“THERE IT IS! THE BEACH!”

Vonda and I lay in bed and just smiled.

“Did that just happen?”

“I think so!”

I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. “The boys seeing the ocean for the first time…for sure. But also the way so many of our friends helped pull it off.” She couldn’t be more right. From start to finish, we had help with every little detail. Every boy was sponsored within 72 hours. We had 10 chaperones on the bus and at the beach helping our family. We felt loved.

She asked me what MY favorite part was. “When we were driving through the community that borders the beach, (you could see the ocean between the homes), I loved watching them all pile to that side of the bus. Every time they caught a tiny glimpse of the water they would yell ‘THERE IT IS! THE BEACH!’  I also loved watching them hug each other out of pure joy.”

The day was pretty perfect. We only had one kid puke but we were prepared. Fernel got sick in the van on our last trip to the volcano. And like last time, once he puked, he was all smiles.

At the last minute we were able to rent a home on the beach, which was amazing. We had a private home with a pool where the kids played, had lunch and could wash off at the end of the day. On our way home we handed out new t-shirts donated by some very good friends from Colorado. The kids felt spoiled and loved. I can’t imagine they will forget this day anytime soon.