Jun 18, 2011

Re-entering the real world...

I couldn't possibly tell all that has gone on in the past month in one blog post.  Our vacation has come and gone and my grand-maternity leave will be over in just a few days!  I'm actually looking forward to getting back to life-as-normal, as good as it all has been.  I have so enjoyed the break and the traveling, the company, and the chance to do some things around the house.  Summer is finally here in northeast Ohio and that always makes me happy!  AND I've missed being in touch with so many of you in blogland and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with you!

Just before the Memorial Day weekend, we did hit a bump in the road around here.  For the third time in the past decade hubby became a statistic of our faltering economy and his job was eliminated.  I'll write more about that when we are on the other side of it.  For now, we would appreciate your prayers as we once again lean hard on our knowledge that God is our Provider.  We trust Him completely with our past, our present and our future.  In our human-ness, this is not an easy place to be, as many of you know from your own first hand experiences, but with God, all things are possible.  So we wait on Him.  He has never failed us.

I just loved ALL your comments on my last post!  The bathing suit issue seemed to strike a universal chord and thank you for letting me know I have plenty of "company"!  I want to report that I was actually surprised to see so many "modest" bathing suits at the beach.  I DID see lots of suits with "skirts" and another thing some of the ladies did was wear some kind of "sport shorts" over their suits.  There was only one incident where I wanted to throw a bocce ball at someone, and that was when the highly sculptered and very tanned blond beauty felt the need to play football with her beau right in front of our beach umbrellas, obstructing our view of the ocean and distracting our men with her ill-fitted bikini.  I won't tell you how I hoped a crab would bite her on the toe and send her away squealing.  HA!

Seriously, we had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect!  We had about a 1/2 day of rain at the beginning of the week, but every other day the temps were in the 90's and the sun was out!  We all knew this was a historical week:  All my siblings, (six of us) our spouses and our mom (and one of my nephews, the last of the minors) a good friend who is part of the family, and two dogs.  By pooling together we were able to rent a huge house just a very short walk from the beach.  There was plenty of room for privacy when needed, comfortable bedrooms with bathrooms, and all the necessary furnishings.  We even had a nice heated pool and a jacuzzi which got used every day!  

I'll post a few photos here and in the coming days I'll write about some specific things we did.  I hope you'll hang with me!  It's good to be BACK!


After two days of traveling, I got so excited when the GPS showed our path ended at the ocean!


We arrived at dusk, but of course we had to walk down to the beach!


Here is the huge house we rented.  See the single window in the middle on the top floor? That was our "love nest" as I named it.  It was on the 4th level, and ours was the only room up there so it was very private.



It was perfect and a lot of fun! We had our own bathroom too.






My two brothers and their wives playing bocce



Scandanavian hubby wisely stayed covered up a good bit of the time.


Brother-in-law Rodney who lives to fish, caught a sting-ray, ugh!


We were in Duck, NC, Outer Banks




I just love this photo of my mom


lots of relaxing...that's what it was all about!


me enjoying the morning's first coffee on one of the many balconies


private heated pool


my nephew preferred the pool to the ocean


"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..."
Ecclesiastes. 3:1 NIV

7 comments:

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Hi Jacquelyn,
Good to see you post, and so glad you had such a refreshing vacation. The beach is the best vacation there is for relaxation!! It is our all time favorite.

So sorry to hear about your hubbies job, and will sure be praying for you guys, God will take amazing care of you, and I know you know that!!

While you were away my hubby got a new job after 13 months, so we are
further rejoicing over here since we have a wedding to pay for in October!! He just started this past Tuesday, so this is his first weekend, that has felt like a weekend in a long long time!

Hope you guys enjoy your time as much as we did.

Blessings of Peace for you guys during this time!!
Nellie

Jess said...

Love these photos! And so glad you made such a wonderful and historic reunion trip happen!

We are praying for you dear friend... love, Jess

Beth E. said...

Looks like everyone had a wonnnnderful time! I love the beach. Out of almost 33 years of marriage, we've only missed vacationing there 3-4 summers.

We have first-hand experience with the unemployment issue. Hubby Bill went through that a few years ago, and in his current job he feels as if he has a target on his back. It was during Bill's unemployment that we experienced God's provision at its fullest. :-)

Praying for you and your husband in the days ahead. God is faithful!

Dee said...

Welcome back..time flys except in blog land. I am glad to be back to my blog...I would have posted today but my computer was hijacked for two days by a 14 year old. I love your background. I hope to someday learn how to change mine. I feel so limited. I will keep you and your husband in prayer about a job. I am sure the Lord will provide soon.

Diana said...

You ended this post with THE perfect verse Jacquelyn! As I type this my oldest daughter is spending her weekend on the outer banks. She sent me a few photos on my phone yesterday, the weather looked beautiful! So glad you had a good and relaxing time. That rental was gorgeous!! Love Di ♥

BumbleVee said...

Wow....what a wonderful place to have a vacation.. hahha....had to laugh at your Mom...... that would have been mine for sure. She used to love the ocean..... and could sit by it for hours..... I really miss being able to visit her and do that.....

Anonymous said...

Looks like you guys had such a great vacation! And so well planned!