Sunday in Hilton Head

Oh, how I absolutely looove beaching! (And bitching, especially about how our minivan a/c continues to be broken...but I digress.) Super Hubs and I have a Beach Prep Ritual that we've stuck to for many years. It mostly involves me in front of a full-length mirror in my beach wear. I try on a bathing suit, preen this way and that, and try to determine which angles and poses are the most flattering and make me appear (the key word being appear) the most toned. Then I cover every inch of exposed skin with Coppertone #30 and put on a coordinating and trendy cover-up. My hair is swept into a "beach up-do" for that no-fuss look that actually requires about 10 minutes of fuss. (Shhh. It'll be our little secret.) I allow a few tendrils to escape, just for effect. Then a touch of light makeup, with a hint of pink lip gloss. Finally, just as I am reassuring myself that I won't be the most unattractive person at the Beach Club, Super Hubs yells, "What in Sam Hill is taking you so long?? Let's go!" (The Beach Nazi!) We pile into the hot minivan and drive off. And that's the ritual we've assumed for years. It wouldn't be a vacation without it.

Little Squirt, Lover of All Creation, is in his glory. He's seen two "croc-a-gators" in the lagoon in front of our villa, a couple of dead jelly fish, and a baby shark caught and subsequently freed by a fisherman. And, while I was safely reading my Marian Keyes novel from my beach chair, he and Super Hubs were surrounded by a school of a dozen errant yet hospitable sting rays. Oi!! Little Squirt now wants a baby shark for a pet.

The Teens actually woke up at 7am and ran a couple miles together, as Rock Star is in training for Freshman football. Then they went back to sleep until 10am, took a dip in the pool, and showed up on the beach in time to sponge money off us for lunch. They will most likely not show up in many of my blog pix because:
A.) They hate it when I take their pictures.
B.) They really hate it when I take their pictures and post them on my blog.
C.) We don't see them much on vacation. They have their own agenda, which involves lots of eating and sleeping.

As it is Father's Day, I gave Super Hubs first choice of dinner options:
A.) I cook dinner and we eat with the kids in the villa.
B.) We eat dinner out as a family.
C.) I cook dinner for the kids, and we go out alone to dine somewhere fantabulous.
He chose #C. (As I was praying he would! Thank you, Lord!!)

So it's been a wonderful first day in Paradise, even with my sunburned left shoulder. And we found a dude that will supposedly fix our van a/c this week. There are no hurricanes approaching (that we've heard of). And no calamitous natural disasters on the horizon (at least for now). No signs of the Tribulation beginning (yet). Things are definitely looking up :-)