Homeward Bound

We are all a little sad that our vacation is over, but we are also looking forward to being home.  We have enjoyed the simplest of pleasures, but so many of them.  The sound of surf, the feel of soft sand between our toes, games of frisbee on the beach and football in the waves.  We have created and laughed and sung.  Mostly we have soaked up each other's company not knowing when the next time will be that we are all together.  Some of us headed down to the beach one last time this morning to watch the sun rise and feed the "chickens." I think a sign of a good vacation is the feeling that you wish you could stay a bit longer.

Last Day

I can't believe this is the last day.  We have had such a great time.  Today we will go down to the beach with  the Brays who are here to take Ethan Bray back to Greenville.  There have been some shenanigans, though. Someone cruelly replaced the Waffle Crisp in the Ethans' villa with Corn Chex.  They discovered this around midnight last night and raided our villa to rectify things.  It seems that nothing is safe anymore.

You are probably wondering about the facial hair competition,  Seth challenged his brothers not to shave for the week of vacation.  Seth has the best beard/mustache combo going on, but the Ethans have declared that Matthew's mustache makes him look "friendly."  You will just have to judge for yourselves.

Family Picture Day

Yesterday was yet another fun day on Kiawah Island. After eating breakfast, everyone (except for the Ethans) hopped on their bikes and went on a bike ride to one of the marsh lookout towers. It was a good ride, but a hot one! Wilson enjoyed riding in his bike trailer. So much in fact, that he fell asleep on the way back. After our bike ride Thomas, Julie, and Wilson headed over to Georgetown to have lunch with Julie's Aunts, Margaret and Roberta. 

   It was a little bit stormy yesterday, so we spent the late morning and early afternoon in the villa. It didn't rain at all, but there was a lot of thunder. Later in the afternoon we headed down to the beach and played some bocce. 

After some fun beach time we ate mom's delicious chicken casserole for dinner, then took some family pictures out on the deck. It was pretty fun trying to get Wilson to smile and sit still for the pictures. 

Over and out,

Faith

Craft Time

Yesterday after lunch we made placemats.  Here is Julie's.  Her design really captures some of the important aspects of our vacation.  Do you see the mouse in the corner?  That's right.  We have a mouse in the house.  He ate a tomatoe, a nibbled a hole in the sealed bag of coffee, and he broke into Wilson's penquin crackers.  That's OK.  It is the stuff vacation lore is made of.  Last night we hid all of the food in the cooler, the oven, and the microwave.  It seemed to work.

Do you see what appears to be a colorful ladder?  It is Matthew's redneck golf game.  It is great fun.  The brothers, Walt, and Faith like to play it.  There are pairs of balls connected with a string.  You toss the balls at the ladder in hopes of wrapping them around the rungs for varying amounts of points.  Wilson quickly figured this game out.  He walked over, picked up a pair of balls, and hung them on the rungs.  Many points!

There is also a gator.  There is a gator living beneath our dock.  He comes out when we come out.  The Ethans have named him Steve.

The wagon has also been a huge feature of this vacation.  Wilson loves his red wagon.  It is a serious business when he gets buckled in.  He holds on tightly with both hands.

Today we will laminate these keepsake placemats so that Wilson can use them at home in Nashville.

Everyone is here!

It is so good to have everyone here.  Thomas and Julie and Wilson appeared at our door at lunchtime.  Here you see Wilson modeling his new hat and eating a banana.  When we got down to the beach, we discovered our cabana was kaput.  But that's OK.  We got to watch Wilson discover the ocean and beach for the first time, and that was priceless. He loved the sandcastle that Papa and Seth had built earlier in the day. It had lots of sticks protruding from it, and Wilson felt it was his duty to remove each and every one. At one point he fell into a hole in the middle of the castle complex.  Pretty funny.  Last night we enjoyed a supper of flank steak and baby potatoes.  Later we had drumsticks, of course. We were too tired to play a board game which Ethan really wanted to do, but there is always today.  It would take a whole other blog post or two to describe the escapades of the Ethans.

Bass Pond Sunday Night Sunset

This is the sunset that Walter, Seth and Faith saw Sunday night on the Bass Pond on an evening bike ride. There were a few people fishing on the dock. Seth got some better pictures than this one when the sun was a little higher, so maybe we will get to view them sometime. We also saw a young gator who seemed to like hanging out at the dock. It was the second evening to spot the big gator in our lagoon. He swam up to the deck next door, then made his way to ours. Faith was the only one on the deck at the time. As the gator swam directly at her, she actually started backing up as if the big guy was going to come out of the water and join her on the deck!  -Walter

We Have Arrived

We arrived at Kiawah around 4:00 PM. The trip was uneventful in spite of heavy traffic.  Everyone helped unpack, and I put the Buckey's BBQ in the oven to heat.  It turns out that the guys are having a facial hair contest.  I don't think the Ethans  will win.  Seth texted Thomas during dinner to let him in on the contest.  After eating we discussed the gist of the whole Bible 'cause we could.  Just before riding bikes to the beach, we spotted a gator in the lagoon - mark that of the beach pail list!  It was great to see the ocean and walk in the surf.  Seth and I even discussed some poetry - 'cause we could.  That's what vacations are for.  The Ethans rode over to check out the basketball court at Night Heron Park.  I am thankful for so many things - my family, this beautiful island, a safe journey, and the clip-on headlight that Walter bought for my bike.

And We're Off!

Vacation, here we come.

Wishing You Could Come, Too

I have had a great time blogging about our vacation preparations.  It has been fun to anticipate it together.      I appreciate all of you who have been following my musings - mostly my mom and sisters.  I wish you could come along with us.  Please continue to follow our vacation journey.  I will try to update once a day with a picture or two, I hope.  And please pray that that we would have a God-glorifying, grace-filled, relationship-building, memory-making time together.


For right now, it's off to the grocery store!

New Car!

Well, he did it.  Matthew purchased a new (to him) car this afternoon.  He and the Ethans have already road tested it on a trip to Target.  Surely we will have plenty of room to carry all that we need.  I think Matthew is pretty pleased with his purchase.  He is going to retrieve his old car from Alabama tomorrow morning.  They still aren't certain what is wrong with it, but Matthew plans to drive it to Greenville, regardless.  Do you know anyone who would like a used red Tahoe with or without a working fuel pump?

Thinking about the beach, from so far away

Oh, the beach. I have a slightly weird attitude about the beach this year... I don't know why. Well, I do know why. This week for Thomas and me is crazy. Truly crazy. It's the AGO national convention. We have a wedding and reception to play Saturday, strings are playing Sunday, car needs new tires, the summer camp I teach is 1 week after get back, Seth and Steve are visiting, out late for fireworks, out late Monday night for the Yale ISM reception, and Thomas is hardly home because of the Fisk being tuned and 2 recitals happening today at Covenant. Meals have been flipped upside down because of our opportunity to eat with some pretty cool organ people. Basically, I can't really dwell on the loveliness of sand and water because we have a crazy week that we are in. BUT, we (Thomas and I) have made a pact. Crazy week this week for a wonderful, amazing, relaxing, edifying week next week. Thomas and I are going to do everything in our power to be able to leave Nashville behind us - which is consequently making this week crazy. But, sometimes when I'm just drinking my coffee, I start thinking about it and it literally makes my heart beat faster I'm so excited. I mean, we haven't done vacation (for more than 36 hours) since our honeymoon. And, on top of that... with you guys. I'm so thankful for the hard work you've (Grammy) put into this trip. Even though it's for the whole family, I feel (as everyone probably does too) that you are putting in special effort for each of us. I love you guys invited us, I love that I get to spend some good quality time with my SEESTAR (Faith), I love that I get to bond and get closer with my MomR, I love that Wilson is going to just explode with excitement on this trip, and I love that our family will all be together. So, MomR, thank you for your hard work and love. I'm right there with you getting my family ready for the epic-ness and I know how hard you are working.

This is how I feel inside about the beach "just give it to me already" - This is also a good indication of what we will all have to encounter at the beach - CRAZY MAN WILSON!

Vacation Blahs

Our much longed for and anticipate vacation is two days away.  What?!!  So why am I feeling weary and let down instead of excited?  What have I been doing this week?  Well...

a lot of this

(Math tutoring - that's right - some students come in the summer time, too.)

A good bit of this:

(Wedding Director stuff)

A whole lot of this:


(Tutoring and wedding directing involved a lot of email this week.)

And mostly this:

(I'm an incorrigible list maker, but I'm still overwhelmed.)

What to do about this state of mind?  I will tell you.  Think of something to be thankful for!
Here is one:

I get to spend time with the Love of My Life next week.

I am also pretty excited about this:

With those things to be thankful for, I think I can overlook the bicycle parked in my living room in front of the pile of STUFF for the beach. We are almost there!

Henna-body Want a ...

... Tattoo?  As part of mandatory craft time this year the Russells will once again have the opportunity to get tatted up - with henna, of course.  We already know that Seth has a knack for creative designs, but I suspect that Julie and Thomas do , too.  Sadly, the Ethans may already be too golden for henna tattoos to show up no their well tanned bodies.  Too bad.  But everyone else should start thinking about where they would like a tattoo and what kind of design they would like.  Dare to be radical, at least for a couple of vacation days.

Vacation Snags

This post could be titled, "When Your Car Lets You Down."  That's what happened to Matthew on his journey through the deep South to get home to Greenville.  His trusty Tahoe kept taking unscheduled breaks as he was tooling down the highway through Mississippi and Alabama.  An incompetent tow truck driver towed the car to a repair shop after leaving the stranded man for an hour to go and ask Daddy how to operate the tow truck.  No vacancies at the motel meant that Matthew spent the night in the uncooperative car in the midst of record breaking heat.  The next day the knowledgeable people at the repair shop replaced the battery and assured Matthew that all was well.  It wasn't.  The Greenville folks heard from Matthew again when he was outside of Anniston, Alabama.  The car was up to its old tricks again.  Matthew coaxed the car to a Chevy dealership.  The repair shop was closed (of course), but the helpful salesmen tried to help Matthew locate a rental car.  No rental places open on a Saturday afternoon.  Walt to the rescue.  Walter left Greenville around 5:30 PM to drive to Alabama and retrieve Matthew.  The tired pair rolled in around 2:00 AM Sunday morning. As of Tuesday morning, no word from the repair shop.  Once repaired,  he will have to figure out how to go back and retrieve his car. Or sell it on the spot.

I might need to start rethinking that Beach packing list.  We might all end up in one car.  These are the trials that keep us dependent upon the Lord.  They also make for great vacation stories.

Home Guard

Job will be one sad puppy when his people abandon him for the beach. His people will miss him, too.  On the bright side, Job loves neighbor Doug whom we hope will take care of him in our absence. And Doug loves Job and lets him in his yard to play with Mia and Diesel.  More importantly, Job will be around to guard the old homestead.  I don't think anyone would dare mess with our stuff after hearing his ferocious bark.

Looking Back

Sometimes the best way to look forward to something is to look back.  Kiawah Islands holds a lot of memories for the Russell family.  Walter and Marcia honeymooned there in 1982 - 30 years ago!  It was only for four days (I had to get back to start the fall semester of my senior year at Clemson.), but it was a magical time.  We rode a bicycle built for two and also took a jeep tour of the undeveloped parts of the island.  If you had told me then that I would return 30 years later with 5 children, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson, I am sure I would never have believed it.  I have a special memory of rising early to get a beautiful sunrise picture.  My sweetie took that picture with a camera I think he borrowed from my dad.  We still have a framed print of it in our home.

Fast forward 25 years.  This time we took everyone but Matthew with us to Kiawah.  We also invited Julie Wilson, and Seth's friends, Sam and Meredith. The villa was crowded, but we had so much fun.  That year was very special because this time Thomas and Julie got up early for the beautiful sunrise.  Actually, Seth got up even earlier so that he could be ready with his camera.  Thomas proposed to Julie, and when they returned to the villa we all celebrated and gave thanks for God's goodness to us.

And there were so many memories in between those two milestone events.  For awhile my parents owned a share of house on Kiawah and they would invite us to join them at various times of the year.  Do you remember the year Matthew's boomerang got stuck up in a tree on the golf course?  How about being attacked my hoards of humongous mosquitoes in front of the dilapidated Vanderhorst Plantation? Do you remember the year we wrote a letter and put it in a bottle and threw it out to sea?  We still have video evidence of a great pirate video directed by and starring Matthew.  What are your favorite Kiawah Island memories?

Overwhelmed

I know we have to eat while at the beach, but I am overwhelmed by the task of buying and transporting all that food.  I thought I would start stocking up this week.  When the cashier at Aldi announced the total, I flinched.  I didn't do any better at Wal-mart.  I am not sure it is even possible to keep Ethan and Seth feeling well fed and full for more than two hours. Now throw Matthew into the equation.  But I am not going to give up.

We certainly cannot not buy all of our food for the week in Greenville and transport it the beach even with Matthew's car to help tote things.  I will probably have to make several trips to Fresh Fields Village throughout our Beach week. My better half enjoys these excursions.



Perhaps someone should do a Google search for the nearest Aldi to Kiawah Island.  I don't think we will go hungry, though.

Don't Forget the Sun Screen

My wonderful husband has a small collection of old Boy Scout handbooks.  In one of these books is some advice encouraging boys to get outside and exercise so that they would not be "pasty white stay-at-homes."  We Russells "resembled" that remark.  It is so true with the exception of Ethan and Faith who have worked hard at becoming "Golden." (Ethan's term, not mine)

The rest of us are going to need some sun screen, lots and lots of sun screen.  Here is a picture I took a couple of years ago when we went to Sarasota, FL.  I guess you get the idea.  By the way, I only provide sun screen for those who reside under our roof for at least three months of the year.

Seth was hoping to get a head start on his tan before leaving for the beach, but I am not so sure that organ tuning or hanging out at the AGO convention is conducive to that. Now perhaps if he could hang out by the kiddie pool with Wilson while Thomas and Julie go to the convention...

What if It Rains?

If it rains, we will just have to have a Downton Abbey Fest, ladies!  It is my favorite.  I have seen all of seasons 1 & 2, but I can re-watch any of the episodes. We will sigh and cry over the beautiful scenes and shake our fists at the evil villains.  By the end we will most likely be speaking with a slight British accent.


But what will the guys be doing?  That is easy.  They can retreat to Matthew's man-cave and watch the Olympic trials. (Hee-Hee)

A very poignant, beautiful, romantic scene from Downton Abbey:

I Like Turtles

One of my favorite vacations was when my mom went with us to Kiawah Island.  It was so much fun to spend time with her on an extended basis.  She fit right in.  She was also a big help in the kitchen.  I think we worked pretty well together, and I loved having the company.  A favorite memory for me was our early morning walks on the beach.  One morning we got to witness baby sea turtles making their way to the ocean.  I will never forget it.  So, is anyone up for an early morning walk on the beach with me this year?

And while we are on the topic of turtles, here is another favorite meme video.  It always gets a laugh.

Mandatory Craft Time

Another traditional feature of Russell Family Beach Trips is "Mandatory Craft Time."  It is fun to sit around the table together and create.  It can be as simple as coloring in a coloring book.  Remember the art gallery displayed on the fridge last year?  One of the crafts this year is to make place mats for  Wilson.  I will pack markers, crayons, place mats, contact paper, scissors, glue, tape, and, of course, the Ed Emberley drawing books.  Let's create some memories!

Jellyfish

I hope that a perfectly good morning of boogie boarding and getting golden does not get ruined by one of these creatures, but you never know.  It is best to be prepared for every contingency.  Please read the following information carefully.  Just in case.

If you are stung by a jellyfish, remove any tentacles that are adhered to the skin (generally, the tentacles do not stay on the skin, but merely brush across an arm or a leg). Use anything available to get the tentacles off to avoid being stung again.

Contrary to popular belief, alcohol, urine, and picric acid should not be used on a jellyfish sting as they actually cause more nematocysts to release venom into the skin. Simple products almost everybody has at home are great for reducing the effects of the sting like mean tenderizer, baking soda, vinegar, and sugar (any one of these substances will do).

Scraping a jellyfish sting with something like a credit card may also help remove the nematocysts and alleviate the stinging sensation.

After treatment of the sting, the area will generally produce raised red bumps and could be sore or itch. In severe cases, medical treatment may be needed, but generally this isn’t the case.

Things to Remember:

• Jellyfish are most prevalent in warm water. Swimmers in August and September generally suffer the most jellyfish stings, but the warmer the water the more likely jellyfish will occur. The summer of 2010 had an early jellyfish due to the extreme temperatures that summer which raised the water temperature
• Dead jellyfish can still sting you, so it is best to avoid them when they wash up on the beach
• Carry baking soda or vinegar with you when planning on staying at the beach all day. This will aid in the case of a jellyfish sting without disrupting the day

I'll pack the vinegar!


Oh, and while we are on the topic of jellyfish, here is the classic Julian Smith video:

Necessary Apparel

Grammy couldn't resist and purchased this snazzy yellow beach hat for Wilson.  With an SPF of 50+, it should offer excellent protection for the little guy. His mama may have already found one for him.  That's all right.  He can have a spare in case he loses one or one of the uncles borrows one and forgets to return it.  The yellow hat is definitely cuter with the brim unsnapped.

Dorfman Pacific Kindercaps Twill Boonie Hat -

The Dorfman Pacific Kindercaps Twill Boonie Hat for Kids is a great way to keep your young one protected from the sun.

Garment washed twill is soft and cool.

A contrasting underbrim cuts glare in your child's eyes.

Side snaps let you hold the sides of the brim up for more air flow or Aussie style.

A cinching chin strap keeps the hat on their head when the wind picks up.

Eyelets in the crown increase ventilation.

Keep your child's head protected from the sun's harmful rays with this great hat from Kindercaps.

Beach Bike

This is pretty much my dream beach bike.  Wide tires, no gears, and plenty of carrying space for water, bug spray, a towel, my flip camera, and band-aids. I especially like the headlight. I have had some nightmare episodes of bike riding behind my intrepid husband in the DARK.  "We'll be back before dark," were his famous last words. I believed him and ended up riding blind down curving paths lined with ferocious alligators. (shudder)  I bet the tiger on this bike would scare even the gators away.  The only improvement I would make would be a child seat for Wilson.  Tell me about your dream beach bike.

Home Away from Home

Let's take a look at where we will be staying while vacationing at Kiawah. True, you may have already viewed these videos, but it is harder than you think to come up with a new topic to blog about every day.




Below is Matthew's villa.  The Ethans will stay in this one.  I like his kitchen better.  Just sayin'...

Family Devotions

A highlight of our vacation for this blogger will be family time around the table.  Let's be sure to have family devotions.  I challenge each of you to bring along a favorite Scripture passage as well as your thoughts or somebody else's thoughts on it to share with us.  It might be something you heard in a sermon or in Sunday School.  It might be something you read in a book or on the web.  It should be kind of short as I have heard that Wilson does not always like family worship. This is an optional assignment, more like a suggestion.
And, Thomas, Julie, and Seth, could we sing?  Pretty please?  One time?  Instruments are definitely optional, but you may want to bring some song sheets.

Beach Treat

Last year instant peach tea became a beach classic.  We went through several pitchers of this wonderful drink.  There is not a thing healthy or wholesome about it, but teenage boys and older boys for that matter seem to find it refreshing.  I better start stocking up now.



I have ordered a rare, nearly impossible to find breakfast treat.  It is a surprise.  All I will tell you is that it rhymes with "awful lisp."  If you know what it is, don't tell!!

Good News

It turns out that Ethan Bray's baseball tournament was cancelled, so he will get to spend the entire week at the beach with us after all.  Some of you may need to prepare yourselves for the intensity of Ethan^2.  Having him along was a whole lot of fun last year, and I am sure it will be this year.  He is Ethan's other half.  Besides, the Ethans will be staying in Matthew's condo.

Mr. Bean

The name of our beach blog comes from a memorable line from the very funny film Mr. Bean's Holiday. Mr. Bean does not have many lines in movie, but when asked where he is going, he responds, "To the beach!"  It is the way he says it that makes us laugh.  Our family has quoted Mr. Bean many, many times.  I tried to find a clip of the famous line, but could not.  Here is a trailer for that movie.  We might have to watch the whole movie at the beach.

Father's Day

If you know Walter Russell, then you know that he loves going to the beach more than anyone else does.  The thought of a beach vacation gets him through long, grueling work weeks.  To honor him on Father's Day, we thought we would give him some beach items.


The first is this awesome gazebo.  Now we can all have a little shade since we won't all fit in the cabana with Wilson.  The only problem is that this Gazebo takes four people to open it and set it up.  Oh, and did I mention that it weighs over 30 pounds? Can you carry this on your bike, Matthew?  Perhaps I should have bought the collapsible wagon from Aldi, too.

 
We also gave him this.  Ethan and Walter immediately tried it out.  It is definitely an outdoor toy. Great for water balloons, too.

Are you making your lists of essential items for beach time fun?

Beach Pail List

On July 7, 2012, the family of Marcia and Walter Russell will head for the beach on Kiawah Island.  Everyone should be looking forward to a week of relaxation, recreation, memory making, and hilarity.  This requires no small amount of preparation.  Since anticipation is at least half the fun, we need to start preparing and anticipating. To that end, we will begin making our Beach Pail List - you know, that list of things we want to be sure to do before heading for home again.  So, what should be on our list?

1. Long bike ride
2. Build a significant sand structure
3. Play a board game
4. Fly a kite
5. Mandatory craft time
6. Eat Drumsticks (the ice cream kind)
7.   
8.   
9.   
10.   

Leave your ideas in the comment section, and I will update the list.