July 10

Today was, once again, about swimming (for everyone else) and the fitness center (for me). Then tonight, after an afternoon spent mostly at the rental house, we put on our nice clothes and had a sunset dinner at the club.

Good food, some of my favorite people, and a lovely venue made for a pleasant experience. But the most memorable part of the day came as we walked home afterward. Since Adam's parents' house wound up being unexpectedly unavailable, we're renting a house that's a little further than usual from the club. The walk back to said house involves a stroll along the golf course, and tonight, save a plethora of stars glittering overhead, it was pretty much pitch black out, which meant that it was rather difficult to see the healthy population of frogs who came out for some after-dark play time. Adam activated his phone's flashlight (while I struggled to figure out how to turn on mine -- darn you, Apple, and your iPhone 7 trickery) and he and the (terrified) kids walked in a huddle just a few steps ahead of me. There was much screaming (by the kiddos) and much snickering (by Adam and me) as we completed that relatively brief 15-minute walk. There were assurances that no one had ever been eaten by a frog and shrieks whenever one appeared in our path.

I don't love frogs myself, but I do love how they created such an sense of togetherness for us. There's nothing like a scary situation --or the illusion of a scary situation-- to bring people together. So yep: even scary things can be blessings.