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A day delayed but still passed just as quickly, it is
finally the day to leave for the beach! Technically it will be around 3 a.m.
tomorrow, but I consider that today. It's a long day ahead, but I know that it
will pass quickly...hopefully not too quickly because I still have a lot I need
to do!
The run wasn't too bad; I was so thankful for good weather
yet again! It was super humid, and rain came hard later in the day. It also
really helped me through the run knowing that vacation was up next! I told
myself that I wouldn't have to run those hills for two more weeks, but then
that was maybe not such a good thing...coming back to them would be just as
killer.
I spent basically all day packing. I was a busy bee for
sure. No nap, no Bible study, no laptop, just packing and cooking. I made
myself breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at once so I knew I had everything done
to sustain me into the closing shift at work. I could stay up later and pack if
I needed to, but thankfully, I got it all done beforehand!
Work wasn't too busy as it was a week night, but it was
still a pretty good flow. The shifts before me were not as OCD as I am about
working through a mess and cleaning later, so I walked into a mess and spent
most of my shift cleaning rather than baking. People...it's easier on you and
everyone else if you are careful with food/drinks/ingredients and clean as you
go...also, oil makes a mess. It doesn't mix with water. It is not easily
cleaned. It makes everything slick. The longer dirty dishes sit uncleaned, the
harder it is to get stuff off of them. If you leave batter on the outside of
cups and squirters, gelato on scooper handles, it then gets on your hands and
therefore on everything you touch thereafter...I digress.
Once back home, I ate some leftover poppyseed chicken
casserole before getting ready for bed. That was short-lived. Bed around 12:45,
awake again to go to the bathroom at 2:15, then didn't get to sleep too much
longer before having to get up again to load the car. Sweet Dad was awake with
us; he and Phoebe wished us farewell as we pulled out of the garage around 4
a.m. Needless to say I didn't sleep too well
or too much on the ride, but we ran into a traffic jam when a semi-truck
had caught on fire somewhere between our Spartanburg bathroom break and our
Camden breakfast stop (both McDonald's that we dare not go anywhere
else...creature of habit). I had a blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal to cover
me and support my head, substituting for the comfort of my bed and darkness of
my room. I was half-sleeping, often woken up by Mom's huffing and puffing at
other drivers and the occasional (yet restrained-volumed) road rage. I also
appreciated her playing KLove instead of classic rock, even though she
previously said she needed something to keep her more awake. You will see later
in the week just how much this woman does for me.
At the McDonald's/gas station we go to for breakfast, I have
started choosing to treat myself to a gas station coffee instead of McD because
I can get much better flavors! And how often do I do that!? Maybe a couple times
a year when we are traveling. Gas stations are always so temping for me to buy
all the snacks!
Cool Bible study connection from the ride over! One of the
daily devotions I read was on the same topic that we had just done in Sunday
School the weekend before. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to
the Lord.” This can give us great peace when we accept that there are things
that we simply do not have the answers to. No matter how hard we try, there are
things we will never understand, at least not on our time and efforts. God knows
all the ins and outs of everything, and He keeps it that way. When He wants to
reveal something to us, He will. We don’t have to worry in uncertainty but can
have peace because He is in control. Personally, I am glad that I don’t have
insight into everything. I screw things up often enough with what I do have
responsibility in, so it is good that there are things God has such control
over!
When we got to the hotel around 1 p.m., we walked into an
entirely remodeled lobby! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great, but it was
much better than if we had come the day before! We sat on the beach for just a
little bit then went back upstairs to finish unpacking and get ready to go out
for dinner and groceries.
Fuddrucker's! I am not a burger person, but I will eat the
one's at Fudd's. I especially like the buffalo burger. It's more expensive, but
bison meat is so tasty and lean, and it is something I rarely to never get. It
is the highest-iron meat, too, and I really need that. To make it better, they
also have really good wheat buns and the Fudd-famous topping and sauce bar. I
can load that sucker up with whatever and how much I want.
Ever since I was little, I loved going to Walmart that first
night to get all the snacks and essential items for the week. It is just more
anticipation for the big trip in the coming days. I was also excited to try
some new foods and products that I got there. (To be featured soon, including
but not limited to: Breyer's 2-in-1 ice cream blasts, Not Your Mother's Plumpfor Joy dry shampoo, and the best coconut conditioner on planet earth.)
We ended the day in my favorite beach way: dessert and watching
NBA! Sadly, it is the finals already, but our evenings will usually be filled
with things to do whether or not there is a game on. The past couple beach
trips, Mom and I have had a fun time at night with a sweet treat and NBA or Big
Bang Theory.
Unfortunately, this was also the beginning of even later
nights…I guess I am a teenager/young adult in more ways than I thought.
