Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

{Vacation} Like a good book

July 3, 2012 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Isle of Palms, S.C. I love the beach, even on overcast days.



“So, what was your favorite part of the beach?” one of my dearest friends asked today over our weekly lunch.

I never really answered her question. Instead, I listed everything I loved about the week with my family near Charleston, S.C. And just after doing so, I realized that was the best way to approach the blog post to document my vacation.

So, here we go, hang on for my wordiness …

Soakin’ wet and no worries … 

My kids loved the beach.
Let me be honest, I want my kids to love the beach. But, you know, well, you just never know. Two years ago, Ben just wanted to eat the sand at the beach. And Cate has grown so much in the past two years and oh-so much since her first time at a beach.

But, with no pressure from their beach-lovin’ momma, my kids loved running and in and out of the waves, digging in the sand, searching for shells, and doing it all over again. They played with their clothes on when we weren’t planning on getting wet. And they swam among the waves with the sun was shining.

Cate and I were among the group that spent seven hours {with a lunch break back at the rental house} on the beach our last day in South Carolina. Ben went full steam ahead all morning and then took a nap in the afternoon.

Ben loved playing with my aunt Kim,
and he thought that tidal pool was his.



My aunt vacationed with us.
My mom’s sister, Kim, and her husband recently retired to a lake near Columbia, S.C, which is only a couple hours from where we were staying at Isle of Palms. We don’t see enough of Kim, who is an important person to me, so being able to catch up with her and watch her interact with my kids was such a highlight of vacation.

And Ben certainly agreed. You can see he took her as his playmate on the beach our last day there. He thought that tidal pool was made for him. Those two things gave me a chance to get a good start on Harlan Coben’s “Stay Close,” which I read in a day and a half. I’m sure you can imagine such speedy reading is really unheard of in this season of my life.

That’s my family, minus my dad.



Being with my family was fun. 
I live in a small town that is 3 1/2 hours from my closest family member. I love our life right where it is, but I also love it when my family converges at the same house. Our different philosophies collide in the doorway, yet we make room for each other and fall into the way we are together. They expect me to make a plan. My sister’s sarcasm makes us all laugh. My brother is calmer than he was as a kid. The kids adore their aunts and uncles, particularly my brother-in-law. My sister-in-law is so easy going that she brings a calmness to the original Hill family. In fact, all three of us married people who complement us. We laugh, we tell stories, we play games, we eat.

Hello, seafood.
Seriously, eating is one of my favorite things about vacations. Especially seafood near the beach. And even with not much planning and some quick Yelp recommendations, we happened upon some delicious food. Hyman’s Seafood. Charleston Crab House. Coconut Joe’s. Sullivan’s Restaurant. Henry’s House.

Cousins make everything more fun. And I love that bridge.



Downtown Charleston is worth exploring.
We had a couple rainy, overcast days that forced us inside, but we found plenty to do. The South Carolina Aquarium was fun and we found the nicest bowling alley I’ve ever experienced. Plus we saw downtown on a horse-drawn carriage and then took a boat to Fort Sumter. The guys did some fishing while the ladies and kids shopped at Charleston’s City Market. 


Want to see some of the sites we saw?

Two-story ocean tank at the aquarium.

That’s Dave leading us around.

The guys caught fish like this.

Capturing the moment while shopping … 

Ben thought the canons at Fort Sumter were meant to be talked into!

Pardon the wind, but that’s us … 

At Fort Sumter, with a view of our boat and that bridge I love.

Did I mention we ate well? Here is my sweet girl at Cupcake.

I didn’t want to leave South Carolina on Saturday morning. I could have gone for a few more days, even a week more, before settling back into normal life. But once I got home 12 1/2 hours after leaving our rental house, I was glad to be home.

You know, vacation is kind of like a good book. You get hooked and just want to soak it all in, page after page, not wanting to put it down. But then it’s over, but, thankfully, you have the stories to cherish. And, well, of course, I took many pictures to go along with the words we were living.

________

Want more? Subscribe to get “Insights” in your inbox. Or follow me on Twitter.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Ben, Cate, family, food, summer, vacation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • 3 Ways to Boost Our Kids’ Confidence
  • Songs of Hope
  • Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.
  • Looking for fun, longing for Eden
  • How to make celebrations fun

#PorchStories button

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

Happy, happy 70th birthday to my wonderful mother- Happy, happy 70th birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law. We all are especially happy to celebrate her life this year after her recent quadruple bypass heart surgery and recovery. 🎉 #weekending #TeamTaylor #birthdaygirl
A new book by a favorite author is always a welcom A new book by a favorite author is always a welcomed thing, and @kristinhannahauthor didn’t disappoint. Plus it was my @bookofthemonth pick. 

#TheFourWinds is set during some sad years with the Dust Bowl, migration to California, and the Great Depression. Yet this is a story of hope and belonging. Hope kept a mom and her two kids going, despite circumstances that destroyed. Hope led to this mom finding her voice, recognizing her worth, and discovering love that lasts.

Follow #KHTreads for more book talk. #recommendedreads #fiction #amreading #bookstagram #historicalfiction #bookofthemonth
Seven weeks after quadruple bypass heart surgery, Seven weeks after quadruple bypass heart surgery, my mother-in-law moved home today. We were happy to care for her and we are thrilled she’s doing so well. 

I knew she was faithful and strong before, but watching her recovery from open heart surgery convinced me even more of her steadfastness and courage.

#TeamTaylor #livingfaithfully #reallife #choosingJOY
After three weeks, they’ve returned to school! H After three weeks, they’ve returned to school! Here’s to hope on a Monday morning for whatever comes our way. #momlife #reallife #choosingJOY #siblinglove
Often I don’t want the weekend to end or the sea Often I don’t want the weekend to end or the season to change, but I’m looking forward to Monday after three weeks of quarantine and sickness then snow. I’m looking forward to the snow melting away and eager for spring to bloom.

I’m grateful for health and family and home and a fresh start. A walk through the melting snow with the sun shining and temperatures in the 50s was a sweet spot today. So was gathering with friends we hadn’t seen in too long after church.

Just a few days ago I felt defeated and weary. Now I’m feeling ready and hopeful. Transitions can be rough, but ultimately I’m thankful for new mercies and new seasons.

#weekending #reallife #socialdistancing #countryliving #bettertogether #winterweather #springiscoming #choosingJOY #girlmeetschange #livingfaithfully
We’re sad tonight was the last #MurrayState home We’re sad tonight was the last #MurrayState home basketball game of the season, but we are thankful we had some live winter entertainment. Of course, games looked and sounded different than usual, but the season isn’t over and we’ll be rooting for our blue & gold. 💛 #WeAreRacers #RacerNation #collegebasketball #TeamTaylor #weekending #socialdistancing #thirdchild
We all benefitted from getting outside today. Hone We all benefitted from getting outside today. Honestly, I was so bundled up I got a little warm because somehow I now live where 30 degrees (that feels like 21) is a heat wave. These three help me remember to loosen up and enjoy the moment. ❄️ 

#momlife #snowday #countryliving #socialdistancing #choosingJOY #reallife #winterweather #kentuckyweather
I'm glad I was able to contribute to "Songs of Hop I'm glad I was able to contribute to "Songs of Hope (Vol. 2)", which was compiled by fellow writers @kerilynnsnyder & @sarah_e_frazer. This devotional spends 31 days in the Psalms. 

I share about Psalm 68 and how God built a sanctuary for me at our house in the country and how I want to share that with others. I end the devotional with these questions and a prayer:

"Songs of Hope" offers encouraging truth to bring hope to your weary soul. The devotional is a digital product so you receive the PDF immediately and can read it on any device.  There's a #linkinbio to buy this devotional and more info #ontheblog. #bloggerlife #authorlife #amreading #psalms #psalm68 #bettertogether #hope #KHTreads
I ended 2020 saying it had been a weird year, but, I ended 2020 saying it had been a weird year, but, truthfully, the first six weeks of 2021 have been weird too. Weird seems like a weak word, but I can’t think of another. These past six weeks haven’t been bad, have included plenty of great moments, and shifted so many things in our house. Through it all, my best friend Jaclyn and I haven’t gotten to hang out much.

I’m thankful Greg picked up her and her girls in his four-wheel drive truck yesterday after his short day at the office. We bundled up for some time outside, the kids had legit snow cones, we combined food to make dinner, and various people played various games. Jaclyn and her girls went back to their house this morning, but we are all thankful for old friends & new memories.

#bettertogether #winterweather #reallife #countryliving #snowday #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorite Places & Projects

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2021 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.