Hilton Head Island 2012: Sunday

making baggie omelets

Lilly and Hannie waiting for their omelets

Hayden

Alex and Kailyn

We started our day with omlets in baggies this morning. Very cool idea that came from the Holiday World trip. You put eggs in a baggie mush it up (scramble them) then you add whatever you want (sausage, mushroom, green pepper are my ingredient of choice) then you put the baggie in boiling water for 8 minutes (more if you put more than 2 eggs in the baggie). It is a perfect way for everyone to be able to eat omelets all at the same time. Huge success.

Then the parents on the trip went to church this morning. Great sermon on marriage at Central Church right here on the island. So glad we kicked the week off on the right foot. One of the scriptures we looked out today stood out to me.

Peter 5:6-10
God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; b/c your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering are experinced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect established streghten and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We came back packed lunch, greased everyone down with sunscreen and were off to the beach. So far the hardest part of vacation has been being on the beach without Craig. I haven't been to any beach in 16 years without him. The last vacation that I went to without Craig was Hilton Head 1996 in between high school and college. It is hard to watch dads play with their little girls and it is hard to try to fill in and do all the things on the beach that he use to with Emily and Morgan. He would carry buckets of water, build sand villages, jump waves, take them out swimming in the ocean etc etc. I have a ton of help this year and they did all those things today with a variety of friends that are like family but it is still very hard not to have him here.

I am fine in the house where we are staying b/c we never stayed here together. Tonight we went to Gwen's grandma's condo for roast beef night (every night is a different traditional meal). Most of Gwen's family is staying at the island club where we have stayed for years. Although being at the condo complex was hard tonight I stayed away from the unit we stayed in last year just for that reason. When I walked out of that complex last year after packing up I had a feeling that was the last vacation that Craig was going to be able to take with us. It hit me like a ton of bricks as I went room to room making sure I had all of our things before I locked the door behind me. I sniffled as we pulled out of the parking lot but that was nothing new to Craig b/c I usually cry on the way home of every vacation. Yes, I realize that is childish but I have family vacations built up in my mind so much that when they are over the idea of waiting a whole year for the next one is heartbreaking. It more than just the week being over last year that brought me to tears but I guess he just assumed it was the annual tears that vacation was over and kept driving out of the parking lot and headed back toward KY.

So we really are having a great time spending the day doing all the things that we look forward to for the year. But it is very different and there is a huge hole in the trip this year. It was easy to say Craig was better off when his days were filled with stomach aches and pain pills around the clock. But to think it now as he misses Emily riding a bike around the island or Morgan swimming farther out in the ocean that she did last year and Hannah jumping in the pool with the intention of going under water at age 2 is not possible. I know that heaven is Home and He prepares a place for us all but to think that heaven is better than a family vacation with the girls is hard to image. I am overwhelmed with sadness that he is missing so much. I am not sure that makes me a good Christ follower. I know that God has a plan and I know that Heaven is incredible and I know that is where we all belong when we are done with God's earthly plan for us BUT I just can't wrap my head around it being any better than Hannah in pigtail in a bikini with a swim diaper hanging out the top of her bottoms. I'm just having a hard with knowing that he will miss many more family vacations in years to come.

Craig, if there are blogs in heaven we miss you this week.