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| Virginia beach and boardwalk. |
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| Turtle sculpture surprises. |
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| Turtle Cay Resort: A home away from home. |
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| King Neptune rises out of the sand in a giant way. |
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| Our very own beach bum. |
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| Planet Pizza in alien style. |
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| Flowers exotic at dinner. |
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| Flying high at the Military Aviation Museum. |
The family vacation. This is the one time of year that we spend the entire week together. Every moment of every minute is filled with family. Crying, cajoling, giggling, grumbling, snoring, smiling, feasting, fighting, dog-paddling, teasing, strolling and the list continues.
We arrived at the resort under looming gray clouds. The hotel room was not ready nor would it be ready for the next two hours despite what my confirmation check-in email promised me. After seven hours in a car with two small children, I proceeded to turn the lovely lobby into my personal hotel room as we carted luggage in from the car in search of swimsuits and floatation devices under the raised eyebrows of other guests. Thankfully, we took a quick dip in the pool before a downpour drenched everything in sight. I returned to the lobby with a wet, cold (and by this time) screaming toddler in my arms much to the shock/dismay/surprise of other guests. It really is amazing how quickly a room becomes available with a baby wailing at the top of his lungs. A rocky start.
The next day was sun-kissed with light breezes on shimmering waters. My husband and eldest son took to the ocean with boogie board in hand and joy in their hearts. They body surfed, boogie boarded, jumped wave after wave running back to the beach on occasion to cheerfully glug down Gatorade. I was watching our two-year old play with construction trucks in the sand. A picture of contentment. That was until my oldest ran up to me and informed me that daddy lost his glasses in the ocean. He would have come to tell me himself, but he couldn't really see me. Oh dear.
After a visit to the local mall, we tried to put that issue behind us. Then there were abdominal pains my six-year old experienced and we considered a trip to urgent care. My husband gashed his head on the pool edge and was forced to wear a Scooby Doo band-aid prominently on his forehead. My toddler's runny nose was manifesting into extra fussiness.
BUT, it wasn't all so challenging. We swam together in the moonlight one night under dark clear skies and crazy lunar beauty. I snuggled in air-conditioned glory on cool crisp white sheets and took a nap beside my baby, soaking in his sweetness with each glance before we drifted off. My eldest son's sheer delight at the museum aircraft hangar as he uttered, "I can't believe I'm standing here at this very moment." My husband reclaimed the sea and his boyhood happiness with surf and sand.
There were so many moments. High and low. Both crest and trough of the wave. But, what I found was that most often it was within the difficult moments that my family truly rallied together the most. Surrounding the loved one in need. Trying to comfort and help hang on until the wave subsided and the tide was calm once more. And ride the waves we did.
