A Golden Time on Hilton Head

Vacations and holidays are always the most challenging things to blog about for me, because there are always so many photos I want to post and it gets overwhelming. At the same time, there are so many things I don't have any photos of, like the incredible parents and grandparents whose 50th anniversary we were gathered to celebrate! (Don't get Donna started on the professional photos we had taken.)

So this is my imperfect capture of our week spent on Hilton Head Island with what has become known as the Freymour Clan. I won't lie: A few things didn't go our way, including Tim spending the first part of the week with a bad back, and Laura spending the last half of the week with a virus that kept her down and out, and me nursing her. But there were plenty of highlights to make this a wonderful week of family and fun!

For starters, the house Donna and Larry rented was truly spectacular, as partially evidenced by the stunning pool in the front. Everyone actively used this amenity! It was also located just steps away from the beach, which made it so easy to trek down for a brief, or not-so-brief visit. The water was always warm and inviting, and we logged a lot of time in it, particularly Clare, Danny and Tim.

So many people gave us so many recommendations for places to see and eat on HHI, so I feel a bit guilty that we really only went on an outing one day. This was partially due to Laura getting sick, as well as it being a bit too hot to get excited for things like kayaking. We did manage to get to Harbour Town early in the week, where we visited the top of the famous lighthouse, shopped, and ate lunch.

We also had the pleasure of celebrating Ryan's 3rd birthday, which he was supremely excited about! There's not a lot I miss about having a toddler, if I'm being honest, but it was SO fun to see how genuinely enthused he was about everything. (And Karen rocked that cake.)

The cousins spent a lot of time together in the pool, if not elsewhere, and while I didn't get a great group photo, I do love this picture of Ryan telling them a secret. My three kids each thought he was adorable, and I'm fairly sure they made a big impression on him as well.

One of the things that *everyone* mentioned before we left was how *everyone* bikes around HHI. This was a source of consternation, because Tim and I have totally failed as parents in teaching our kids to ride bikes. Clare was determined to not let this interfere. That girl: Where there's a will, there's a way! Donna had rented two bikes, and one evening Clare enticed Tim to take her out and teach her to ride. He said she was doing so within 20 minutes, and every day after that she went for a cruise.

Sadly, the 4th of July is when it went south for Laura. We knew she was battling a cold, but as the day progressed - despite her attempts at festive artwork and donning her red, white and blue - it was clear she was not well, as the 102+ fever eventually indicated. This little girl truly loves the fireworks and festivities from the holiday, and she was so, so sad to miss it. I do think she took some comfort in spending time on the couch with me and several movies, both that evening and the following day.

On the plus side, as the week progressed, so did Tim's back, to the point that he and Larry successfully played a round of golf on the famed HH course. Between that, wonderful family dinners each night, and cocktails by the pool, it was a more than successful vacation for all, I'd say. Until next time!