Day 7...

What a fantastic day today... 3 Years ago when they were last here, my brother wanted to do a Sunrise/Sunset Florida Coast to Coast trip but unfortunately we weren't able to make it happen until today. We all woke up some time between 4 and 4:45AM got dressed and piled into the van and headed for Cocoa Beach. Despite the forecast for rain on both coasts we decided to move ahead with the plan. We arrived at the Pier a little before 7 am and headed for the ocean. My nephew has never been in the ocean so this was a huge deal. We spent some time taking photos as the sun came up. Despite the clouds the scene was incredible. The sky came alive with light and before we knew it the sun was up and we were hungry.

We hoped into the car and headed for a local diner where we all enjoyed a delicious home style breakfast. We headed back towards home for a short rest and then before we knew it we were back in the van heading to the other coast.

Madeira is about a 2 hour drive one way and we happily laughed and sang along with a playlist I created prior to our trip.  However this time we weren't greeted with random clouds and a burst of sun... No this time we were greeted with gray gloomy skies and spurts of rainy downpours... But I truly believed God was going to honor my brother's desire to see a sunrise and sunset on each coast of Florida. We spent awhile shopping at John's Pass and then our tummys began to sound the familiar call... I asked one of the sales ladies in the show we were in where she liked to eat in town and she directed us to a small restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere and yummy grub.

After dinner, despite the continual showers we decided to brave it and head to the beach. There was no one around when we arrived, imagine that, no one wanted to be on the beach in the rain... Go figure... We decided a little rain wasn't going to hurt us and we headed towards the sand and surf. After a few minutes of wading at the waters edge we realized the rain had past and it was going to be a nice evening. We had 2 hours to wait for the days grand finale and so my Sister-in-law, niece and nephew decided a dip in the gulf was necessary. It was so fun to watch them ride the waves up and down and just have fun bonding as a family while my brother and I bonded as siblings....

As the time approached for the sun to begin it's descent for the evening, we gathered on the abandoned beach chairs and chattered as we took random photos of the evenings changing light... I just sat there in awe for a few minutes admiring God's delicate brush strokes across the ever darkening sky... I reminded my brother once again how I knew God wasn't going to let him down and I truly believed He delivered an amazing day to us...

musicsongbird