Open Arms and Cheek Kisses

After a rather hectic and sad week, our family needed to peace out of town for a night. And thank goodness for dear friends who were willing to welcome a party of four into their lives... who were willing to let us make their regular home our vacation home. It was a much appreciated gesture that I hope they know made us feel loved, brought us peace amongst our mourning, and cleared our minds in a way that was long overdue.

Saturday morning was Matt's coming out to the autism community as the new executive director of the Autism Academy of South Carolina. That's right, friends, he's got a new job! The road before Matt is very exciting, and we are all so proud of his accomplishments and hard work. The next several months and years are sure to be filled with lots of activity in the world of autism, and our first function was the Strides for Autism Walk in Finlay Park, a fantastic event that we were really happy to be a part of.

With the walk finished, we piled into the car and cruised on down to our sweet friends' place in Charleston. Ashley and Bryan and their kids, Luke and Lauren, greeted us with open arms and cheek kisses as soon as we arrived. Following a quick change of clothes and a loading of toys and coolers, we mozied on down to Folly Beach for an afternoon of sand and sun by the Atlantic. The kids played in the water, Luke got up on the surfboard, some people got married, John Wesley and Ashley came by, and we just chilled. (I would've gotten in the ocean if it weren't for an unfortunate fight that I got into with some bikini wax and lost in a major way.)

When we all had enough sand in the most precarious places, we bid adieu to the ocean and took the Crab Shack by storm. Luke had leant Summit one of his play knives, and my dinosaur lover turned into a pirate on the deck of the restaurant, wielding his weapon and ordering passers-by to "walk the plank" and shouting "shiver me timbers." Being the high-class folks we are, we forgot to put a shirt on the kid, so his shenanigans were all the more obvious. But, whatever, it's Folly Beach. They can take it. They have enough crazy that his wild pales in comparison to.

Fat and full of some awesome fried seafood, we headed back to the Perrucci's for a dip in the pool before putting the kids to bed. It's always easy to get them to sleep when their heads are sun-weary, which left us plenty of time to hang out on the back porch for the rest of the evening. We listened to music, drank too many adult beverages, and enjoyed fabulous, inappropriate, laughter-filled conversations. The moms and the dads traded off bike rides to the harbor, and we relaxed the night away. It was perfect. 

 

We even got to wake up late... thanks to the strategic plans of Matt and Ashley to lay out the kids' food, along with sticky-note directions, before we went to sleep. To reward their good behavior, Ash made everyone pancakes and sausage and bacon (should we mention the sticky buns?), and we spent the rest of our time there eating more food and hanging out with the kids while they swam until they couldn't see through their bloodshot eyes.

Leaving was bittersweet, but regular life kept calling, and I'm sure the rats, I mean Perruccis, were ready for some peace and quiet. But, we really needed a break, and we're so lucky to have such special peeps who gladly became our guardians this weekend. Thank you, my amazing friends, we are so grateful for your generosity and kindness. We love you all!