Though John was joking when he talked about ordering up the “perfect weather package,” you could have fooled me – the weather for our time on Hilton Head Island was practically perfect in every way: mid- to high-70s during the day, sunshine and blue skies, a cool sea breeze blowing in off the ocean, and low humidity. Bliss!
The part of our spring break we actually could control – the itinerary – was pretty good, too :) I’d love to tell you about it, and share a few photos, too, if you’d like to see.
We chose to make the drive on Monday morning, meaning that we had the whole weekend before we left to pack, prepare, relax, and look forward with anticipation, a beginning that seemed positively luxurious. Listening to The Wild Robot audiobook (which we did for free through Spotify Premium) made the five-hour drive go by in a snap – it was equally engaging for the 3-, 6-, and 9-year-old riders as well as the grown-up ones. Plenty of audiobooks have not held all three of our kids’ attention, but this one was a winner all around.
With a lunch stop (at Lowcountry Produce, an old favorite!), we arrived on the island around 4pm and drove straight to pick up our rental bikes. (We had planned to bring our own, but a craaaazy situation the week before we left – getting gas from a station that had its diesel and regular unleaded tanks swapped, meaning we filled up with diesel (!!!) – left our car in the shop and us driving a rental van to South Carolina). We had enough time to unpack, explore the house, and make a quick trip to the beach before a storm blew in and rain began to pour.
As usual, John did a fantastic job finding our rental house. It’s always tricky to situate yourself in a place you’ve never been, especially on an island as large as Hilton Head, but we’re happy with where we landed – about a 10-minute bike ride from Coligny Plaza (a central cluster of shops and restaurants) and just 88 steps (as promised in the listing!) from a stretch of wide, pristine, nearly empty beach.
The house itself wasn’t fancy, but it was a family’s dream – as far as we could tell, lovingly stocked by a pair of grandparents. There were sand toys for the beach and pool toys for the heated pool; a beach wagon, towels, and chairs; a stool to reach the bathroom sink; and books, toys, and stuffies in the double-over-double bunk room. The only negative, in my view, was that the pool was not fenced, and so I was on low-key alert at all times, and we had to keep the kids on a tighter leash than usual in terms of being outside without us. You can find the Airbnb listing for “Beach Nest” here or book directly with the owners, Rick and Denise, for a discount here. (No kickback to me – they just had a little card with the info in the house and I thought I’d pass it along!)
The rain tapered off as we pulled up to Fat Baby’s Pizza. It’s a casual, family-friendly spot, and we were seated right away when we walked in at 6:30. They serve enormous slices of thin crust (though not New York-style) pizza. The kids gobbled up the pizza and were entranced by the screens at each table that displayed the colored placemats of past pint-size diners. They studiously bent over their own coloring sheets, scanning them just before we left – and were delighted when they showed up on the screen, too!
We stopped at Publix on the way home for some drinks and a few beach snacks, then tucked everyone into bed.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast at home, we loaded up the wagon and headed straight over the dunes to the beach. While the water was a bit too cold for full-on swimming, the kids had a grand time skipping through the waves, building sandcastles, and throwing the frisbee. We fully availed ourselves of the house’s beach supplies, adding only our trusty Shibumi, the pride of North Carolina.
We walked back to the house after a few hours, showered off, and then rode our bikes the short trip to The Sandbar, just down the road at Coligny Plaza. (That’s the bike path, below.) Though not directly on the ocean, it had the feel of a beachside shack, and we ordered accordingly: fish tacos for me, a sausage, peppers, and onions sub for John, and various fried things for the children.
After lunch, we decided to venture across the road to Lowcountry Celebration Park, a sparkling gem of HHI. And rightly so – it’s a very cool playground with a pirate ship climbing apparatus at its center and water elements and boardwalks (with gators!) all around. The playground was nearly empty when we were there in the early afternoon; John and I happily swung on a bench swing, watching our kids play and listening to the HHI Symphony rehearsing in the amphitheater for a performance that night.
After an hour or so, we biked back to the house via the beach, changed clothes, and switched into the van to drive to Harbourtown, a marina and shopping hub nestled in Sea Pines.
Sea Pines is a giant, beautiful resort community that takes up a quarter or so of Hilton Head. We were thrilled to find a surprise Sea Pines pass waiting for us at our rental, but were prepared to pay the $9 per day entrance fee. (If you go, know that the fee must be paid in cash.)
We gazed around, exclaiming, as we drove through the live oaks, taupe-and-green Lowcountry homes, and alligator-filled lagoons that make up Sea Pines. Then, with a bit of time before our dinner reservation, we did the tourist thing and climbed the Harbourtown Lighthouse. There’s a beautiful view at the top and some fun Coast Guard history as you climb the steps. It’s a quick attraction and we still had time to admire the ships in the marina and play at the playground under the oaks before our 6pm reservation at Quarterdeck.
Though Quarterdeck was one of our fancier dinners, we found it to be quite family-friendly: the tables are situated around a bar, so the noise level was pretty high, and the atmosphere was upscale casual. The kids’ entrees also came with a side option of roasted vegetables, which, being the mean parents we are, we made all three order. (One ate all of them, one ate half, and one ate almost none, which we considered a success.) Back at the house, we cuddled up to watch the first half of The Wild Robot movie.
Wednesday was another beautiful morning, and we started with breakfast at Watusi Cafe. It was a bit hard to tell what we were in for from the internet, but what we found was an upscale setting with a decidedly warm and friendly feel. Our waitress, Bernie, was a huge part of that and it was a delight to chat with her. The food was delicious, too… even though Shep looked like he had rolled in chocolate chips after finishing his loaded pancakes.
From there, we drove out to the west side of the island to meet our captain for an 11am dolphin tour, booked through Dolphin Discoveries.
We had originally planned to rent kayaks and explore the marsh that way, but couldn’t figure out the proper combination of family members and boats to make that work at our kids’ ages. So, we splurged for the more expensive private boat tour, and were very glad we did. We loved our captain, saw tons of dolphins just a few feet from our boat, learned more about the area and its waterways, and skipped the frustration that inevitably would have resulted from two adults trying to paddle three small children in the hot sun with nary a dolphin in sight.
Back on land, we hopped in the car and made a brief visit to the Coastal Discovery Museum. I would not necessarily recommend it if you’re planning your own vacation – we wanted to visit because it was nearby and I had been there for a Southern Weddings photo shoot many years ago and wanted to show a specific arching tree branch to the family, but it’s a tiny operation and not much of an attraction.
But from there, we drove about ten minutes to Fish Haul Beach Park, which I would recommend. It’s a quiet beach with tide pools, muddy flats, sandbars, and rocky outcroppings, perfect for exploring – which we did! We even managed not to lose any shoes in the mud :)
After an hour or so of exploring, we headed back to the house and the kids finally (their words) got to cannonball into the backyard pool. I loaded up a plate with snacks – slices of Croc Bite cheddar cheese, circles of salami, crackers, grapes, baby carrots, and pickled green beans – and we devoured it in between games of Marco Polo. Eventually, John hauled himself out and fired up the grill to cook a few hot dogs, which we ate poolside.
With the sun low in the sky, we showered off, hopped on our bikes, and rode on the beach to Coligny Plaza for ice cream cones at The Frozen Moo.
Thursday we had another quick breakfast at home, then drove back to Sea Pines to hike the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Where the Coastal Discovery Museum’s trails were a bit underwhelming, the Sea Pines ones were glorious, with boardwalks twisting through green swamps, spindly waterbirds, a wildflower meadow dotted with bright blooms, and alligators lurking in lagoons. We explored for about an hour and it was well worth our time.
Lunch was at Truffles Cafe in Sea Pines, where we had made an emphatically unnecessary reservation – there were maybe two other tables occupied in the restaurant. This was probably our worst meal choice of the week, not because the food was bad – it was not! – but because the atmosphere wasn’t really matched to what we were looking for. It was more of a ladies-who-lunch vibe, and would have been a better pick for a fancier dinner. Just not really what we needed for a quick lunch after hiking!
We headed back to the house, changed into our suits and sunscreen, and trotted out to the beach for two hours or so for more sandcastles, wading, and kicking the ball around. Then it was back to the pool for another two hours of Marco Polo, tag, and cannonball contests. The pool was small, but just big enough for our family of five to happily play, and plenty warm thanks to the heater.
Then it was time for showers (is there anything better than showering before dinner after a day outside at the beach or pool?) and a short drive out to Hudson’s, a Hilton Head institution for over 50 years. 90% of their seafood comes from local waters, including from their own boat and processing facility right next door. They don’t take reservations, but our 45-minute wait for an outdoor table on the docks (our longest of the week) was well worth it. The kids loved watching the terns wheel and dive and the crabs scuttle in the tanks, awaiting their fate.
Our original plan was to mini golf after dinner, but with the wait we ended our meal later than we expected, so we headed home to watch the second half of The Wild Robot and shifted mini golf to the next day, our final night.
We had left the itinerary for Friday, our final day, mostly open. We ended up repeating several favorites from earlier in the week: a bike ride for breakfast at Watusi Cafe and playing at Celebration Park, then time at the beach followed by playing at the pool and charcuterie snacks back at the house.
We had an early dinner reservation at Coast in Sea Pines, and it was the perfect way to end our vacation – I’d highly recommend placing it as a capstone to your trip, if you can swing it. Coast is a beautiful oceanfront restaurant, and we had made an outdoor reservation. There was live music, golden late-afternoon light, and yummy food: just one of those meals when you look around at your beautiful family and beautiful surroundings and soak in how grateful you are. We walked out to the beach after dinner, then mini golfed at Pirate’s Island, as promised.
(A note to the kind readers who gave me HHI recommendations, many of whom mentioned Gregg Russell’s Harbourtown concerts: we had planned to go to his Friday night concert, but a sign was posted earlier in the week to say it was canceled! Next time, I suppose :))
As always, thank you for letting me share! I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about Hilton Head in the comments!
April 2025 goals
At the beginning of this year, I declared 2025 “the year of dating.” I clarified that this goal wasn’t about more or more elaborate dates; it was about renewing the spirit of new love. If I had a sense that a correction might be necessary at the beginning of this year, it became clear it was necessary as the months unfolded, as little failings between us two were exacerbated by forces outside our control: the weight of stock market swings (and accompanying stress at work for John) as well as a trio of losses close to home. Slowly, and then all at once, this culminated in a tearful meltdown one night and then a long, honest chat about what we each were missing in our marriage right now.
The things we wanted are small and inconsequential on their own — a hug every day, more nightly walks, an emptied and filled dishwasher on days I’m off work, a little thank you if I get the kids through baths while John’s napping. Indifference in attending to them, though — which in our case, to put it bluntly, comes down to valuing the self over the partner — can start a downward spiral.
Really listening to and respecting what matters to each other was hard. Acting on it, surprisingly, has been mostly a joy. Tiny acts of marital sacrifice have been re-ennobled for both of us.
Will we need another reset at some point in the future? Of course. Such is the privilege of a long marriage. We are not, alas, our glory-selves yet :)
On my calendar: — Our spring break trip to Hilton Head Island. You all have been so gracious to tell me over the years how much you love a Thomas family trip recap (me, too!), so expect one later this month. — A few tune-up swim lessons for the big kids. What once felt overwhelming – our neighborhood swim team – has become a treasured part of our year. It’s also a sport where we see an inner drive to improve in our kids (not the case in all pursuits!), and we want to honor that. — Planting things! I got a bunch of cosmos and zinnia seeds from the hardware store and am planning to just sow them willy-nilly in our back bed after the last frost and see what pops up.
What I’m loving right now: — I’m not sure I’ll have time to write a blog post about this year’s Easter baskets, but I did want to share some of the goodies I’ve collected! As always, it’s a mix of new, consignment, and hand-me-down finds. I’ve linked everything I can here — especially fond of the Anne of Green Gables devotional for June, the Butterbeer goldfish, and the best swim goggles. — I was influenced by my sister-in-law to switch out the hand towels in all of our bathrooms for these fluffy white waffle ones from Target. They’re great! — I’m a few months late in sharing this, but it truly blew me away — a pitch-perfect mashup of dozens of musical guests from the first 50 years of SNL. A very fun six-minute listen.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What you’re loving right now:
This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!
What I read in February: — Delicious!| Am I becoming curmudgeonly in my old age? It took me awhile to warm up to this novel that everyone else seemed to love. It did win me over in the end, but the writing just felt a little simple and the characters, flat, after the dazzling humility of Gilead.
Revisiting my March goals: Complete Easter basket shopping with the kids Organize Annie’s closet Track down final RSVPs and contact information for the reunion and confirm locations Finish planning and enjoy HHI trip Strength train 2x/week Practice piano 2x/week (Averaged about once a week, which is more than last month!) Figure out a plan for bathroom (No final decision yet due to some rescheduled meetings, but I have reached out to several more contractors.) Disassemble Annie’s crib and rearrange her room a bit Choose a PCP and call about making an appointment Complete two more watercolor postcards (One done!)
April goals: — Film Annie in April — Take Rosalie’s watercolor landscape class — Complete two more watercolor postcards — Record the first TCF audio AMA with John — Review the TCF course outline with John — Finalize and print itineraries for our reunion weekend — Choose a new Psalm and begin memorizing it as a family (any suggestions?)
Thank you so much for being here, friends! Feel free to respond to anything I’ve written or anything else that’s on your mind. xo
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March 2025 goals
Thank you so very much for the birthday wishes, friends! I had a delightful day with myself, and then a delightful weekend with the ones I love :) There was a walk through my favorite historic neighborhood, an IGA 9-layer cake, some in-person shopping at a new-to-me consignment boutique (see below!), a Duke game in Cameron (!!), and a Father of the Bride family movie night.
I finished the weekend feeling grateful and happy, and that was welcome, because it hasn’t been the easiest start to the year. We have experienced three significant ruptures in three organizations that are important to our family, and that has led to heartache, frustration, time occupied in ways I wish it didn’t have to be, and much soul-searching about what’s next. I know that’s a bit vague, but these rents have colored our year and it seems right to note them. Sending you love if you’ve had a hard start to the year, too. xo
On my calendar: — Easter basket shopping with all three kids. I’ll go on individual mini shopping trips to Target with each to choose items for baskets we donate through a local program. One of my favorite family traditions! — Spring break. We are headed to Hilton Head – our first time! — A zoo visit with my sister! It’s the best halfway meet-up point between our two towns.
What I’m loving right now: — Back to that consignment boutique I mentioned above – it was amazing. I joked to John that it felt like the grown-up version of my favorite kids’ consignment sale – a curated selection of clothing from stylish people that I get to buy for far less than they did :) I brought so many things into the fitting room and came home with a handful of new-to-me favorites, including a Mille dress. I think I will never buy anything new from another store again?! Local friends, it is seriously so good! — We’ve used Blueland hand soap and cleaning products for many years. After successfully switching to their dishwasher detergent last year, we made the switch to their laundry detergent last month. I’m happy with it all and thrilled to reduce the amount of plastic we consume. — Speaking of consuming less plastic: I’ve also been on a mission to replace our plastic cutting boards, and started with this one. It took a beat for me to get used to cutting on the surface, but I do plan to buy an additional size.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What you’re loving right now:
This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!
What I read in February: — Pillars of the Earth | Continuing with my Kingsbridge series re-read! I’ve traditionally said this, the original volume, is my favorite of the bunch, but I actually found myself hurrying through the first part this time around. Still very enjoyable, though! — Gilead | I loved this book. It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner with only thin veins of a plot (just enough to keep you turning pages!). Instead, it’s a portrait, shot through with observations that ring true and humble, dazzling lines. (I dog-eared several lines to tuck away in my commonplace file – quite rare for a fiction book.) Reading it in middle age, with young children and aging parents, was a tender experience.
Revisiting my February goals: Finalize the itinerary for our reunion and run it by a friend to get feedback Write June’s birthday update Choose a PCP and call about making an appointment (No…….) Sit down with John and spend 1-2 hours going over what I have so far for the TCF audio course and getting his feedback (This did not happen and I’m sad about it! It’s hard to find a big block of time when we’re both able to focus on something challenging AND the kids are occupied.) Choose and begin a new Bible reading plan (Have just continued with the Psalms.) Make classroom valentines with the kids Put our scripture ring into action at the table Prep to speak at a school on behalf of TCF – my first time! (So thankful for this! It went really well!) Send that phone ban friend email (Done! Grateful for this, too.)
I also planned to run every weekend (went off the rails after some knee twinges and pushing myself to experiment with pacing), practice the piano several times a week (I averaged once per week), and clean out my phone screenshots daily (check!).
March goals: — Complete Easter basket shopping with the kids — Organize Annie’s closet — Track down final RSVPs and contact information for the reunion and confirm locations — Finish planning and enjoy HHI trip — Strength train 2x/week — Practice piano 2x/week — Figure out a designer for bathroom — Disassemble Annie’s crib and rearrange her room a bit — Choose a PCP and call about making an appointment — Complete two more watercolor postcards (I’ve committed to contributing 10-12 postcards of scenes from around our Maine island for a community auction happening there this summer. My watercolor talents are minimal but I’m hoping the familiar scenes will make the finished product more dear than it really is, ha! My first three tries above :))
Alright, plenty to discuss here! Does anyone have an online watercolor class to recommend? Hilton Head Island must-dos? Has it been far too long since you’ve been to a PCP, too? Feel free to discuss anything I’ve mentioned below!
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Each disc a day
It was the best summer of our lives. We knew it at the time — I’ll always be grateful for that — even if those around us were inclined toward demurring, prevaricating. I’m sure it felt premature, to declare something “the best” when there were still so many opportunities to surpass it, when we were still so young.
But each day was a golden disc, luminous and precious, and they stacked lazily on top of one another for months – “each disc a day, and the addition slow.”
Everything was new. I had never had a boyfriend, of course, so that was new, but I mean everything. I drove on new roads in my old town – roads I’d never needed to drive on before, because nothing that lay at the end of them had ever mattered. I listened to new music on his mixed cassette tapes: The Arcade Fire, Iron & Wine, Wilco, Bloc Party. I tried new foods, overcoming my limited palette in the hopes of impressing him, or at least not disappointing him: guacamole, gazpacho, pavlova, sushi, hot buttered lobster roll, chicken tikka masala.
We got our Indian fix from a little hole-in-the-wall in the city next door, and after our many trips the owner began recognizing us. This felt important: a new acquaintance who had never known us apart from one other. We laughed as we were ushered to the table by the window week after week.
Who wouldn’t want to put love on display?
Our favorite days, the best days, went like this: wake up slow. Converge on the McQuade’s parking lot with the group. Order deli sandwiches, squeeze into fewer cars. Drive to Watch Hill, make a decision about parking (pay $20 for the lot or risk a ticket?), then hoof it past the marina and over the dunes to a slice of sand on Napa Tree Point. Unfurl a towel. Lie in the sun. Toss the football. Splash in the waves. Talk, talk, talk with whomever could come that day.
We got quite a few tickets.
Then home for a quick shower, pull on a sundress. A few minutes later he’d pull back into my driveway and we’d head out, just the two of us this time – to Abbott’s, for dinner, squinting, the low sun glinting off the sound. Another place I’d never been, even though I’d lived in this town my whole life, too.
Then to game night. Someone’s parents’ house, the whole group again, or whoever could make it that evening. Cranium, usually, or poker, or Rock Band. Home before curfew, usually just.
We were not completely without responsibility, that summer. He worked at a seaside market, slicing ham and scooping potato salad and toasting bagels for beachgoers. He’d bring me home an unsold chocolate croissant after closing, by this point knowing enough (and feeling comfortable enough) to pull one of my mom’s wax-paper-wrapped burritos out of the freezer for his own late-night snack.
I worked at a tiny beach shack, at a tucked-away cove frequented only by nannies and toddlers. He’d bike miles round trip with a friend or two just to see me, rounding the corner of the deck sweating and grinning. I’d give them a shaved ice, the sanctioned offering for friends, then go back to reading my book in the sun when they left.
A letter arrived from college with my roommate’s name printed neatly in small black type. She called me a few days later, urged me to log onto Facebook now that we could guess at our college email addresses. Intrusive, all of it, an unwelcome reminder that a world beyond this summer was lurking.
Never mind.
We hiked, we kayaked at the cottage, we watched movies, we laid in the hammock and read books, we dove in the pool, we walked on the train tracks, we went to the casinos for Krispy Kreme, we played croquet in my backyard, we hopped the fence and flew high on the beachside swings in Groton under the moon. And when we weren’t with our friends or alone, my younger sister inexplicably became our third wheel, a heretofore unheard of circumstance in our somewhat-frosty relationship.
It’s easy to be generous when you’re in love.
We went skinny dipping once, wading deep into the pond before tossing our suits back to shore, everyone laughing and shrieking in the moonlight, and that was the night of our biggest argument. “Are you just going to do what everyone else does?” he shot at me later, a slight tremor revealing the fear about what we’d find, who we’d become when throttled beyond this golden summer, plucked up and placed somewhere we weren’t seen and known and loved.
This was the only stumble.
Otherwise – and this is not just hazy hindsight, I remember this with clarity and certainty – we knew this summer was the beginning, knew we would pass into marriage, and children, knew we would last. We knew it as surely as we knew our names.
But who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years?
I have had many blissful seasons since, many golden summers, mostly because our lives only became further entwined – but none like that first one. Our love feels quieter now, steadier, deeper. It is on this love that the engine of our marriage is run: being in love that summer was the explosion that started it.
We celebrated the twentieth anniversary of our first date in late January, and I couldn’t let it go by without sharing a few thoughts. Astute readers will recognize that I wove in a few lines from one of our ceremony readings, with many thanks to C.S. Lewis, as well as a line from my favorite poem.
hi! my name is em.
This is where I share the marvelous people, places, and things I love.
