It’s a cool, breezy morning at the beach. I am sitting on the front porch of the cottage drinking my coffee and listening to the sweet sound of wind chimes, the ocean waves, and Applewood smoked bacon sizzling on the skillet. Normally on the weekend my schedule does not allow me to hear the bacon cooking (by schedule I mean I’m usually still knee deep in the sheets while Joe is cooking breakfast). I usually wake up to the end result resting on paper towels in the kitchen.

But today is different. Today is day one of our first true family vacation.

My heart is so full of love and thankfulness today. So much so that I woke up bright and early and had a little talk with God. It’s days like today when you realize just how much you have to thank the big guy for…

As I remind my kids all the time, there are many people who do not have the luxury to go to the beach at all. It’s hard for them to imagine – considering where we live and the friends they have. As far as they can tell, everyone is a member of “the club” (except us) and everyone spends most of the summer traveling abroad or living at the beach. It’s important to me to instill in my kids an understanding of just how blessed they are.

I think God is agreeing with me right this second because I feel it heavy on my heart that once we return home I need to get my kids involved in some sort of charity to teach them to help others. As the speaker said at my graduation from boarding school, “To whom much is given, much is expected” and there are plenty of opportunities to help others in Raleigh.

My kids are in Myrtle Beach with their dad because their aunt is getting married today so we are meeting their dad to pick them up tonight. It has been nice to get to spend a little one on one time with my bonus kids. Because my kids are with us most of the time and Joe’s kids are with us 50% of the time, it is rare that we get alone time with his kids… and it is obvious that they enjoy it!

Sweet girl loves to just sit down and talk. I put down everything I’m doing to just look her in the eyes and listen. It warms my heart abundantly to see the look in her eyes as she tells me story after story. It’s like she wants to fill me in on everything that has happened since we last talked. She likes the attention being on her too… as we were walking to the beach last night I reached my hand out to Joe and she slid quickly between us to hold both of our hands. Like my daughter, they like to get in the middle of us whenever they can. In our house, a hug between Joe and me quickly becomes a “group hug.”

So right now I am sitting here on the porch with sweet girl next to me and she is writing on her laptop too. We are listening to music and it’s raining… and there is nowhere I would rather be. As I’ve said before, when I was little and dreamed of my fairy tale ending, I had no idea it would be with two bonus kids who I love like my own.

BLESSINGS ABOUND.