Another Great Beach Trip

We had another great week at the beach with our friends from our small group at Heartsong. For those that may not know, for the past six years we have rented a house right on the beach with all the families under one roof. It is a lot of fun and a week of relaxation. Each family takes a night and prepares dinner for everyone. Meals this year included chicken pasta, enchiladas and tacos, hamburgers and hotdogs, chicken stir fry, and party foods the night of the NBA draft.
The weather was fabulous this year despite the threat of a tropical storm when we were arriving. It caused huge waves our first full day here, but they were amazing to see.
The kids had a ton of fun playing in the waves and in the sand...and in a little pool of ocean water that was created by a sand bar right near our tents we had set up. Sand dollars were ALL OVER this year! It was neat to see them.
Of course, one day we hit the outlets in Foley and then went to lunch at Mellow Mushroom with several families.
We also rented a pontoon boat for the day that had a top level we could jump off and a slide to go down. It was fun and everyone enjoyed it. We played banagrams,UNO, and other games. We took lots of pictures. The guys went deep sea fishing one day. We went crab hunting two nights. Lots of fun!
As I was looking for shells, it made me think about the awesomeness of God. He created everything and makes no mistakes. Some shells were broken just like people have broken aspects of their lives...but rather than throw us back (like many shell hunters do), God picks us up and thinks we are precious! I may have heard that comparison before but can't remember who said it.
The week ended quickly and we loaded up and came home. We really cherish the time we have at the beach with no schedule and just hanging out with great friends. God has blessed us with that time with everyone. We are already talking about next year...can't wait!