It's been a bit since I wrote, but I know that Josh has kept you up to date as far as my burning desire. I would like to take this time to write about our trip to Hilton Head and what I thought about my first trip to the beach.
When we left Wednesday evening I was excited to accomplish a lot of firsts - first time driving through the night, first time staying up for 23 hours straight, first time going to the beach, first time in certain states, and the first time sitting in a locked car with Josh for an extended period of time. When we arrived Thursday morning around 7:30 AM there was nothing else on our minds other than sleeping. After a nap until around 11 we ate brunch and headed to the beach. The beach house was a good distance from the beach so we rode our bikes down the beautiful paths past many golf courses, small ponds, and all sorts of new trees which I did not recognize. There was a wooded path that led to the beach and as we broke up over the wooden steps that led down to the sand I just stood there a while looking at the site before me. The vastness of just a small piece of beach in which I could see was much different than I had expected. I felt like my former perspective was just a miniature of the real thing. That day we took a long walk down the beach, went boogie boarding, and then after grilling out watched the fireworks shot off the barge by the lighthouse. It was by this evening when I realized that I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my feet. Although I seemed to cover every other part of my body, even the hair on my feet was not enough to protect them from the harsh rays of Apollo (as Josh would say). As I went to bed I realized that it was not going to be good....
On Friday morning I got up and had trouble walking as the dried, sunburnt skin on the top of my feet had shriveled and shrunk. With each step the skin stretched, burned, and felt like needles were sticking in them - meaning it was pretty painful. I quickly learned the folly of my negligence as I was not able to wear flip flops, shoes, or socks. I lathered up again as we set out to the beach once again. On this day Josh and I went to get bait and rigs for his fishing pole. Since I could not wear shoes, I walked across hot wooden planks, blazing asphalt, and cobblestone walkways - all of which made me appreciate the wonderful invention we call the shoe. Although I did feel a little tougher being able to walk across everything, I also felt pretty dumb for being lobster feet. We fished for a bit and Josh caught a small shark. In the evening Josh was allowed to pick where we wanted to eat which was "Big Bamboo". It was a rough night for him as they quit serving their acclaimed "war dog" and the store across the street quit selling small turtles which he was seeking. The restaurant experience was unique in that: 1) we ate on the deck, 2) men singing only Beatles songs played so loud we could not hear the person next to us, 3) Moriah ate half of my meal (fresh catch of the day - blackened cobian) before she realized she ordered the Tilapia, 4) we had a waiter named Teko who looked like he was 14.
On Saturday morning we packed up our things in the car and then spent our last day on the beach. I spent most of my time with my feet in the water because it felt good and when deep enough blocked the sun. Josh and I fished for a couple hours and caught many sharks and I caught one sting ray which was pretty neat. We went back to the cars and then headed to Subway for supper. It was decided here that I needed to go to urgent care because my feet were still so bad. Josh's mom drove me to one place down the road and they had closed at 5:00 (it was 5:10). On our way to the hotel in Orangeburg, GA we stopped at Coastal Carolina Urgent Care Center where I got some written prescriptions. Josh already told you about that. It was embarrassing.
On Sunday morning Josh's family pulled out much earlier than us. We slept in and then scarfed down the continental breakfast before leaving for Kentucky at 10:00 AM. It was much better driving in the daylight when we could see all the sights and the mountains of Tennessee. One memorable part of the trip was when we were just shy of being home - only about 30 miles away. Josh was in a daze and missed his exit. We then had to take the cloverleaf around to get back on our road. The trouble was that Josh got distracted by the mention of Justin Beiber and Selena Gomez on the radio and went through the fourth clover leaf - causing us to go through all the clover leafs a second time. We arrived safely back in Central City around 7:30 PM and we were glad to be back.
Reflections: I had a lot of reflections throughout this trip. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel and for the generosity of Josh's parents to have us come and share in their trip. I am thankful for sleep (in a 36 hour span we slept 3). Seeing the ocean astounded me. Seeing the vastness, power, and constant motion of the ocean waters reminded me of God's power and might he displays through his creation. The sands of the beach remind me how things can be destroyed and washed away in a matter of minutes like a life built on possessions. The burns on my feet remind me of the sins that we commit in our life for which we ask for healing and protection. I am thankful for safe travels and good fellowship all along the way. And yes, I am even thankful for the burns on my feet as they provide me with a good lesson and a humble heart.
AMS
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