Friday, February 20, 2009

A "Beautiful" Vacation

For those of you popping by from The Inspired
Room's Beautiful Life
you are joining a
series of posts already in progress about
our vacation, real time.

I chose to continue because there
are things about this vacation that
tie into my overall theme of wellness
and simplicity.

It is possible to watch your spending
and eating even when away from home.
It is also possible to find things
to enjoy even when you are not doing
the things that you personally would
choose to do...

So here you have...





My Beautiful Life... Even at the Beach.
You are saying, huh?
Truth...I don't like the beach.

Sorry...I just don't.

This is why you have not, until today
seen photos taken at beach level.

Jonathan and I are beach shunners.


Mikey and Chelsea love the water, sand and all
things beachy!
They have been thick as thieves.



Here they are collecting some sand,
water and shells to share with friends.

It is beautiful to see them playing
and working together.



A storm blew in....


We shot a little pool.
There was much laughter.
We have never done this as a family
before. Jonathan likes to shoot pool
and so he is decent at it.
But, the rest of us...just funny!



When we were done, the sky and
beach were back to this!


So my two "fish" children were back at it.
They played in the water for a long
time



and then when sufficiently frozen
spent a couple of hours on this.



It says,
"Don't build your house
on the sandy land!"



I just had to laugh...
What do two homeschoolers
do when left to play on a beach?



Create!



And leave a message!
Too funny!
Everyone who went by had to stop.
They even were asked to allow someone
to take a picture.



For me, watching them work so happily
together made me appreciate the beautiful
life I enjoy!

Family, as friends.







Jonathan was hanging out with me on the cement.



Ok, we did take a walk on the beach and that
is ok, but from the safety of poolside and comfy
chair...Jonathan got a kick out of what was over
my head.



I am so glad he only took the picture
and didn't come over and turn that
shower on.
Such an unflattering picture with the
wind and all...but...funny!

We have been so good about our eating
while away. Well, there was that night
at the hotel when we enjoyed junk food
but that was planned. We have only eaten
out a few times the whole time we have been
gone. I packed food for the car and then
we have been able to cook in our time share
kitchen here. Very enjoyable.

And as for the finances, I am in my glory
with an Excel Spreadsheet tracking spending
for the different categories. Too much fun!
I know, that is not for everyone...but for
this financial analyst it works. I am watching
every dollar because I know I will have to
put it into a column and account for it.

We are budget vacationing in the most fun way!!!!

Enjoy your beautiful life!

♥♥Becky K.♥♥

13 comments:

Teresa said...

Oh happy vacation- sorry, I love the beach- I think its great that you enjoyed your time there even not being a "beach" person- way to take one for the team.
Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

That might be the coolest sand castle we've ever seen! Awesome work, guys! Thanks for sharing! All is well back home.... Judy

southerninspiration said...

I agree somewhat....I love some things about the beach and not so much on others. It sounds like your family is enjoying their time together. How fabulous!

Suzanne

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a sandcastle! Love it! Glad you had a wonderful time full of great moments to remember!
-Kim

Deidra said...

I wish I could live at the beach, but I live right smack dab in the middle of America so, no beaches for me. I so enjoyed your photos, thanks for sharing. But my absolute favorite is your kids' sandcastle!

daisy said...

Mmmm...thanks for sharing your vacation with us!

My favorite picture: the one with the seagulls. I'd have been on the beach, but I don't know about playing in the water. When I was their age--absolutely! Now, not so much.

Loved the sand castle! And the quote. That is awesome. LOL

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

oh, yes, a beautiful life is not complete without taking time to build sandcastles!

Sandy said...

I am totally a beach going kind of girl and I loved seeing your photos! Amazing sand castle sculpture! I agree that you have a great vacation and not blow the budget. Have fun!

sherry said...

What an awesome sand castle! So glad pictures were taken because it's a work of art. Love the scriptural (and logical) words as well. :o)

Vacationing on a budget. Yep. We do the same thing. I typically use a little notebook as a ledger of just where our $ is going. We try to rent hotel/motel rooms that have kitchenettes, or we vacation in our way-cool vintage trailer which is usually stocked nicely for quick getaways.

I'm a beach lover. I'm a mountain lover. I'm a plains lover. But I am not..I repeat..not..a desert lover. :o)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful and relaxing!! Looking at Mikey and Chelsea is so very neat and of course Jonathan just "hanging out" Still praying for your health EVERYONE!!!
Jon & Sue

Charmingdesigns said...

I enjoyed your blog. Glad you had lots of laughter

~~Deby said...

oh what a great time..you can tell by the pictures...their sand creation is so neat....love ALL the pictures..
Deby

Kelly said...

I am completely with you and Jonathan. I do not like the beach and neither does my husband, but our boys would be right out there in the water and creating on the sand with Mikey and Chelsea.