The Summer of 2016 Grand Finale - Virginia Beach

Last week we headed off to Virginia Beach to celebrate Katie's birthday. Luckily, we got in and out of there before Hermine decided to crash the party - and the oceanside fun of these two guys. 

Katie had no interest in trading her beach chair for the chance to lay in and gather gritty sand to the various pockets of her swim suit - both inside and out. 

The approaching storm made the Atlantic a little more adventurous. At times, these little boogie boarders thought they were sledding down the giant waves of Maui. 

I wondered how giant they imagined that approaching wall of water to be. It's what makes the ocean therapeutic, isn't it. It reminds us how small we are in the grand scheme of things. It humbles us. Yet, no matter how grand it is, and small we are, we are always invited to share the stage, if only to stretch our imaginations.  

Katie said we should make it a tradition. We should go to the beach to celebrate everyone in the family's birthdays. Not sure she was considering Ian and Elliott have November and December birthdays. That would at the very least require different beach attire. 

I'm not sure who ultimately moved more sand this day. Our boys, or the crews readying the beach for the Labor Day weekend American Music Festival. 

After we all stuffed ourselves with a birthday dinner and dessert, the family thought it would be a good idea to rent this bike and pedal the length of the boardwalk. I thought it was a good idea, too. Right up until I discovered Katie and I were the only ones who could reach the pedals, and even Katie required some uncomfortable positioning to do so. The boys thought it was a fun ride. Katie and I nearly died making it so, and decided it was easily the worst investment of our lives. So much so I had to concede even Fritz was a better investment. 

The beach trip was a great overnighter. It was the perfect way to celebrate Katie's birthday and say so long to the summer of 2016. With every goodbye comes a hello:

Back to School 2016