Annual Visit

Every year the Haines family pack up their three kids and load an immense amount of supplies into their SUV to trek across the country from Kansas all the way to the North East and then, finally, to Florida, where they enjoy a week at the beach with family. Seth Haines and Brad served in the Marines together back in the day and Seth's wife, Shana, is a kindred spirit, so we always enjoy seeing them. We have been lucky enough to join them for a day or so the past couple of years and, on Thursday we met them in Boca Grande for our annual visit. It is always so much fun to catch up and see how much the kids have grown each year and this year was no exception. 

Seth and Brad pretty much look identical to how they looked in the Corps circa 1992.

Look at those handsome guys!

Seth, just standing around looking charming.

The beach, unfortunately, proved to be a bust as a red tide bloom forced our early departure, but we had fun back at the pool at their vacation rental. The kids swam until they were blue and shivering and were forced out of the pool by concerned parents. Then we all ate sandwiches and junk food and enjoyed being around other adults while the kids warmed back up in the sun. 

After their core body temperatures had stabilized we all walked to a nearby school where the kids impressed us with their never ending energy at the playground. At the last minute I remembered I had brought the camera and snapped some pictures of Seth and Brad together. Brad was also able to get some video of Sunny and Harper playing on the slides.

It was a lovely visit and, although abreviated, we were so glad we had a chance to spend the day with them.

Thank you for your hospitality, Haines family. We can't wait to see you again next year!