An Interlude to Holiday
Well after a lengthy time away from my journal I return to share some of the events and happenings of the summer so far. This entry will serve more as an update just to catch everyone up to speed.
I'll start fresh with the most recent happening...my vacation with Monica's family to Ludington. What can I say but it is a privilege to be able to partake in such a tradition. I was just so lucky a number of years ago to enjoy the experience and was quite excited when I found out that I would be able to do the same this year. Just imagine an entire week of pure fun and you might have an idea of what it's like.
Those that know me, know that I really enjoy fishing so I was quite excited at the prospect of returning to a place where I had so much success fishing. This year's fishing was a little more lackluster as a storm caused the fish to be quite timid and unaggressive. Nevertheless, I managed to have some relative success one of the mornings that I went out with Jason. I must say that it was a lot of fun going out with him as whenever the fishing got a little slow he rolled with the punches and had me laughing hysterically a number of times. I really enjoyed that time with him. I did manage to catch my first batch of Crappie (Crop-ee) so I was pretty excited by that. For me fishing is not always about catching the fish as it is a great time to sulk and breathe in the beauty that God has created for us. Few things compare in beauty to the sight of seeing the fog rise off the lake before sunset. The lake is so calm and I felt so at ease.
This year had a few great surprises in store for me. One that was quite unexpected was the friendship of some certain little ones. Over the course of the week I got to get to know John and Christina's daughters better. Keirstyn the youngest was a shy little cutie, with Rachel, the older of the two being much more outgoing. I've always been a little hesitant around little girls as for me it had been something relatively unknown. These girls had such character and I found myself captivated by them. Rachel was a little bundle of joy as I witnessed the sweetness that she was capable of. There were two such instances, once when Emma was crying she gave her a hug and when Keirstyn was sad because she was alone and so Rachel went and found her to give her a hug. She has such a vivid imagination and she is truly gifted. She shared with me how she had an entire page of Madeline memorized and a number of her favorite songs. She had me laughing and being silly and I absolutely loved it. Keirstyn at the outset of the week was quite shy around me, but later would warm to me a bit more and I got to see her innocence. John and Christina have raised two amazing little girls and have done well to see that they live a blessed life in the grace of the Lord. They're truly lucky to have you guys for parents and I sincerely thank you for allowing me to get the chance to be with them. They've helped me realize that it would not be bad if later in life I had just two daughters. On the journey back home I felt a sense of sadness as I knew that I was going to miss them until I got to see them again. I suppose that I'll always have the watch that Rachel gave me, so that'll just have to hold me over until I can see them again.
Another one of the great surprises was the digital camera scavenger hunt. Going into it I was quite taken by the idea, but I did not know the amount of fun that it would turn out to be. Creativity and humor ensued, with the desperation with the approaching time deadline. So many great shots were taken and many laughs were had. In the end the hunt resulted in a tie with the photos being judged by the elders of the family (Grandma, Nancy, and Diane).
I loved this year as it seemed as though I got to get to know more of Monica's family and got to see them in their truest form. This vacation was exactly what the doctor ordered. The bocce was great, Balderdash is quite fun, and the Old Hamlin hates me. Thank you all for being so great and fun to be with. Well I'm a little tired so the entry will have to be abbreviated for a later date, perhaps tomorrow. God bless.
I'll start fresh with the most recent happening...my vacation with Monica's family to Ludington. What can I say but it is a privilege to be able to partake in such a tradition. I was just so lucky a number of years ago to enjoy the experience and was quite excited when I found out that I would be able to do the same this year. Just imagine an entire week of pure fun and you might have an idea of what it's like.
Those that know me, know that I really enjoy fishing so I was quite excited at the prospect of returning to a place where I had so much success fishing. This year's fishing was a little more lackluster as a storm caused the fish to be quite timid and unaggressive. Nevertheless, I managed to have some relative success one of the mornings that I went out with Jason. I must say that it was a lot of fun going out with him as whenever the fishing got a little slow he rolled with the punches and had me laughing hysterically a number of times. I really enjoyed that time with him. I did manage to catch my first batch of Crappie (Crop-ee) so I was pretty excited by that. For me fishing is not always about catching the fish as it is a great time to sulk and breathe in the beauty that God has created for us. Few things compare in beauty to the sight of seeing the fog rise off the lake before sunset. The lake is so calm and I felt so at ease.
This year had a few great surprises in store for me. One that was quite unexpected was the friendship of some certain little ones. Over the course of the week I got to get to know John and Christina's daughters better. Keirstyn the youngest was a shy little cutie, with Rachel, the older of the two being much more outgoing. I've always been a little hesitant around little girls as for me it had been something relatively unknown. These girls had such character and I found myself captivated by them. Rachel was a little bundle of joy as I witnessed the sweetness that she was capable of. There were two such instances, once when Emma was crying she gave her a hug and when Keirstyn was sad because she was alone and so Rachel went and found her to give her a hug. She has such a vivid imagination and she is truly gifted. She shared with me how she had an entire page of Madeline memorized and a number of her favorite songs. She had me laughing and being silly and I absolutely loved it. Keirstyn at the outset of the week was quite shy around me, but later would warm to me a bit more and I got to see her innocence. John and Christina have raised two amazing little girls and have done well to see that they live a blessed life in the grace of the Lord. They're truly lucky to have you guys for parents and I sincerely thank you for allowing me to get the chance to be with them. They've helped me realize that it would not be bad if later in life I had just two daughters. On the journey back home I felt a sense of sadness as I knew that I was going to miss them until I got to see them again. I suppose that I'll always have the watch that Rachel gave me, so that'll just have to hold me over until I can see them again.
Another one of the great surprises was the digital camera scavenger hunt. Going into it I was quite taken by the idea, but I did not know the amount of fun that it would turn out to be. Creativity and humor ensued, with the desperation with the approaching time deadline. So many great shots were taken and many laughs were had. In the end the hunt resulted in a tie with the photos being judged by the elders of the family (Grandma, Nancy, and Diane).
I loved this year as it seemed as though I got to get to know more of Monica's family and got to see them in their truest form. This vacation was exactly what the doctor ordered. The bocce was great, Balderdash is quite fun, and the Old Hamlin hates me. Thank you all for being so great and fun to be with. Well I'm a little tired so the entry will have to be abbreviated for a later date, perhaps tomorrow. God bless.