Back home... Day 168 29APR09

We got back from the beach this evening after a pleasant drive across our fair state. Lets go back and pick up the highlights from yesterday and today.

We got to Cocoa Beach just after lunch yesterday and it wasn't long before Josh and Jarrod were in the pool. I was really surprised at how well Joshua was in the pool. He has not been swimming in over six months but you would have thought he spent every day on the water. It was neat to watch him really enjoying himself. He was really cute with his mask and snorkel topped off with a red bandanna. He got tired and cold pretty quick but frequent rest breaks helped him keep his strength up. He was swimming and doing flips underwater like there was no tomorrow. Later in the evening we took a walk down to the beach to check out the waves and get a little sand in between our toes. The tide was coming in and we had an onshore breeze, the waves were really stacking up. The water is still a little cool for my tropical blood but not that bad. We made our normal pilgrimage to Ron Jon's to get in touch with the surf vibe then had a great dinner at the little fish restaurant we always eat at. Jarrod got to have his favorite, king crab legs. We were all in bed and asleep just after 9.

This morning we woke up and took the boys to the beach. We figured the waves would be calmer in the morning. Not so. Josh was having difficulty just standing knee deep in the surf line so we switched over to putt putt golf. Joshua and Jarrod had been asking to go ever since we drove in past the golf place. It was a fun 18 holes and the boys were putting pretty well. Josh started to get tired about the tenth hole but we found a shady spot to rest for a bit and he was okay to finish the course. No hole in ones this time but we did have a funny incident when Jarrod's ball got stuck under a bridge. Renee and I were having a great time watching the boys try and get his ball out.

After lunch we headed back to the pool for a while and got some more swimming in. All of us were pretty tired by afternoon so we took a nice siesta. Joshua wanted to eat crab legs so off we went back to the Fish House. A great meal later we were on the road headed back for home. It was a really fun break from all of the normal craziness that defines us at home. It was wonderful to see Joshua swimming and truly having a great time. I wish that he had more energy, he loves being in the water. A big thanks to Dr. Jim and Sally for the use of their condo, it was a nice break.

Tomorrow we go back to our normal routine. Jarrod has school as does Joshua; I have to get back to work. Joshua will not get anymore chemo until May 6 when he starts delayed intensification. In the meantime we are going to try and get him rested up and add a few pounds to his lean little frame.