"Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it."
~ Swedish Proverb, from Dr. Robert Melillo's book, "Reconnected Kids"

Sunday, July 24, 2011

What a great day at Tybee!

"Gonna put the world away for a minute, pretend I don't live in it. The sunshine's gonna wash my blues away" ~ Zac Brown Band

We had the BEST day today, and I just couldn't wait to share the details! (Especially after my last blog post.) We are in Savannah for the weekend, and I found out that the Surfers For Autism had an event planned today at Tybee. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but we were very excited to participate. It turned out to be a whole lot more fun than I could have imagined, complete with friends and family, sand and surf, food, music, and lots of amazing kids having the time of their lives!

Surfers For Autism is a non-profit organization that travels to different beaches on the east coast, providing children on the autism spectrum and their families a fun day of surfing and other activities at no cost. The food was great, the volunteers were amazing, and the kids had an absolute blast!

Alana and I arrived around 11 am with Aidan, and met up with the Spencer clan! (So great to see y'all today!) Kim showed us the ropes, and we got Aidan all signed in and registered. Luckily, his group got to surf almost immediately. Waiting in line to get his board and coach was pure torture!
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Finally, he had his coach and his board. Before they hit the water, it was time for a quick rundown of the basics.
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And into the water they went!
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Look at Aidan GO!
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As soon as he hit the beach, Aidan was ready to turn around and go right back out! And Alana was right there to help him. (I think she enjoyed herself today, too!)
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When his group's surf time was up, Aidan was one of the very last surfers out of the water!
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During the break, we grabbed lunch and Papa and Uncle Kyle showed up with a surfboard for the boys! Ange, Mimi, and the little boys weren't too far behind them. Everyone played in the water and dug in the sand. Aeson even wanted in on the surfing action.
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Look at that grin!
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Round 2 of surfing was TONS of fun! The amazing Dan Spencer was Aidan's coach this time, and my boy was ready to SURF! Coach Dan very quickly helped Aidan try to get up on his knees on the surf board.
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He rode all the way in on his knees! Look at how proud Aidan and Coach Dan are!
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Such a pro!
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And then, HE DID IT! He got his feet on the board and stood up!
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And of course, there's a video too!

Thanks Coach Dan! Aidan had such a blast learning to surf!
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After his session was over, Aidan was nowhere near ready to hang up the surf board. So he and Uncle Kyle moved down the beach a bit and surfed some more! (The little boys, however, were tuckered out and headed home with Ange - Thanks Nanny!)
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Of course, there is video of this too!

Aidan has talked about his day of surfing non-stop since we left the beach. He now wants a surf board of his own and surfing lessons. Uh-oh! Any takers? ;)

What a SUPER day! Here's hoping that the Surfers For Autism make this an annual event for Tybee! The boys had a blast and were totally worn out! I got WAY too much sun, and am beat myself. Long drive tomorrow back to the ATL, so I'm off to bed!

Much love,

Allie


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