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6.02.2011

Mystery trip, beach edition

So if you saw yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post and felt the need to get jealous that we were at the beach, don't.

Because we aren't.

We were.

But not anymore.

It was just a day long "mystery trip."

Yeah, skipped town on Memorial Day even though this is what our bonus room looks like right now.

this room is actually much worse than it appears in this photo ~ trust me!
It's just how we roll.  We are after all the couple that spent our last stateside Friday and Saturday before parenthood on an impromptu ski trip

Actually, as of late Sunday afternoon we were still planning to make the next day all about attacking the boxes.

And then we heard our kids talking amongst themselves saying things about how fun it would be to take a mystery trip (we like to toss those in from time to time ~ our last one was to the NC Zoo) on our extra "Daddy Day" this weekend.

I casually lobbed the idea of heading to the coast for the day to Ian, fully expecting to be brought back to reality.

Instead he answered, "Well, in a few years, I don't think we'll be finding ourselves saying, 'I wish we had unpacked a few more boxes before Daniel came home.' but I do think we may be saying, 'I wish we had made the most of our last days of being a family of five.'"  That's all I needed to hear.  I was off making pb & j's before he could even ask which beach we'd try to hit.

We managed to get the car packed and load the kids bright and early Memorial Day morning.  And they still had no idea where we were headed.  About an hour out, Ky began begging for clues, so I told her that where we were going rhymed with one of the things we bought at the farmer's market on Saturday.  Wish you had heard the attempts to rhyme with broccoli and strawberry before anyone remembered the peaches...

What a day it was.  Nearly 90 degrees and not a bit of humidity detectable.  There was a gentle breeze blowing and the water very cool and refreshing.  We pulled into the parking lot and while it was full, a car was just backing out when we got there.  The beach was crowded, but we found plenty of space to spread out.  All the little details were taken care of. 

We may have had a few new friends join us as we attempted in vain to hold back the tide.

what is it about the beach that makes us eager to attempt the impossible of protecting our castles? ~ again and again...

But mostly it was about the five of us.

Jumping.


Building.


Eating.


Eating (some more).


Digging.


Chillin'.


 Running.


Splashing.


Shelling.


Hugging.


Smiling.


Just being.  Together. 


Yeah, the bonus room is still a big mess.  (Probably will be long after Daniel comes home).  Yes, for those of you that know me well, it does give me slight heart palpitations when I walk by the room.  But we had ~ in the words of our biggest critic ~ 'a BLASTOFF fun mystery trip!'

So for now I just think of how much fun we had enjoying the surf and sand together, close the door to the bonus room, and walk away.  After all, the mess will continue to be there until I get time to clean it up.  The chance to create mystery trip memories?  Maybe not...

23 comments:

Laine said...

amen amen amen!
I LOVE your perspective and willingness to let things go for the MORE IMPORTANT!
THAT is one of the reasons we love yall so much!
Hooray for a beach day...and that pic of the 5 of yall about made me CRY!
We love yall and are praying for yall!

Laurie said...

Love it! And how true it is about you not wishing you'd unpacked more boxes before Daniel comes home. Wise man, that hubby of yours! :)

Melissa said...

;) Made my morning...love your mystery trip! Think we may need to have one of those before we become a family of 4!!! Perfect pictures my friend of a perfect day!

Sharon said...

This is exactly what I was talking about in my most recent post. I MISS these kind of days!!!! They will FOR SURE remember the mystery trips over the unpacked boxes. Run hard after these kids while they are still all running in the same direction because you will blink and they will be teens running in three (four) different directions Way to go M's!!!!!!

prechrswife said...

Love this post! You sound so much like me with the bonus room, but it looks like you had a wonderful day with your family, and that makes it all worthwhile. :-)

Julie said...

Yes, a little jealous! More so that a mystery day trip to the beach is even an option. What a wonderful day you had, definitely won't regret not unpacking!

Ann Marie said...

Looks like a dream of a day. Next time you go on a mystery trip...can I come??

Jen said...

Good for you! You deserve it...and so do those little munchkins!

Pam said...

What a FUN day!!!!!

Heather said...

Definitely did the right thing! Daniel won't care if the bonus room is a mess. It'll get done eventually! The beach is definitely where I'd be too!

Angela said...

So exciting you all get to travel soon! And as for the bonus room...I've never met anything that displays more patience than housework needing to be done. It will wait indefinitely!

Michelle said...

Love this I have decided this summer to do as little cleaning as I can and spend the time have some adventures with my kids. Afterall that's what they will remember one day,Not a clean house...

Traci said...

Awe FUN!

Andrea said...

thanks for the reminder to blow off unpacking once we become buried in it. Thankfully our mystery beach trips will only take about 10 minutes to arrive! ;-)

Our Journey to China said...

Woo-Hoo! "BEACH DAY!" - as Emma refers to the beach now. :0) What a great memory and pictures!! I am finding I am best at last minute or 'spontaneous planning' these days. I think you and Laine are rubbing off on me! LOL! It is a good thing. And I LOVE how God works to bring such awesome people in our lives to show us new ways of 'being' and 'living'. We love you all so very much!!! And Emma is still talking away about "Ky or Ky-yie, Darcy and Caleb!" I found her a tri-cycle on craigslist for $25 - God is so good! She says, "Ky bike?" "Ky ride?" So sweet! And she was upset the other day that the 'Caleb' I was on the phone with was NOT Kylie's Caleb. Too funny! You guys are all LOVED!

Larry and Carol said...

Good on you for having your priorities straight. Boxes vs Beach - no contest. Glad you had so much fun. Pictures were great.

Kathy said...

I'm so glad you chose a beautiful day at the beach with the kids - that's what makes great memories. And I get so much joy out of seeing your fun as a family - makes my heart sing!!
Love, Grandma M

Our Journey said...

LOVE IT! We spend our Memorial weekend @ the beach too. But I'm impressed w/ your water -- we could barely get our toes in! LOVE the girls Hello-Kitty suits -- Anne Marie would love it.

Shonni said...

What a perfect family day!!! I must do a “mystery” trip with my family!!!!

Sarah said...

Isn't the point of a bonus room to have somewhere to throw junk & not have to keep it clean?

Grandma Shultz said...

Beach - unpack boxes, beach - unpack boxes! Only one choice to make. Delighted that it was such a fun day - think I'm a little jealous! haha

Nancy said...

What an awesome trip!

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh - that made me want to take a trip to the beach!! I love spontaneous trips!!! I am thinking about y'all, saying prayers as you prepare to travel to China!

Amanda P