.

But not quite as many as I'd like.

Last week at the beach was...

...kinda...

...hard?

JD and I can't entirely put our fingers on it.  Perhaps our expectations were too high?  Perhaps we were looking forward to it too much?  Who knows.

We had a nice time, for sure.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with our parents and dear friends, but our kids?  Umm...I'm gonna be honest...

Oye.

The bickering and arguing and screaming at each other is at an all-time high.  Even James is in on the action!  Screaming so loud when he thinks he's talking that our ears literally ring for minutes afterwards.  Or how 'bout just the non-stop talking in and of itself?!

Don't get me wrong, we had a nice time.  But we didn't come back rejuvenated or particularly refreshed.  We felt...hmmm...tired?  Odd.

But I guess parenting can be that way sometimes.

Thank You, God, for the beauty of the ocean and sunsets and breezes and sunrises to offset our ugly humanness that causes us to lose sight of You.

Because You're too beautiful to lose sight of!