Saturday, April 19, 2008

Counting My Blessings

Yesterday was a top ten day. We decided that since it was such a nice day and we had all the girls, we scratched all our plans and got spontaneous. We packed a picnic lunch and the kites and headed for the Hammonds at Waterford Beach.

We ate our lunch with the scent of the ocean breezing over us. Then the girls flew kites for about 45 minutes. The wind was there but not steady enough for any real height. So we decided to walk on the beach. As we walked Sam told the stories his mom had told him about growing up on that very property. Sam's grandfather had been the caretaker of the land long before it was given to the town of Waterford. Waterford Beach was my mother-in-law's back yard! Can you imagine!?

The girls were warned to not get their feet wet as we walked. So of course they made a game of how close they could get to the waves. I had one of those snapshot moments: you feel as though you are watching yourself from on the outside. You know: you are walking along and realize how truly blessed your life is. That you are holding the hand of the guy you are still madly in love with; you have the most amazing kids that are having the time of their lives dodging the waves. You watch as Abby grabs Samantha and carries her, squealing, running away from the wave Samantha hadn't noticed because she was too involved looking at the mussel shell. You think about how hopefully someday your kids will be bringing their kids to this beach and telling them the stories of their great grandmother's growing up days.

As we walked back, Samantha needed to use a bathroom. Since the bathrooms were all locked up and Sam didn't think that he could get by at the Hammond house with "My mom used to live here, can we use your bathroom," we drove to my in-law's to use their restroom. Once my mother-in-law heard where we had been, she began to tell the girls even more stories about growing up in the 1920s and 30s. Eugene O'Neil, catching snakes with her brothers, riding bikes as fast as they could around the Hammond House.

We left there to go to Lowes where we picked out the selving we needed for the mudroom. They had tile on clearance with an additional 50% off that was perfect for the bathroom and they had a complete shower that had a chip in the base that they marked down another $100 for us. So we had that stuff set aside until we could come back without the girls to pick it up. We priced out the fixtures we wanted for the bathroom. Since there is no hurry yet, we'll keep our eyes on it for discounts or damages.

When we came home I checked in on my bees. They are all doing fine. One hive is definitely stronger and they got additional frames put on top to give them more room.

After we drove Hannah to the girls scout camp we went back to Lowes to pick up the tiles, etc. We then went to the mall to spend some "alone time". At Old Navy I had a coupon for $20 off any purchase and we found Sam a pair of $24 pants! We walked through a few more stores to see if we could find a denim skirt for me. Apparently, unless you are willing to wear a skirt that just grazes the middle of your hip, you won't be wearing a denim skirt this summer!

On our way home the battery in the van began to die. This is the third battery in 6 months to do this. We barely made it home: no gauages, faint headlights, no interior lights. The last time they told us it wasn't the alternator, although we now suspect it is. Sam had to turn down overtime last night so that he could be home today to deal with it. I am glad for the timing though. If it hadn't happened last night and he had taken the OT, I would have lost the battery during the day today when I would have been driving all over the place with all the girls.

Definitely counting my blessings!

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