17 days off...

9 days down, 8 to go. but that is in no way a countdown to look forward to. it is more of a, enjoy every single moment of it. because that following monday, back at work, is going to be dreadful. i might be ready for some "normal life" by then...but not so sure work needs to be included in that.

the house is strangely quiet. for the past week i have been in a house with 10 other people. suddenly, i am back at my home and aside from the sound of the air conditioner and the mets game in the background, it is silent. my parents are probably in the air on their way to california as i write. as much as i can enjoy some alone time, i personally miss the noise and constant socialization.

so our week in the outer banks was just fabulous. i had a really good time. my mom must have noticed, cause she kept saying to me, "you are really enjoying this aren't you jill?" aside from missing some special people, not much else could have made it better. lots of time at the beach and pool. some kayaking. some waverunning. plenty of relaxing. dinner and devotions with family. flying kites. catching crabs. swinging on the hammock. watching thunderstorms. God is good. this past week was exactly what i needed.

and now i am doing some last minute preparations for my next 8 days off - missions trip with our high school youth group to lynn, ma (just outside of boston) for some service and then a long weekend at martha's vineyard. i'm not convinced i have packed everything i need, but in some ways, i don't care. i'm there to serve and not worry about whether i wore this shirt 3 days ago or not.

i guess i'll put some photos from the week...

drew getting the hang of skimboarding...

i think liesl got the hang of the hammock pretty quickly...

sunrise over the sound...

with my nieces by the turtles...

jacki being silly...