So we finally got to take our annual vacation to Santee last week. We usually go in July but since Santee is a place where there is absolutely no breeze, we decided to move it up to June. My dad, stepmom, brother and his family, Heather and Emma, and me and Jeremiah always meet up down there for a few days of fun. This year we had 3 very active children who were full of energy and attitude. We all love to go to Santee and fish, sit in the sun, play cornhole, eat, ride the boat, and catch up with each other. We really are spoiled with our setup down there. This year we decided to get a bigger pool for the kids since we now have Ethan running after the girls. We had many laughs, some cries, and lots of enjoyous moments. If you saw my status on facebook you will know that it was a jammed pack 5 days. The first day we were down there we could tell that something was wrong with the water. After the boys removed the very heavy concrete slab (which they deemed "the tomb of Jesus") off the water pump to investigate they quickly came to the resolution that we might be packing it up to go right back where we came from: home! After the plumber came out the next morning all was well and we could continue our trip. The girls kept getting splinters in their feet which was such a joy and privilege to remove. Heather and I went back to Hartsville for a day to go to Charlotte with my mom and John to see Wicked. Uncle got the opportunity to help babysit all the kids and to gain some experience in that area. From the report that Emma gave, he was a good babysitter. Jeremiah ended up leaving early because apparently that's what undercover agents do when they have a case that they have been working on for 5 months is finally going down. We had a not so fun game of hide-n-seek with Ellie Kate. But after we all calmed down, Friday evening was an enjoyable last night for all of us. It was so much fun watching the girls play together and you can't help but laugh when they have their "meltdowns" as Ellie Kate would call them or their bickering moments with each other. Ethan was so sweet and we all enjoyed listening to him talk and say new words and ride the fourwheeler all on his own. He is such a big boy now! Words can't describe how proud we are of him and how lucky our family is to have him in it. Emma Grey, Ellie Kate, and Ethan are truly a blessing to all of us and can always put a smile on our faces.
All in all we had another great trip to Santee but this year was definitely harder for all of us because of the biggest piece of the puzzle was missing: Russell. It was very difficult being there without him. When you think of Santee the one person that comes to my mind is Russell. Santee is everything that Russell was about. I don't know of anyone that loved it more than he did. I missed him so much and it just didn't feel right without him there. It was extremely difficult for my sister. Russell, Heather, and Emma always made multiple trips to Santee during the year. As if it isn't hard enough not having him at home everyday for her...it was even harder not having him there with us at the one place that he loved more than anything. Even though he wasn't there with us physically, I know he was right there with us spiritually. I could feel him there with us enjoying the weather, the kids, the music, and the peacefulness that Santee has. Although he would probably have been disappointed in us because we didn't fish a lot...I know he was smiling down on us enjoying the place that he enjoyed the most. Russell...you are never far from our minds, we miss you more than you will ever know, and we love you very much. We know that you are right here with us, we know that you love us and miss us, and we know that you watch over us everyday. God couldn't of given us a better angel.
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