It had been a long time coming, and was badly needed. Vacation. A change of scenery. The ocean breeze and the sound of the waves effect an immediate drop in blood pressure and stress for us. Although I do not consider myself to be a beach girl (I do not sit in the sand or get in the ocean), my heart is blessed by sitting on the condo balcony and allowing God’s magnificent creation to overwhelm me.
Last week, Greg and I, along with his sister, Angie, and her husband, Steve, spent the week in Orange Beach, Alabama. It was a week of rest, relaxation, shopping, seafood, game playing, and sharing life. This was the first time the four of us had vacationed together, and it was good.
Today, I wanted to share a bit of our vacation with you through words and pictures.
The moment we walked into the condo, we were drawn onto the balcony by this view. Stunning, huh?
Greg and I are shameless foodies, and baked oysters were very high on the list of priorities for us. We love ’em and ate them almost every day. My favorites are the parmesan oysters.
As I said, food is a huge priority for us when we are on vacation, and no trip to Orange Beach would be complete without a meal at Lamberts, home of the Throwed Rolls. We caught and ate several on our visit there.
This was the first time the four of us had vacationed together. Greg’s sister, Angie, and her husband, Steve, are a ton of fun. They like to eat as much as we do, so that was a huge plus.
Greg and I took an early morning walk on the beach a couple of times, and on one occasion we were met by this little guy. Cute, isn’t he? He just sat there looking at us like he had been waiting on us to come out for a very long time!
I love to capture pictures of waves and sunrises/sets. Here are a couple of pictures of those wonders of God.
VACATION, for me, means reading a good book. I had been saving the newest release from Joel Rosenberg especially for this trip. As usual, Rosenberg did not disappoint. If you have never read any of his books, you simply must. He is a Jewish Christian who has an incredible gift of being able to read Scripture and see our world today in it. Rosenberg has several fictional series based on biblical texts that are riveting and eye-opening. I’ve read all of his books, and I highly recommend them.
Greg’s entire family loves to play cards and table games. On this trip we played Farkle and Canasta. I had never played either, and was not sure how easily I would learn them. After a few games of Canasta, I had the game down pretty well. The girls played against the guys and we each won an equal amount of games. It was great fun.
Most mornings, Greg and I walked about 3.5 miles down Perdido Beach Boulevard and back to our condo to get some exercise. It was a good time for us to talk and process the week and life in general. We talked about how incredibly blessed we are. Family, jobs, good health, and so many more blessings that we do NOT take for granted. We know that it could all be taken away in a heartbeat, so we thank God for the blessings and enjoy them.
While we were at the beach, I celebrated my birthday….my 51st birthday on June 16th. The day was a low-key affair for us, but I was abundantly blessed by several hundred birthday wishes on Facebook, as well as texts and calls from friends and family.
The week passed so quickly, and we all left Orange Beach wishing for a second week. Thank you for the opportunity to share our week with you. Join me here on Wednesday for our gathering at The Loft where will be sharing about our favorite Psalm. Grace and peace, friends.
