Any day that includes a cheese board is a good day. When it’s National Wine & Cheese Day, well, giddy up! I was excited for an excuse to put together some cheeses, and more enthusiastic about sampling them. In the end, the perfect pairing was less about the wine and cheese and more about the people I was able to enjoy it with. My Monday started in typical fashion with a long list to get done, but it ended with a photo shoot featuring a cheese board to post for National Wine & Cheese Day (July 25th). I welcomed the interruption from the “busyness” and styled with a variety of cheeses, charcuterie, fruit, artichoke lemon pesto, olives, bread, and pastry tarts with key lime and Meyer lemon filling. By the time I made it to the Hinton’s though, the board looked a little less appetizing. There were a few missing pieces (due to quality control), and I may have taken a couple turns faster than I should have. After I set the board on the counter, we quickly realized there wasn’t going to be enough food for six adults and two children for dinner. So, we did what anyone would do at 6:45pm on a Monday when Moon River isn’t open - we ordered Townie’s. While we waited, we snacked, opened a bottle of Pacheca sparkling Pinot Noir from Portugal, took some more candid photos for the blog post, a few boomerangs for Instagram, and had a few laughs. When the pizza arrived, everyone shifted their attention. No plates, no silverware, just open boxes of cheesy goodness topped with meat. When we finished eating, we sat around the table, talking and laughing some more in between the ever-so entertaining performances by Hannah Grace and Addi Grace. At the end of a long Monday, this was exactly what I needed! Let’s face it, life is busy. We can get caught up in the things that grab our attention in the moment, or we can be intentional about focusing our attention on the moments that matter. This was a good reminder why we have invested so much time and effort into Cape House. We are inspired by moments that capture our senses and compel us to savor our surroundings. We’re passionate about creating environments that bring people together, inviting them in to make life’s moments memorable. The “surrounding” was simply a dining room table with a stack of pizza boxes. Nothing fancy, but it was an opportunity to invite people in and share a moment together. I remember growing up, my parents reiterated (frequently), “your friends will shape your future.” You may have heard, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Or, you might be familiar with renowned businessman, Jim Rohn’s quote, “you’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” Regardless, people are important and the people you surround yourself with matters. Too often as things get busy, I get caught up in the tendency to work harder and grind longer. I allow myself to focus on what’s urgent rather than what’s most important. In the end, there is nothing more important than the people in our lives and the relationships we have. Today, in my opinion, is THE perfect day to find a friend, some cheese, and cheers to National Wine & Cheese Day.

“Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.” Proverbs 13:20 (MSG)

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL WINE & CHEESE DAY National Wine and Cheese Day encourages us to try wines and cheese in combinations we’ve never tried before; we can step away from the ordinary and learn something new. Sampling the complexities in sweetness and acidity and comparing them makes for an enjoyable experience. When we add friends to the adventure, National Wine and Cheese Day becomes a celebration, too!

Last week, while attending STEM Camp, Hannah Grace and Addi Grace found themselves in a little bit of trouble. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting these two, Hannah Grace is our almost-7-going-on-17 year old daughter and Addi is Lance & Lauren’s 4 year old. They are both only children, but with the amount of time the Hintons and Jones spend together, they act a little more like sisters. One day at camp, the girls partnered up to build a marshmallow tower. It’s hard to get the full picture of what went down, but putting the pieces of the puzzle together, we know this: The goal was to build a tower out of marshmallows. Addi wanted to eat the marshmallows (who wouldn’t?) Hannah Grace (in typical type A manner) wanted to build the best and tallest tower. You can imagine where this is headed. After losing a few marshmallows to her snacking friend, Hannah Grace held all of the marshmallows over her head where Addi couldn’t reach them, and from what I can imagine (not so politely) told Addi to stop. So naturally, Addi gives HG a little kick in the leg. Things probably escalated at this point because HG is known to be a little (ahem) dramatic and Addi ended up in time out. That evening, Lauren and I sat in a hotel room in Atlanta trying to get all of the information we could via FaceTime because we both felt we had a lesson to teach. From Hannah Grace’s point of view, Addi kicked her. She was not acknowledging her part of the story. She saw what Addi did as the “bad thing”. I tried to explain to her what she did wrong and how she could have avoided the situation, but all she could say was “but Addi did”. She saw Addi’s offense as worse than her’s, so surely her’s didn’t count. God reveals so much to me through Hannah Grace and parenting. I wanted so badly for her to accept her part in this and apologize - to repent. This reminds me of Adam and Eve in the garden after they have done what they know they shouldn’t have done. God asks them “Have you eaten the fruit from the of the tree I commanded you not to eat?” Gen. 3:11 Adams first response? It was her, not me! She gave it to me, it’s her fault. Then when the Lord asks Eve, “What have you done?” Gen. 3:13 Her response? It was the serpent - he tricked me. In the end, God held them ALL accountable: man, woman, and serpent. You see this is not a 4 and 6 year old issue, this is a human issue. We’re all accountable for our own sin. It’s easy to look around and claim “Look what they did!”, but the reality is that in any disagreement, there is usually shared responsibility. My encouragement is when faced with a disagreement, don’t place blame, but examine your own responsibility in the situation and extend grace - because we all need a little grace...

This summer, we've spent a lot of family time at the beach. Addi Grace loves catching fish, sand “flees”, and periwinkles (she seriously can do it for hours) - and Lance decided it was finally time to upgrade his 2001 Acura to a Jeep with 4-Wheel Drive! Needless to say, we've had lots of time to watch the waves and reflect on Gods beautiful creation. It’s been amazing - and a stark contrast to last summer thanks to some amazing additions to our Cape House team! A few weekends ago, we saw several pools of dolphins swim by (my favorite!) Soon after, Hannah Grace (HG) and I were about waist deep in the ocean cooling off when I noticed a lot of fish jumping around us - more than usual. They seemed to be everywhere! I realized that could only mean one thing... there must be a really BIG fish chasing them. Instead of freaking out and scaring HG, I casually (but cautiously) recommended we head back to the shore to find some more periwinkles. (Inside, I was flipping out!) When I got back to my beach chair, I recalled the situation, God reminded me that warnings are meant to protect us not punish us. We have to be aware enough to recognize them and to pay attention to them. Just like the jumping fish, there are warning signs that something more is brewing under the surface. Sometimes what we see at first glance or in a rush may not be all we need to make the best decision (John 7:24). There is more to the story! But HG didn’t see the warning signs. When we are distracted or having fun, we can ignore the signs - or maybe we don’t even know what signs to look for (especially if you are 6). Or if we do, we push them off as unimportant because we would rather stay and enjoy in the moment. We can be the same way - especially when life is going great. We tend to ignore warnings that we need to turn around or change our ways. All throughout history God provided “signs” to show people the way to live, but they kept going on their own path. In Luke Jesus Himself says “As Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. —Luke 11:30.” Even then, the religious leaders and people did not pay much attention to His warnings. Life seemed fine and dandy. They didn’t want to be told they were wrong (vs 45). We have to pay attention and be alert. There are warning signs all around if we will just take the time to notice them and then make the necessary changes they call for. God wants only what is best for us, but there is a real enemy who is out to steal, kill and destroy us in every way he can. His most common tools: lies and busyness. If he can keep us distracted long enough or fill our head with lies about our self worth and happiness, we will ignore the signs all day long! “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” 1 Peter‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬. I also love the wording in The Message version: “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up." 1 Peter‬ ‭5:8-11‬ ‭MSG‬‬. Whether it’s simply getting out of the ocean when there’s a scare, or more seriously, your health is deteriorating because you don’t take the time for rest and self-care, it’s time to be set apart! As Christians we need to be people on guard and aware of our surroundings - constantly praying, listening, and asking the Holy Spirit to lead us and help us discern the signs. Willing and ready to make the right move when the fish start jumping!

If you‚Äôre a fan of the 90‚Äôs sitcom Friends you may recall ‚ÄúThe One with the Jellyfish‚Äù (Season 4: Episode 1). The episode includes Monica getting stung by a jellyfish at the beach and the ensuing debate of how they were going to relieve the pain. Apparently, as Joey would explain from what he had seen on the Discovery Channel, ‚Äúpeeing‚Äù on the area helps prevent the stinging sensation. I know - if you haven‚Äôt heard pouring urine on the skin where the jellyfish tentacle touched, stay tuned. Soooooooooo, one school of thought says that when you get stung by a jellyfish, an immediate response to limit the burning is to urinate on the sting (tuck that tidbit of non-medical supported advice away for later). This past Saturday was a perfect day at the beach, until the tide came in. As we began to pack up the Jeep, we heard our daughter belt out the most outrageous scream. She was standing in a tide pool with tears streaming down her face. As we investigated her obvious discomfort, we realized she was the victim of a jellyfish encounter. There was no consoling her, so her mom decided to do what was best - pee in a bucket. We were all confident, after a concise debate, this was the best option we had. Well, despite her ‚Äúmom-of-the-year‚Äù award for peeing on demand, the urine had zero affect on the sting. Through the screaming and hyperventilating, we managed to put enough ice on it to numb the pain until we made it home. And when we did, Addi was still in a state of shock and reluctant to allow us to help. My wife‚Äôs quick search identified that we shouldn‚Äôt have used urine, and we shouldn‚Äôt have used ice. According to The Mayo Clinic, soak the skin in hot water. Use water that's 110 to 113 F (43 to 45 C). If a thermometer isn't available, test the water on an uninjured person's hand or elbow ‚Äî it should feel hot, not scalding. Keep the affected skin immersed or in a hot shower for 20 to 45 minutes. In the interim, I tried everything (chocolate, cookies, bacon), but Addi would not respond. I‚Äôll never forget seeing her face filled with tears, so adamant about not wanting to listen to me, her father. I had her best interest in mind but she couldn‚Äôt get past the pain she was experiencing. Finally, I decided to lead by example. I got down on my knees and placed my forearm in the warm bath water. I invited her to join me, to calm down, and be still. Soon enough, she did, and the pain began to subside, along with her tears. I noticed she was feeling better and was more receptive to what I had to say. We talked through the next steps and took care of the situation. I reflected that evening, how often our heavenly Father prompts us to calm down, be still, to pause from the pains afflicting us, and ‚Äúsoak for 20-45 minutes‚Äù. He‚Äôs the one who has the power to calm the seas, move mountains, bring death to life - and also take care of the jellyfish. We don‚Äôt always understand when we‚Äôre caught in a situation, but it all makes sense to God. We have to remember, in every situation, to listen to him and trust (Proverbs 3:5-6) what he has to say. Maybe now is a good time for you to pause for a few minutes and soak, or maybe you simply need a good laugh. If the latter applies to you, enjoy Monica getting stung by a jellyfish.