10. Time

And finally, the 10th best thing about our family vacation this year...although it was probably the 1st best thing...was TIME.  After a tumultuous year, what a joy it was to just stop and relax, spend time with each other, and do whatever we wanted to do for a few days.  To Christopher, my bookworm, relaxing meant reading 15 exciting mysteries (Christopher gets his love of reading from his Nana).  In John's case, relaxing meant looking for shark's teeth on the beach and critters in the ocean.  Tim relaxed over some good plates of fried seafood.  Anna Jean relaxed in the pool - when she wasn't working hard learning to "kick and scoop."  And as for me, I relaxed through some really long talks with Jesus, clearing my head, taking a deep breath, and preparing for what happenings He has in store for the Barnette family in 2013 and beyond.

Thank you Lord for a great vacation!