Tradition

I love tradition!  Some traditions past and present include Roommate Reunions, Christmas Eve lunch at Meema's, going to church on Christmas morning (new!), New Year's Day lunch with the Mercer's, May Day, 4th of July parties at the Brooker's, Easter Sunday, going to the beach etc.  I love the sentimentality associated with tradition, doing the same thing at the same time of year, remembering past years while creating new memories and being with people you love!

One of our favorite traditions is going to Hilton Head, South Carolina.  For the past five years, we have always gone the weekend after labor day to a house in HH Island with Paul's friends from High School and their wives.  There are four couples in total, Vanessa and Sean Henry, Helen and Josh Brooker, Karen and Steven Hoffer, and us.  Paul, Sean, Josh and Steven were best friends in high school.  They played basketball together, were in each other's weddings, and now they all live together in Atlanta with their families.

Our group in the Mountains, November 2005

Our group in September 2007 (last trip without children)

The first time we went to HH, Paul and I were newlyweds.  This was our first trip with friends as a married couple.  We had so much fun!  We played in the ocean, went on walks, played bocce ball, ate and talked.  This past weekend was our first time to take Mary Frances to Hilton Head, and my how our group has changed!  Now everyone has children (some have two) and the house was filled with kid things.  There were bouncy seats, excersaucers, legos, Thomas the Train videos, booster seats and pack n' plays.  Despite the change in our group dynamics, we had a great time with friends!  Our beach time was definitely different, but we enjoyed talking, eating and hanging out with friends.  The girls got to spend some time laying on the beach without kids and we joked that we should have spent our other beach trips enjoying laying on the beach while we could!  Paul and the guys went crabbing and caught some local crab for our annual low country boil.  It was delicious!

Sean, Paul, Steven and Josh cooking the crabs

Mary Frances even enjoyed her new playmates as she would coo at them.  We even heard her first giggle!  We only got her to laugh once, but Paul and I definitely heard it.  Hopefully we will hear more of it soon!  Wellington Brooker loved to look at the pictures on my camera and when I pointed to a picture of Mary Frances and asked him "who is that?" he said, "Baby, Pretty!"  You better watch out, Wellington, Uncle Paul has his eyes on you!

Here are some pictures from our wonderful trip:

William and Wellington watching Thomas the Train

Not a happy camper!

The Brookers hanging out in the house

With Vanessa and Alexis on the beach

Paul, Sean and Josh

What a happy smile!

All the kids

Sean and Paul with their girls!

Our group, Henrys, Cahills, Hoffers, Brookers

What a wonderful tradition!  I hope it continues for many years to come and that Mary Frances and her friends will create their own traditions!
Love,
Katy