VACATION AND LOVE STORIES

We returned Monday night from a grand vacation at Marriott Grand Vista Resort in Orlando, Florida, where we stayed in a luxurious timeshare. Our two daughters and their two children (each) were with us. One daughter flew up from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she lives (she's been here a month and will be flying home Friday).

So there were eight of us. Eight in restaurant seating. Eight in the car (thankfully, one daughter has a Ford Expedition). Eight at theme parks (Me: "Where's Claudia?" I shriek then find out the two-year-old is behind me; "Nicholas, don't wander off," I say to the just-turned-four-year-old; "Yes, I'll take Lorenzo to the restroom and change his diaper," I say about the six-month-old).

Eight of us for a glorious week together in Florida's sunshine. Wonderful. The resort has four magnificent swimming pools, and the best indoor play place I've ever seen, and a lake with paddle boats, and big windowed rooms with ping pong, foos ball, and pool tables, and planned family activities like a photo scavenger hunt, and...you get the picture. One night, they erected a giant screen at one swimming pool and showed the movie Nanny McPhee while the kids swam and ate free popcorn.

One day we kept the children while our two daughters went to Blizzard Beach. Another time we kept the two-year-old and the six-month-old while the rest went to Medievel Times dinner theater and horse show.

We didn't do the Disney thing this year. We've done that and will do it again. A few years ago, we did the Disney thing ON CHRISTMAS DAY and had Christmas dinner in Cinderella's castle! Fabulous experience.

But this year, we decided to do Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven. We'd been there when our girls were little; used to live near it and had yearlong passes. We've always enjoyed the professional water ski shows with their mind-defying skills and a little comedy thrown in the mix. And we've always loved the butterfly arboretum where butterflies light on you. And the ice skating shows in the ice palace. And the animal shows. But we were very pleased to see the new improvements: lots and lots of kiddie and "medium-aged" rides, and a few hair-raising ones (though not too many). And the biggest addition is Splash Island, a water park. In fact, we enjoyed it so much, we took advantage of the free second day and went back again.

During the entire vacation, I saw a Christian love story lived out: my husband Milton became the dotingest grandfather I've ever seen. And it warmed my heart. Backstory: He was a good father to our girls. He provided well for them. He was "there" for them. But the interaction I saw this week between him and the four kids was, well, like I said, doting. And heartwarming. "Want me to take the three oldest ones to ride the paddle boats?" he'd ask. Or, "Can I take them to the play place while y'all get ready to go to Cypress Gardens?" Or, "Let me take them to the swimming pool." Or, "I'll go get them in their carseats for you." Or, "Claudia, come here to Papa. I need a kiss." Or, "Alexander, come to Papa. I need to tell you how much I love you." Or, "Nicholas, come here to Papa. I want to tell you what a good boy you are. You're Papa's buddy." Or, "Jennifer, give me that baby. I need some loving."

I'm thankful for my Christian love story: a marriage to a godly man who loves me, loves my girls, and loves our grandchildren.

Thank You, God.