Friday was the day we decided that we should hit the beach. Charlie really wanted to be able to swim in the Atlantic as well as the Pacific on this trip!  Since I’m not a huge fan of the beach (I don’t love sand at all), we decided I should stay at the camper and work on submitting the grades for my three remaining high schoolers to our homeschool association. This is never a fun process and definitely involves some concentration- something that is difficult to have when you’re one of 8 people in an RV. The word “Mom” is said and heard waaaay too much. 

After an hour or two and having gone as far as I could with the grades, my daughter-in-law, Sarah, picked me up to go to a used bookstore. I had evidently left at home a book that we were going to be reading aloud for a literature study. We arrived at the bookstore, Chamblin Bookmine, and went in – only to stop immediately and realize that I would need help in finding this book. 

I have never been in a bookstore like this one.  It was a maze with books stacked probably 8 feet high on shelves on both sides of every aisle. Things were labeled decently enough, but I was having no luck finding my book. I was looking for The Hiding Place and told to look either in Jewish History or Biographies. I must have misunderstood the directions as I was never able to find either section.

After 20 minutes or so of looking in the World War 2 and German History sections as well as wandering around looking for Jewish History and Biographies, I saw a woman who appeared to work there and asked her for help. She immediately knew the book I was speaking of, told me that it was in the Christianity section and took me right to it. Needless to say, I didn’t stay any longer because that place was sooo overwhelming, and I would have needed a whole day in there. Sarah, a definite book-lover, didn’t even buy anything because she was so overwhelmed. 

Having the book I needed, we headed back to the RV to get ready for the rehearsal dinner we would be attending that night. 

It was great fun to see our close friends and how much their children and grandchildren have grown. Ben is the last of their seven children to marry, so we were marking the end of an era. The rehearsal dinner location included a pool, so three of the kids enjoyed the cool water. We are so grateful for these close friends who have supported us through sooo many years of parenting. It truly takes a village.