Stavros Beach, Crete
A water bottle that I won in a giveaway. I never win anything!
Contemplating a nap. (He took a nap!)
You will know this if you follow me on Instagram: we are in Crete! My veterinarian husband travels here every quarter to care for the pets and military working dogs at the tiny little base in Souda Bay. We came with him last year, too, and had a harrowing journey back when one of our plane engines died mid-flight!
One of Elliott’s soldiers also brought his family, good friends of ours from church. Rachel and I have been enjoying our side-by-side apartments and chances to take the kids to the pool or beach at a moment’s notice. Tonight they have offered to babysit while Elliott and I go out for Greek food!
Sometimes I stop and shake my head a little bit, marveling at the amazingness of this week. I can hop on a military plane with my two children and spend a whole week vacationing on a Greek beach? Perks of military life! But none of these blessings comes without sacrifice. In this case, the biggest sacrifice is made by my husband, who goes quietly to work each day (in Sicily or in Crete) in order to care for his family. Thank you, Elliott; I could never do what you do, and if I had to, I could not do it with such grace.
I’m trying this week not to take this stage of life for granted. By next summer we will undoubtedly be back in the States, and trips to Greece will be a thing of the past. This brief season — sand in tiny swim trunks, a two-year-old learning to dog paddle, a date to eat Greek food in Crete, a 7-month-old sitting beside me taking markers out of a basket over and over — will be over before that next wave sinks into the sand.
What fleeting stage of life are you enjoying right now?
We were at the beach in Texas last week, but it does not compare to this one! Enjoy paradise while you can :). My son is almost 3 years old, so we’re just trying to soak in everything as it happens, hoping to remember later how things were during this time. It seems like you blink and another year has gone by…
We enjoyed my oldest’s last week at home last week! She’s at kindergarten now and wow do I miss her!! I can’t keep my mind off the past 5 years. What a truly fleeting blessing those years were. It’s motivating me to make the most with my other 2.