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.

Hilton Head 6/28

We actually had a schedule on Thursday.  We woke up early and went swimming in the pool.  Steve did a full swim workout and I lasted about four laps.  We swam in the ocean for a bit.

Hilton Head during low tide is a dramatically different beach.  There's a good length of hard-packed sand for people to walk or ride bikes on.  It's so lovely.  

We dressed and rushed to find a place to eat breakfast.  We went to an average diner, where Steve ate some eggs with toast and I ordered corned beef hash.  I think the last time I ate corned beef hash was in high school.  My dad used to make it for breakfast, from a can, of course.

We went to a day spa to get massages, plus a pedicure for me.  Massages are not something that sound heavenly to me usually. Mostly, I find it awkward to have someone other than Steve touching me all over.  But I did end up enjoying the massage.  It was especially beneficial to my aching legs and neck.  The masseuse had to keep telling me to relax, and then she asked me if I was in a helping profession.  "I've got three children," was my response.

Pedicures, on the other hand, I would love to get once a week.  I brought my own bottle of Essie's "Mint Candy Apple" for my pedicure and loved the result.

I was hungry after all that, so we went to Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe.  The food there was great.  Steve had an omelette and I had a french dip sandwich.

We headed to the beach with our books and towels.  I spotted a couple holding slushy drinks in their hands.  I thought it was frozen lemonade, and had to have some right then.  We went to the bar, but unfortunately frozen lemonade was not an option. We settled for some virgin pina coladas.  It tasted like heaven in the summer heat.

We rented bikes in the late afternoon.  We rode several miles to our dinner spot, Catch 22.  It was a warm day, but much of Hilton Head's bike trail is shaded on both sides by trees.  Catch 22 was my favorite meal of our whole trip.  I ate the most perfectly cooked scallops with the most perfect ravioli.  Steve and I both kept saying how perfect the food was throughout our meal.  Eating delicious food we can talk about is one of my favorite things to to do with him.

We continued our bike ride after dinner.  We rode to the southern beach and tried our bikes out on the hard-packed sand for the first time.  So fun.

We headed to Pino Gelato for dessert and there were way to many delicious flavors to choose from (how does Nutella gelato sound?).  I ended up choosing blueberry and peach, which were both so good.

Back at the hotel, I was grateful to rest my legs in the air-conditioned room.  We ended the day with some cuddling in bed, watching shows, and feeling blessed to be alone.

Hilton Head 6/27

We woke up at ten.  TEN!  Of course food was the first thing on my mind.  We went to Signe's for brunch.  Rachael Ray loves their deep dish french toast so that's what I ordered.  It was fine. I knew better than to trust Rachael Ray.

Next, we stopped at Barnes and Noble to pick up some beach reading.  Steve chose Robinson Crusoe, and I chose How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk.

We laid on our beach towels and read.  Steve had a work problem that he had to solve so he was on the phone for a while.  When I got too hot, I either swam in the ocean or jumped in the beach side pool of our hotel.  I tried taking a nap on the sand, but it was too hot for me to be comfortable.  Me being too hot was an ongoing issue for us during our vacation.  I had forgotten how uncomfortable it is to be pregnant during the summer time.

We went back to our room to shower and get dressed for dinner.  Skull Creek Boathouse Restaurant is right on Skull Creek, and on their website, they even have a countdown clock for watching the sunset from the restaurant.  We sat on a high top table outside by the bar so we wouldn't have to wait.  We had their yummy seafood chowder to start, Steve ordered shrimp and grits, and I ordered blackened tile fish.  It was all so delicious.  If you're ever in Hilton Head, Skull Creek Boathouse is a must.

We were much too early to watch the sunset, but we enjoyed a post-dinner walk together.  And then I got too hot, so we went back to our hotel.

We watched some shows together and then watched the sunset from our balcony.

It was such a nice and relaxing day.  It was kind of unreal to be without our kids.  Ie Mei posted some instagram pictures of our precious, sleeping babes that night, and I missed them.  But there is no reason to be sad when you're alone in a beautiful place with your favorite person in the universe.

Getting Away 6/26

I am blessed to have a real live angel for a sister.  Ie Mei is so selfless and always so willing to serve those she loves.  

A while back, she told me that she'd like to watch our kids so Steve and I could get away.  She also said that she had a free airline ticket that she wanted to give us.  Did I also mention that she offered all this to us with no expectation that we do the same for her and Brad?  Someday though, I am going to watch her kids for however long she wants me to so she and Brad can enjoy the same loveliness that we enjoyed during our five days and four nights in Hilton Head, SC. 

We left in the morning on June 26 and drove twenty-five minutes to the Evansville airport.  We checked in just thirty minutes before our flight.  There were no lines and every employee was super nice.  We had a short layover in Detroit, and then a short flight to Savannah, GA.  

We arrived in the late afternoon.  We spent the evening in downtown Savannah before heading over to Hilton Head.  Savannah is very charming.  We walked around for an hour or so along the riverfront trying to decide where to eat.  We decided on The Olde Pink House.  My scored catfish was better than his almond encrusted tilapia, so I shared mine with him.  

It was an hour-long drive to Hilton Head, and I slept the whole way.  I have been more tired with this pregnancy than with any of the others. I can fall asleep whenever, wherever.  The heat sure doesn't help.

We checked into the hotel and stayed up late watching shows and cuddling.  We would not normally stay up so late, but why not when you know no one is going to wake you up in the morning? 

Lake Wynonah

 

The lake trip was a success.  We were all a little unsure about how to properly spend time at the lake, but the boat cleared up all the confusion.

I loved watching the water skiers.  Ken and Steve did a great job.

Mei Li and Stephen loved the raft rides behind the boat.  According to Ken, Mei Li said it was "very fun, not just normal fun."

Mei Li, Stephen, and I loved our first fishing experience.  Maybe next time we'll catch something.

And making s'mores around a fire was something we were all familiar with and loved.

Thanks to Uncle John for the use of the lake house and boat.  Thanks to family for making it a wonderful time.

Lovers in Boston: Day 1

Steve and I are in Boston sans children.  We feel very blessed to have good friends who offered to watch our kids for a weekend.  Thank you, Jill and Kevin.

We all woke up around 7 AM, except for Mei Li.  She slept in until I woke her up at 7:40.  We were scrambling to get everything together.  We kept thinking we were forgetting things, and we didn't leave our house until 8:10 or so, even though we planned to drop of the kids at 8:00.

When we got to Jill's, Mei Li and Stephen immediately started playing.  Mi Na reached for me after I gave her to Jill, but she didn't cry.  I briefly explained the bedtime routines to Jill and then we kissed all of our kids and said goodbye.

It is a weird feeling to leave your kids behind.  My heart broke a little as we walked away.

We were afraid we were late, but we weren't.  The good thing about traveling without kids was that it took us only ten minutes to check bags and go through security.  The worker who checked our IDs and boarding passes called Steve "honey" and called me "sugar pie."  I don't know if I've ever been called "sugar pie" before, but it made me laugh.

The plane ride was short.  We didn't come prepared with reading or listening material so Steve and I tackled the crossword puzzle together.

We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel.  We got dressed in nice clothes and hopped on the T to the Alewife station, and took a taxi to the Boston Temple because we just barely missed the bus.

The taxi dropped us off at the church building next to the temple.  I loved how the church was sweetly tucked away in a little forest of trees and that there was a tree-covered walkway that led to the temple.

 

We made it to the 3:00 temple session.  It's a beautiful temple, and we felt inspired, renewed, and so happy as we left.

 

We walked out to the road to catch the bus, and just then, a bus came down the road and stopped for us even though we weren't at an official bus stop.  We felt so blessed.  

That very bus also broke down several times on the way back to the station.  "Sorry, people!" called out the bus driver.  And all of the riders just laughed and made jokes about getting out to push the bus.  I loved how everyone made light of the situation.

  Eventually, we made it back to the station and back to our hotel.  We changed out of our clothes and started our walk to the North End.  On the way, we stopped to watch some impressive street performers.

We walked through the Holocaust Memorial.  One quote in particular stuck out to me:

“Ilse, a childhood friend of mine, once found a raspberry in the camp and carried it in her pocket all day to present to me that night on a leaf. Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry and you give it to your friend.”
Gerda Weissman Klein.  

I don't even know what to say about the Holocaust.  It was such a horrible event and it's just not fair that so many had to suffer so much. I'm glad that I could walk through that memorial to remind me to be grateful to my Heavenly Father and to be loving to all of His children.


Our walk ended at an Italian Restaurant.  Steve ordered shrimp and pasta in marinara, and I ordered gnocchi with mushrooms in a sun-dried tomato sauce.  Delicious.

After dinner, we walked around the North End and couldn't help but notice that every other person we saw was carrying a white box labeled "Mike's Pastry."  We felt a little left out and decided that we needed to have a "Mike's Pastry" box too.

We chose three different cannoli flavors: plain, pistachio, and chocolate peanut butter.  We took our little white box to the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park and ate our cannolis on a bench.  They were yummy, but we couldn't finish them.  We were stuffed.

 

While we sat on the bench, a dog approached us and sniffed us and licked me (ewww).  The dog's owner was chatty.  He told us about all of the great pastry places while his dog continued to sniff us.

Our walk back to the hotel was slow and pleasant.  We saw two couples making out and overheard funny girlie conversations.

We made it back to the hotel and shared an elevator kiss.  I can't remember when we started our elevator kissing ritual, but I'm grateful that while we're here we get to ride the elevator together a lot. :)

Jill and I texted each other several times today.  The last text message I received from her was a picture of Mi Na in her red bathing suit smiling.  It made me so happy to see her happy.

We have one more full day here.  It's going to be awesome.

OBX: 6/05

Here we are at the end of beach week.  It was heartbreaking.  Grandma Z took the little kids out to collect seashells in the morning while the adults packed up.

Scott and Brenden went over to Duck Donuts to pick up fifty-one donuts for the whole crowd.  Have you ever been to Duck Donuts?  If you haven't, then you haven't tasted the most amazing donuts ever made.  I'm not even a huge fan of donuts, but Duck Donuts is amazing.

 

Sisters front porch sittin'.  Do you see how dark Mei Li got?  I don't ever get very dark, but I am enjoying my new sprinkling of freckles.

Z girls.  Someone has a picture of all the Z boys, but I don't have it.

 This is the best picture we could muster of our kids and their beloved grandparents.  These two made all of our dreams come true that week.  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Z.

I forgot to include so many things:

Family mid week trip to Duck Donuts where we all just mmmmed and mmmmed and mmmmed over those amazing donuts.

The pick-up sticks puzzle.  I think we would have needed three weeks to finish that thing.

Phase 10 with Brenden and Ticket to Ride with Oliver.

 Mi Na's consistent 5 AM waking.

Christine's sneaking out to play with the other YSAs on the beach.

The older cousins love for Mi Na, especially George and Oliver.

Our unrealistic plans to live on the same cul-de-sac someday.  Maybe we'd get annoyed with each other, or maybe we'd just love it.

Judging by how this week went, I think we'd love it.

OBX: 6/04

We said goodbye to Zack, Ana, and Jack on Saturday morning, which was sad.  It's not quite the same when any of us are missing.  Jack brought his Wii for everyone to enjoy and was a fun cousin friend to all.

 

We were pretty slow in the mornings, which is one of the beauties of vacation, not having to be anywhere at a certain time.  There were always some cousins playing video games or watching TV in the theater room, some adults chose to tackle puzzles, some went on morning runs, and some got to sleep in.  But once we got to the beach, we beached and beached and beached.

The newlyweds turned Huck into a car, and we all got a good laugh out of that.  That Huck is some kid.

 Naturally, all the other kids wanted to be cars too.  Stephen and June pretended to race.  They were pretty hilarious together.

Steve and I turned Mei into a mermaid.

In the late afternoon, Steve, Dorothy, and I took our kids plus June to see the Currituck Lighthouse.

 

 It was interestingly not on the beach like I had expected, but a little inland.  We wondered if the land had changed that much since it was built, or if was purposefully built inland.






This is the dress I was sewing twenty minutes before we left for North Carolina.  It was previously an ill-fitting skirt of mine.


 
The grounds were beautiful and we enjoyed climbing to the top to enjoy the view.

I loved this view of the checkerboard floors at the bottom of the staircase. On our way out, one of the employees asked us if we were kid collectors.  He thought he was pretty hilarious.

And then we beached.

 


I just love this picture of Stephen and Mi Na.  He is a fantastic big brother, who loves to involve Mi Na in his play and teach her all sorts of things.

We all went to a BBQ place for dinner.  The restaurant owner threw in an extra plate of ribs just because we knew his Mormon friend who owns our local BBQ joint.  Stephen slept on a bench in the restaurant for all of dinner.  It was a long and full day for all.

Man oh man. That post took so long!  Just one more day of beach week blogging.

OBX: 6/03

We spent our morning playing on the beach and in the pool.

 Sisters at play (Annee and Christine)

Mi Na's morning at the pool with sunscreen running into her eyes.

During Mi Na and Stephen's nap, Steve and Mei Li went jet skiing with everyone else.  I sort of regret not waking up the kids to go, but considering Stephen and Mi Na's fragile state before their naps, I thought I was making the right decision.  Oh well.  Live and learn.  Here's the fun that we missed:

  

 

(photography by Ana)

After jet skiing, we met up at a seafood restaurant by the water for dinner.  I ate my first raw oyster.  I'm not sure why they're such a big deal.

 

Here are the girls playing "pie shop."

I can't see any reason why we shouldn't live at the beach all the time.  You know?