Hilton Head 6/29 and The End

For our last full day in Hilton Head, we rode our bikes almost the whole day.  We packed some protein bars and started riding around 9 AM.  Just look at all that hard-packed sand!

 We were curious about the other resorts and hotels on the island and did some investigating.  It was really very selfish.  We just wanted to be prepared with our top choice of resort the next time  my mom had an extra time share week.  I kept imagining what it would be like to bring all of our kids to any of those Hilton Head resorts.  In my mind, it seemed pretty perfect.

After seeing a couple of resorts, we were very hungry.  It was a 90-degree, humid day and the bike path on the way to food was not shaded by trees.  I was more than slightly uncomfortable.  We ate at a diner housed in a trailer.  I smelled grease as soon as we walked in and it made me nauseous.  But I was too hungry to be picky.  There was Boston Red Sox fan gear everywhere.  Steve said to the owner, "good thing we're not Yankee fans."  

The owner misunderstood and thought that Steve said we were Yankee fans.  He swore and then asked me, pointing to my belly, if Steve did that to me.  I nodded and he said, "Why did you let an (expletive) Yankee fan do that to you?" We had to explain quickly that we were NOT Yankee fans.  I just wanted him to stop swearing.  I just wanted to eat my food and get out of there.  Unfortunately, they only took cash.  So poor Steve had to go out in that awful heat again, and ride to an ATM. 

We stopped at one last resort before going back to the hotel.  We   went for a swim in the ocean and sat on the sand for a while.  Then we rode back to our hotel.  We watched a couple of shows together before getting ready for dinner.

We drove to Chart House, which is right on Skull Creek.  It was  steamy outside.  We decided to go for the Happy Hour and just get a bunch of appetizers for dinner.  I think we need to dine that way more often.  We loved being able to choose so many different plates and have it still be cheaper than all of our other Hilton Head dinners.

This was the sunset.

Us.

We drove to Robert Irvine's Eat! restaurant for some chocolate cake, and then we packed up our stuff that night.  We had an early flight the next day.  When we got back to Ie Mei's place, our kids were happily playing with their cousins.  We were so happy to see them.  We missed them.  Yes, children are a lot of work and can bring on some major stress, but we could never feel as happy or fulfilled without them.

Steve and I needed this break, and Ie Mei knew that. After months of being sick and depressed, we did what I never thought could ever happen: we drifted.  For those months, as soon as he got home, he took care of the kids, and I went to my bed to rest.  We were functioning and getting by, but we weren't building anything.  I'm grateful that we got through that difficult time and I know that when hard times come again, we will get through those too.

I'm grateful for my angel sister, who knew how I was struggling, perceived my needs, and did all she could to help.  She's always been that way for me.  Thank you, Ie Mei!

I'm grateful for Steve. There are too many reasons why. Marrying him was the best choice I ever made.  Sometimes I get sad thinking about change and the future.  Someday our kids will go away and have their own families.  Mom and Dad won't be their favorites anymore.  But I feel so comforted knowing that wherever Steve goes, I go.  We'll always be each other's favorites.  What a beautiful thing.