Fripp Island

OK, so I'm running for slackest blogger of the year. I hope I can count on your vote!

A few weeks ago, we went on a family vacation to Fripp Island with Isaac's extended family (on his dad's side). This was Caleb's first time seeing the ocean, and we were really excited for him. We left on Thursday, after Isaac got home and arrived about 9:00 that night. When we arrived at the house, the moon was shining so brightly that we were able to see the ocean pretty well. Caleb's first reaction to seeing the ocean was, "Wow! That's a lot of water." He then asked if there were whales in "that ocean" and, at one point, remarked that "we could give Jessie a good bath in the ocean." :)

On our first morning, Isaac, Caleb, and I woke up early and had breakfast outside on the deck, overlooking the water. Because we were staying on the south side of the island, we didn't have beach until around 10:45 each day. That meant the water was pretty much right at our deck all morning. It was so relaxing out there! There were a few swallows fluttering about and tons of pelicans flying overhead. We actually got to watch several groups of pelicans change their formations. That was really remarkable. To see how well-orchestrated their movements were was just... well, I can't imagine how anyone could deny the existence of God after watching it. It was just amazing. In addition to the birds, we also saw a small pod of dolphins and even spotted a shark getting some breakfast! Yikes! This was all before 9:00 in the morning! When we finally had beach to walk on, we headed down and stayed for several hours (during which I managed to get a nasty sunburn). Caleb had a blast! Once he got used to the waves, he would run from them as they came in and then chase them back out. It was really great to watch him play so freely.

One of the coolest things about Fripp Island is that there are deer everywhere. Most of these deer are very friendly and will let you feed and even pet them! This was truly one of the biggest highlights for all of us. There was one buck in particular that became quite a fixture at our house. The kids named him Max. He came every morning and evening to eat and, one day, even brought a couple of friends with him. Max became pretty accustomed to being fed anytime he came around, so when he arrived one afternoon while we were all watching a movie, he seemed less than thrilled to be ignored. He peered in at us for about 30 minutes, before giving up and moving on!

Our last morning at Fripp, Isaac and I set our alarms to get up in time to watch the sunrise. Though it was really cloudy, it was still a beautiful scene. Being at the beach was such a great reminder of how big God is and how small we are. Observing the intricacies of the ocean and witnessing the sheer vastness of it all was staggering at times. But, I was also reminded of that verse in Matthew (I believe it's chapter 6, but don't quote me) that talks about observing the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and not worrying about tomorrow. Seeing the attention to detail that God displays in every aspect of nature is such a reassurance of how loved and revered we truly are. I definitely think I get too bogged down by things in my everyday life. It was really nice to get away and truly get to appreciate God's creation in all its splendor and to be reminded of what a beautiful thing it is to just rest in him.