Charlie had another fantastic night, sleeping approximately 11 hours! We ate breakfast in, baked cookies & anxiously awaited for cousin Justin’s arrival! Charlie quickly grew bashful, occasionally tossing Justin a glance & a smile – I had a feeling they’d be fast friends. We then headed out to enjoy some shopping at Fernandina Beach!
The men were able to get Charlie to sleep while my mom & I shopped til we almost dropped! We gathered souvenirs, postcards, and took in the sights, all while enjoying the gorgeous weather! We then headed to the Happy Tomato Deli for BBQ & sandwiches – a fantastic meal chosen by momma! It was delicious and we truly enjoyed ourselves there (including smelling the hickory)! We proceeded to wait….for quite some time to board our boat ride for the day – the Cumberland Island tour. Charlie played with beads, shook his head, and ran around while we waited.
We snagged some drinks & boarded for what should have been a relaxing afternoon on the boat…but it was not to be. With a 20 month old running most of us ragged – between hopping up and down on the benches, running back and forth the front & back of the boat, feeling generally dissatisfied that he could neither hold the microphone nor grab the steering wheel, we felt generally EXHAUSTED by the trip’s end. After taking an additional half-hour, we all had had enough and felt SURE that Justin would leave us! Some sweet moment included Charlie warming up to Justin, Justin reading some books to Charlie, and seeing the actual outdoors! It was tiring, but actually kind of fun! (Don’t tell Jim!)
After attempting to put Charlie down for a nap, which was futile, we opted to head out to The Surf – recommended by Justin’s boss. We enjoyed crab cakes, gator bites (YES! Charlie LOVED it!), shrimp, chicken & generally good food. I ended my time with a chocolate cake that Charlie was NOT content to share with anyone. Thankfully, we had many laughs, attempted to avoid most other human beings while we were there to ensure we didn’t disturb anyone, and we feel confident that Justin will return at week’s end!
Upon returning home, my mom snagged Charlie for a bath & pjs, while Jim and I escaped to the beach. It was amazing to watch the tide, write names in the sand, spend time together and enjoy the sun setting while the moon and stars peeked out. It was a relaxing end to a semi-stressful evening….
Highlights:
*Charlie & Justin meeting for the first time
*Seeing how quickly they became “friends”
*The delicious shrimp & laughs during dinner
*The romantic late night beach walk
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