Simple Joys

It’s Tuesday which means Simple Joys here at Chief 187 Chatter. This week’s Simple Joys were not difficult to pinpoint; my family is on vacation and that equals Simple Joys abundance!

Road Trip. My in-laws live outside of Charleston, South Carolina at a gorgeous resort, in a lovely house, on a world-class golf course, and a stone’s throw from one of the Atlantic’s most family-friendly beaches. To reach their home from ours requires an approximate fourteen hour car trip. I have three children so an eight-hour trip is excruciatingly long; fourteen in one day is out of the question! Doing the trip with more manageable two day segments gave us much relief.

Going Home Again. So, we picked our former hometown of Salem, Virginia to stay. We met up with an old, dear friend and her son for dinner at the town’s most famous restaurant, Mac & Bob’s. Though it had been well over a decade since we’d last seen one another, it was like no time had passed at all. We settled into our familiar pattern of banter, fired questions at one another, and laughed easily with each other. Afterwards my husband took the children and me to our former home and grocery store! Memories surfaced, we reminisced which prompted my husband to look at me and say, “We’re old fuddy duddies”, but he smiled appreciatively when he said it! Seeing the place we lived where we were newly married and embarked on our life together happily endeared us to one another yet again. Those Simple Joys are strengthening.

Shrimp. I won’t beat around the bush, I enjoy shrimp. In the lowcountry of South Carolina shrimp are plentiful, sweet, and ever present. I’ve been eating shrimp every day in myriad ways. From buffalo shrimp tacos to peel and eat shrimp to shrimp on top of my tossed salad and shrimp and grits, I’ve been a very happy camper.

Generations. We are lucky enough to have my husband’s grandfather, both of his parents, his aunt and uncle, his cousin and her family, and our entire family together for a family reunion of sorts over the Easter weekend. Each time we plan another holiday, vacation, or event we feel so blessed to have the family assembled. Nobody knows how long anybody has, but jumping at every possible opportunity to get together for good reasons is worth the effort. Seeing my son talk to his great-grandpa, play with his cousins, and regale his grandparents with humorous stories provides a plethora of Simple Joys.

Beach. From building sand castles to frolicking in the Atlantic, from shelling to playing games, hanging out on the beach is always fun. I am a water person. Lakes may be my body of water of choice, but oceans with beaches provide a calm, enjoyment, and immense dose of Simple Joys whenever I get the opportunity to visit one.

Break in Routine. No matter where a vacation takes you (or staycation breaks the monotony of your schedule) it’s just a pleasure to do something different than normal. The daily grind gets halted, time slows down, and memories get made. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to get away, see beloved people, and simply change my pace of life and relax. Those are the Simple Joys I am gathering as I type. And, to stay in the throes of these Simple Joys, I am going to end this so I can continue to enjoy!

Looking forward to reading the Simple Joys that made your week all the better.