The Lee Family: Goodbye Smith Lake, Hello Lee Farms

Monday, July 24, 2017

Goodbye Smith Lake, Hello Lee Farms

Yesterday was our last morning at the lake and it felt like we'd been there for several days since we did so many fun things, although I know the girls wouldn't want to leave. I woke up and walked Buddy to the park that is across the little bay from Dan and Becky's house. It was so peaceful and Buddy loved to sniff new territory. I returned to shower and pack our things while CK and Dan took the girls on a jet ski ride. The girls really wanted to go and before breakfast was the only time it would work. They loved it, although Olivia said she thought it went a little fast at times and Dan had to slow down a few times for her. They returned to the cliff where they could jump into the water and went even higher than they did the day before. Dan sent me photos and I couldn't believe how high up they were and how brave Olivia was to jump from that height! After they returned to the dock, CK used Sofia's swim googles to dive down and look for Sofia's glasses. Unfortunately, he didn't have any luck.

Becky made eggs and bacon and after we ate we packed up Dan's SUV and headed back to the airport. It was such a fun weekend and they are such gracious and easy hosts. We all promised to do it sooner than the last time, which I know the girls will remember. We took off around 10am and flew into CK's folks, landing around noon. Olivia and Buddy slept most of the trip and I planned to take a nap, but ended up reading my book "Lilac Girls" which is hard to put down. We landed on the farm and there was a big group to welcome us! Actually they were all there to celebrate Harold and Patsy's departure to Texas and Amelia's 12th birthday. CK's sister, Cynthia and her three kids were there too which he said his Mom mentioned might be the case so they could visit with their Grandma before school started. It was good to see everyone, especially cousins of CK's I haven't seen in years.

The original plan was for the four of us and CK and Connie to go the beach where we rented a condo for a week, however, with Cynthia and the kids there the plan had obviously changed. After everyone left, Connie suggested that we could leave the girls so they could spend time with their cousins and we could have a few days at the beach by ourselves. We said our goodbyes to the girls, who barely acknowledged us since they were so wrapped up in playing with their Atlanta cousins and we headed to the beach. Once again, Buddy was so excited to be staying with us and jumped into the truck as we headed off. We'd found a three bedroom condo in a gated community on the Palm Coast, which is just north of Daytona Beach. The plan was for the girls and Grandma and Grandpa to join us on Tuesday.

We stopped for an early dinner at Sunny's BBQ and ended up leaving Buddy in the truck and checking on him regularly. Thankfully it wasn't very hot out, so he was fine. Of course, the BBQ was delicious and really hit the spot! We made it to the condo and it was really nice and cozy! Buddy wasn't a big fan of the elevator, but otherwise he found a couch and got comfortable. We unloaded our bags then headed to the grocery store to load up on bottled water, coffee, eggs, and all the food and snacks we envisioned needing for the week. That night we watched The Theory of Everything which was playing on tv. We actually missed the first 30 minutes but it was very good and touching. We went to bed excited for the week of beach time ahead!

I could get used to this view with my coffee