Beachin.

In July I went to Florida with my parents on our annual trip to Ormond beach. While we were there we wanted to try something new- and a friend of mine suggested we rent a kayak and take it out. So my dad and I did. We started off smooth and just went about a mile and we were just talking and cruising slowly along when my dad saw something towards the horizon... was it a shark? a dolphin? a bird? we decided to go check it out. We paddled as quickly as we could out towards the disturbance and realized about halfway there that it was dolphins and a lot of them. We paddled as hard as we could to get close to them and ended up right in the middle of a huge pod. Approximately 40-50 dolphins within 3 feet of our kayak. They gave us an awesome show- so much better than sea world. My dad and I laughed and sat amazed at the sight. We followed them for a good 15 minutes but they were heading away from shore and we couldn't get too far. We could have chased them all day. I am so thankful for the experience and for sharing it with my dad. 

The Walker family also makes an annual trip to Florida one town over from Ormond in Daytona. For the past 5 years or more our weeks at the beach have overlapped and I have had the privilege of spending some wonderful times with my best friend Ashten at the beach. When we were in high school we went to church camp at the beach in the summers and that week always fell on my birthday. At some point during high school- the summer of 05' I think - we started going out on the beach to watch the sunrise on my birthday. Now, we never make it to the beach for my actual birthday but we have continued to carry the tradition and watch the sunrise on the beach together when our vacations collide. Ashten and I hardly get to see each other now that I live in Germany and she is a busy student in Tennessee - but we have one of those rare friendships that is unaffected by time or space apart. I am so blessed by Ashten and our friendship and I look forward to at least 70 more years of sunrises.