At the beginning of August we headed off for our summer vacation. We had only been living in Minnesota for 2 weeks but the vacation was planned back in the spring so we decided to go ahead and go. I'm so glad we did! We all needed a break from the move & we got to spend some quality time with the Moore family.
Destination: Lake Michigan to a Christian community called Bethany Beach. Chessa grew up coming to Bethany Beach and has carried on the tradition with her children.
We rented a cottage right up the street from the Moore's. It was adorable and perfect for our family! It totally reminded me of our 1st house on Court Avenue.
We had 3 entrances, a garage & a patio. It was great being able to go right into the basement from the side door where the washer & dryer were. Scott & I drank coffee on the patio and one afternoon I read out there for a couple of hours. Very peaceful :)
On Sunday we went to church at the Tabernacle. It doesn't have air conditioning so all the widows are wide open with fans running. It was something I will never forget. I loved every minute of it. All generations were present & I got a tear in my eye when they had all the college students come up front so we could pray for them as they start a new school year. The older man introducing them said, "Now stand up tall & look at your grandparents & family! They've waited a long time to see your face up there."
Behind the Tabernacle is the post office. Every home has a box inside where your mail is delivered. How cute is this place?
This is Chessa's little red cottage. I wish I had taken pictures of the inside because it is straight out of a magazine. Sooo adorable! The front door slams (a nice welcoming sound), it's small & cozy and most of all it's just filled with love. Around back they have an outdoor shower that helps keep the sand out of the cottage...a must!
As soon as we got there we headed down to the beach. I had no idea that Lake Michigan was so beautiful. You can't see across to the other side & it truly feels just like the ocean. Chessa's family spends the summer there too. Grace is her niece.
Tyler was sweet enough to dig the little kids a hole in the sand. This kept them all busy for hours!
Eliot LOVED Bethany Beach! I think his favorite part was the sand and the Well.
It took Elese about 10 minutes to warm up then she was good to go for the rest of the week.
I didn't see much of Eli during the day. He & Tyler were busy riding bikes, building forts, playing in the ocean, riding dirt bikes & exploring. Eli's already begging to stay for at least 2 weeks next summer!
This is the only proof that I was actually on this vacation! I'm typically the one taking all the pictures :)
Chessa's family has a tradition of eating pizza on the beach every Sunday night. I am thankful I got to meet & spend time with her parents, brother, sister & lots of kids! They have a cart that they put plywood on for the table. The local pizza place delivers to their family at the top of the hill. Here we are all gathered around for dinner at the beach.
After dinner they dig a hole in the sand and make a fire pit.
I'm not sure what these two are up to! Scott & Ben got to hang out many times during the week. Ben would work from the community house in the morning then meet up with us. The boys managed to play tennis and a round of golf.
Eli & Tyler were the fire pit assistants...I'm sure they could have done it all by themselves though!
For dessert they make beach donuts. It's a crescent roll wrapped around a stick and roasted. When it's finished, you roll it in butter then cinnamon & sugar. They were sooo yummy!
Good times & good food!
Ben & Tyler making their beach donuts.
In the evenings all the kids head to The Well. It's under the community center and they have an ice cream bar & a candy counter. You could seriously give the kids 45 cents and they could get a bag of candy! It's also a hanging out place for adults & kids.
Eliot ate more than his fair share of candy & suckers. In fact, I'm sure he now has a cavity from all the candy!
During the day the youth leader has activities for the kids. We also played at the park, went on bike rides & ran from house to house. In Bethany everyone knows everyone & the kids are granted a little more freedom to roam.
Tyler was really good at pushing the kids on swings and keeping them entertained. We rode bikes everywhere all week. Such great fun.
I wanted to share how beautiful the beach is. This is looking to the left down the beach. Bethany is a private beach & has lifeguards too.
And this is looking to the right.
Chessa's kids grew up napping on the beach. I wasn't so sure it would work for Eliot but he went right to sleep! We had to wake him up after 2 hours. Woo hoo!
Em & Katelyn snacking on the beach! Lots of snacking that week.
I included this picture to show the waves on this day. Chessa told me that they get days like this but I had no idea. The kids had to be with an adult to get into the water it was so bad! Who knew Lake Michigan was so much like a beach?
Elese made a friend named Mallory. Chessa grew up with Mallory's mom Kelly. Kelly & Chessa worked at The Well behind the ice cream bar when they were in college. It's really neat that now their kids all run and play together.
Our vacation at Bethany Beach was wonderful. I truly fell in love with the place. I felt safe there, I felt welcomed & I felt like I had grown up there too. There's something to be said for biking all week, laughing & playing with the kids and just loving on each other. I'm grateful to the Moore's for letting us visit them and for opening their paradise to our family. We are making plans to go back next summer & hopefully many more years to come!