OK..OK..PROMISE THESE WILL BE THE LAST GRANDCHILD PICTURES....For a while!

Going through the pictures taken in Virginia Beach I came across these that just couldn't be left out!

The laughter and fun were such an important part of the trip and I just felt that comes through in these shots. For those who peak in on the blog for nature shots I say...SPRING IS COMING!

GrandPa's Role In The Hard Times

Not sure if you can tell from this picture but on our last day of our visit, Hailey got very.....very....sick. It happened while her Mom and Grandma were away from the house......leaving me and a sick girl! It reminded me of days when her Mom got sick when she was little and how helpless I would feel. With her fever she was so listless and not her chipper self. But alas Mom and Grandma came home and she began to feel better.....and then....the smile came back.....

Is there anythng more precious than a grandchild......

Morning Devotions...

As I love to do on my trips to Virginia Beach, I woke up at 6 AM this morning intent

on holding my morning God connect time at sunrise on the beach. When I got there

it was cold and cloudy and there was not much prospect of what I had anticipated......







I pulled the truck facing east and began to pray and connect with God. I began

thinking of the friends I have...... those I love to just "be around."

"(Who are those friends in your life??)





......AND THEN IT HIT ME.....The ONE who I MOST enjoy "hanging around with....."

IS GOD HIMSELF!

....and here we are together....Me communicating WITH Him in morning prayer....and

Him communicating WITH me....His Grandeur and Presence....and Nearness....

It's times like these that ENERGIZE MY SOUL....That recharge the OL' SPIRITUAL

BATTERY.....and just like I come away REACTIVATED from time spent with close friends......

......Nothing compares.....Nothing compares....Nothing Compares....To time spent with my

Dearest....Closest...Friend...

AND LIFE.....AND AFTERLIFE..... COMPANION!

Our Visit to the Aquarium

This picture exempifies what this trip is all about. It's time with the Grandkids....answering the questions of Hailey's inquisitive mind...enjoying their curiosity about absolutely everything...including in this case a turtle. It's a whole other world through the eyes of children.

Helping sister hear the sea....

SSSSSSLLLLLIIIIIIPPPPPING along on a slithering snake!

Alyssa checking out a Horshoe Crab...

Hailey listening to the sea.....

......ready for the Imax 3-D movie on sharks....

Frequent Fly-Bys

All day and well into the evening these Navy jets are landing at nearby Oceanna Naval Airbase just passed Meg and Dave's house. . Often you can actually see the face and shoulders of the pilots!

A Web Cam Call Came From France To Start Our Day This Morning.......

Wonderful thing this technology with which our grandkids are able to connect. Cousin Eloise calls for a "chat" with her cousins Hailey and Alyssa.

....."Bonjour Hailey and Alyssa! I'm over here with my parents in Malakoff, France. I have to go to market today to buy some fresh produce after I finish my sudoku book."

Grandpa, Hailey and Alyssa Answer

We all enjoyed talking with Sam and Mel as if they were in the room. Listening for each meaningful sound Eloise makes and raving about it is half the fun!

...a talk with Eloise puts smiles on all our faces!

Scenes Around The House

Alyssa calling her grandparents to come over.

Pat anwering the call. Alyssa loves this book with buttons that play. She loves to dance and sway when the music plays.

Hailey singing ".....If you're happy and you know it then you're face will surley show it..."

Dreams In The Night...

Research says every scene, smell, sound of every life experience we have is stored in our billions of brain cells. Last night…at precisely
3 AM….4 AM…and 5 AM…I awoke because I was dreaming. The first dream was of a thin, female gymnast who ran down a slight slope to get momentum and did the most amazing forward somersault you could imagine. She spun so many times in the air she was just a blur! I went over to congratulate her on “the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”
The next scene was of less detail. It was a huge bus that had a Louisville Slugger baseball bat logo on the side.
Lastly, I got a voicemail message last evening from Brian Redman, our worship leader telling me he had a “special assignment” for me in this Sunday’s service. I dreamed that he had me tripping and falling down as I walked in with the choir to illustrate how sometimes we “stumble and fall” in our walk with Christ!
WHERE DID ALL THAT COME FROM?? So here I am at 5:30 AM contemplating the meaning of all this as I blog……
An amazing thing…the human mind!
That’s all…I feel better now!

End Of A Wonderful Day

At dusk I took Hailey for a walk. We happened upon this scene which seemed a fitting end to a day of reconnection to the "stuff that really matters. "

Virgnia Beach Fun

Meg's friend Heidi stops by for a visit.

One of the fondest memories of my own Mother is her wrestling on the floor with my brother and me. I was reminded of that during this tickle fest.

Our Airport Traveling Companions

Ever vigilant and alert anxiously awaiting takeoff.

Off To Virginia Beach...

I never take flight but what I reflect on the fact that in one man's lifetime..... the Wright Brothers unlocked the secret of manflight at Kitty Hawk...... Neil Armstrong landed on the moon..... and Bill and Pat took off from Columbus Airport........
All of the aforementioned people are from Ohio!

As we land in Norfolk we catch a quick glimpse of the largest Naval Base in the world......

....and finally we reconnect with the Fam! It's 62 degrees and shirt sleeve weather here. EAT YOUR HEART OUT, OHIO!

Christmas In February!

Grandparents come bearing belated Christmas gifts.

Grandma shares a new book with Alyssa.

....and of course...hugs for SantaPa!