God is in control!!!!

Another fabulous day at Lighthouse Family Retreat!!!!  Our Thursday was great.  The kids prepared for the talent show during Flip Flop while the parents spent the morning together.  Taco Bar from Seaside catered our lunch for us!  It was delicious!!!  In the afternoon we pampered our moms for a short time so they got some special time just for them.  Storms tried to interrupt our evening but God was watching over us & kept them away until the last act of our Talent show was over!  Low Country Boil for dinner was prepared specially by some of our guys.  They did an awesome job!  So yummy! After dinner we had one of the best talent shows yet.  We had singers, dancers, cheerleaders, hula-hoopers, a break dancer, an Irish jig dancer, a "noodle sword" fight, a caterpillar that turned into a beautiful butterfly & our Sharks, the teenage guys & many of the dads that did a medley of dances that brought the crowd to their feet!  Every act was great & enjoyed by all our of families, volunteers & some of our Gulf Place neighbors & friends!!!  Perfect night for all!!!

Wonderful Wednesday!!!

We ended yesterday with rain & began today with rain but God is good!  It quickly ended & the kids were able to enjoy playing on the lawn & going to the pool during Flip Flop while the parents enjoyed Common Grounds.  Lunch was provided by Chick-fil-A & of course was scrumptious.  Tonight was a special night for both the parents & the kids.  The parents had dinner together at Pizza by the Sea where we toasted (with Sparkling Cider of course) to one of our couple's 14th Wedding anniversary!!  Afterwards, they shared some time walking around Seaside & enjoyed Frost Bites (best shaved ice ever) for dessert!! While they were gone the volunteers took dinner to each family's condo before bringing all the kids over for a yummy ice cream party & to watch Despicable Me.  Fun evening enjoyed by all!!!!

Happy 14th Wedding Anniversary!!

Nine Square in the air!!

Check out the blog tomorrow to see pics from the best evening of the week!!!

What a day!

At Lighthouse we tell everyone that flexibility is the key & today was no exception.  It started with flip flop & went throughout the day.  We did have a "thunder delay" at the beginning of Flip Flop so we did some crafts, & played some games before we all headed to the pool!! While we have the kids each morning,  the parents meet in Common Grounds for a time to share & support each other.

After lunch we had a time to rest & relax.  A lot of the families made their way down to the beach where the water was beautiful - No Seaweed!!! - it was great.

It was Italian night for dinner, the atmosphere was set, families were seated, the salad was served & then the rain decided to join us.  No problem, all the families went back to their condos & the volunteers took their dinner to them.  Even though it was not our plan, it was God's plan & it gave each family some special time together.  

Looking forward to tomorrow & another great day.  The parents will get to have a "date-night" while the volunteers keep the kids & have an ice cream party & movie night. How fun!!!

AMAZING FAMILIES!!!!!

What a night we had with our 12 amazing retreat families that arrived today! Every one of our volunteers was so excited & ready to serve these families in any way they could.  After a delicious dinner we spent some time getting to know our retreat family & then one of the family partners introduced them to all of us! Our 12 families this week are representing 8 different areas of the country including Canada! It is great!!  After we finished, the lawn was a sea of Blue shirts that were playing soccer, football, corn hole, hula hoop, dancing & just good 'ole running around.  We all had a blast.  I think everyone will sleep well tonight!!!
Tomorrow will be our first full day which includes Flip Flop, Common grounds, more dancing, soccer, corn hole, etc. Check out some of the pics taken from today...

Retreat #7 Begins!!!!!  All of our families have arrived & the week has begun!  Looking so forward to dinner time & getting to know these incredible families.  It is going to be a great week.  Can't wait to see what God has planned for this week!  Check back frequently for updates!

Fantastic End to Retreat 5

What a wonderful week it has been! On Thursday, we were super busy in preparing for the talent show. There were some incredibly entertaining acts including cup stacking, crazy dancing and even our own Lighthouse air band! Our awesome kitchen team also prepared a delicious cajun feast that left everyone smiling!

Friday was a great end to an amazing week. We had a special fiesta, with pinata and dancing all around, in honor of sweet little Stephanie Bonilla's sixth birthday! We ended the night with a slideshow that really captures the spirit of the week.

On Saturday morning, the families and volunteers said our "See You Laters" and wished each other the best as we made our journeys home!

Totally Awesome Tuesday! Retreat 6

Ice cream Night and Date Night! 

So today was our first FULL day at Lighthouse. We had a great time kicking off flip flop! We enjoyed cooling off in the pool and playing ball on the field while the parents shared stories in common grounds. After conked out the parents went out for date night. Sad to say we couldn't have our movie night because of the scattered showers but that didn't stop us from having a party! We had a fun time at our ice cream party in the breeze way!