Lot's to cover today so I'll get right to it.
Amanda usually gets up really early and this morning was no different. I woke up around 5:30 to the sounds of her fighting with the coffee maker. Apparently, the machine has officially given up. Soon after her battle, I felt her hand on my shoulder and she whispered, "hunny....are you going running" I moaned back "uh huh" (that's the affirmative, not to be confused with "uh uh," the negative). She then proceeded to whisper, "could you go get me some coffee before you go, the coffee machine is broken." She told me I could just get some from the gas station up the road, but I knew better. That's like saying "you don't have to get me a Christmas present this year." I went ahead to the village hoping that the Starbuck's inside the market would be open. It wasn't, but, the Java Java across the street was. Best husband in the world score got a +1.....I hope!
My goal was to do an eight mile run today. It's been too long since I've gone that far and the conditions here are perfect to shoot for it. The terrain couldn't be any flatter and there isn't any traffic to contest with. The temperature is also pretty close to perfect in the mornings. It's cold at the start but it feels good by the time you hit the first mile. There are areas beyond where we're at that I really wanted to explore and so I headed further down the island. Just before the 4 mile mark, I entered an area called the Preserve. This is essentially a subdivision full of unbelievable homes that are clearly built to minimize the impact but still offer amazing views of the surrounding marsh lands. Right at the 4 mile point, I noticed a marker for a hiking trail. I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to run some trails, so, despite having reached what was supposed to be my turn around point, I hit the trails. The trails were short but beautiful. With long narrow bridges barely hovering over the marsh and deer track covered paths, it really was amazing. While beautiful, I was a little nervous thinking about what I could potentially come across out there....alone. Those moments are good exercises in faith. I wouldn't want to avoid the opportunity to take in more of the beauty of His creation for fear that He wouldn't protect me. I finished the trails, regained my bearings and started back. In the end, I added a mile of trails to my run and ended up at 9 miles. It felt great....until I stopped. Everything seems to be fine now.
Now back from my run, I realized I had missed out on my favorite breakfast....Monkey Bread. Fortunately, there was plenty left over for me to devour. Next, we all got ourselves together and headed out to try to get some good family photos. Having just seen what I considered some of the most picturesque spots of the island, I decided to take everyone there for pics. We found a few spots and got shots of the whole family, the kids with Aunt Ashley, the kids together, the kids individually, etc. Everything went pretty well until Parker, who being a 4 year old boy who has to grab everything around, decided to grab a firm hold and pull on a thorn covered limb. Needless to say, a simple "walk it off" wouldn't cut it for this one (no pun intended). We got the injury dealt with and Parker regained his composure for a few more pics. Photoshoot wrapped, we explored more of the preserve and then headed to the village for lunch. Amanda had been excited to try Ladles, a soup and sandwich shop. This was a true moment of sacrifice for me. I don't do soups! I will say though, this place was pretty cool. It was simple and unique. The entire wall behind the counter was painted in chalkboard paint and contained the standard menu as well as the days specials and information on vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. I had a sandwich that, I'll admit, was good. With the exception of Parker's grilled cheese, everyone else had soups. Amanda had a soup sample....4, 5 ounce soup shots. Each day my wife has found a "new favorite" and, for the time being, Ladles is it. Soup bowls emptied, we had to take care of the one thing we do every time we visit the village....run around the tree. Then, it was time for ice cream.
Yesterday, when we visited Vincent's, the kids had all committed to their orders before we noticed the last item on the menu...the Vacation Sundae! This is a monster of a sundae containing 6 scoops of ice cream and 3 toppings dispersed between layers. It comes surved in a commemorative beach bucket. We enjoyed our sundae to the point of discomfort and moved on. Good thing I put in the miles this morning.
After our healthy lunch and not so healthy dessert, it was nap time. We came back and hung out at the condo while Reed napped. Avin and Amanda worked on some school work, Parker and Cooper played games, Ashley did some journaling on the patio and I dozed in and out of consciousness on the couch. At one point, I woke up to Ashley yelling something about dolphins. We all went out to the patio and watched as a school of them surfaced again and again. No big, Sea World style jumps but it was still a very cool experience.
Knowing we didn't have much daylight left, we got everyone ready and got in a quick bike ride. We've been motivated to get a ride in everyday. We did the 1 mile loop around our park area and then jumped in the car to go to the Marsh Island tower. This spot is a little hidden but it was recommended to us by another friend who has come to Kiawah every summer her whole life. We had to park the truck in a nearby neighborhood and walk to the trail head but it was worth it. After crossing over the marsh from the main island onto another, very small island, we found the tower. It is a 3 story, very kid friendly tower that overlooks the wetlands and we got there at the perfect time. We watched the sun go down and paint the wet lands a beautiful golden color. Parker didn't find the beauty. Apparently, when we said "tower" he pictures ladders and climbing. To him, this was a disappointment. The rest of us didn't let that spoil it. With the sun still providing just enough glow to see our way through the dense brush surrounding the short trail, we headed back to the truck. It was now time for dinner.
I mentioned Fischer's in a previous post and how I was determined to return to try that burger. Well, today was the day. When we got there, we were talking to the waitress and telling her how funny it was that the one restaurant that we decided to go to for a second time was the one restaurant that we ended up at with no premeditated intent. The place really isn't anything fancy at all. It's small and isn't much to look at but the food is great. The burger was great, as I expected, and the kids all inhaled there food. I'll take this moment to mention just how great the kids have been. Everywhere we've gone, people have noticeably been impacted by our kids in a positive way. I know it's difficult not to notice the family with a bunch of young children, but we've seen so many smiles invoked by our kids this week that it makes us proud to be their parents. Proud until it's time to get in the car.
With my burger craving tamed, we needed to stop by the market quickly before getting back to the condo. I'm not completely sure what happened, but Cooper had one of her "I'm way too tired and a total 3 yr old girl" meltdowns. I gave her one of my ultra intimidating, dad talks and got her to calm down. I ran into the market to get some TP and grabbed some small treats to serve as dessert for the kids. Once back to the condo, we all got our PJ's on and enjoyed our sweet treats. We watched a little bit of Santa Claus on TV and it was off to bed.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I have what I think is a pretty exciting goal for my morning run (not distance but destination). I'll write about that tomorrow. In the mean time, it's off to bed.
Goodnight,
JS
1 comment:
Love this picture.
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