What a week it has been.

After what has been nonstop school and work since the semester started, I finally got to take some time for much needed and (I think) well-deserved rest and relaxation last week.

September is the month Allison, my parents and I all drop what we’re doing to catch up at the beach and celebrate surviving and thriving for another year.

Being an only child, I’ve always had a close relationship with my parents, and even though we only live two hours apart these days, our busy schedules keep us separated for much of the year.

When we finally reunite, the conversation — and the food — are plenty.

This trip fed my soul and my stomach more than I could have hoped.

There’s nothing like family, food and the beach to remind you how great life truly is.

Speaking of the beach, oh how we love it. I spent hours and hours playing in the waves and lying in the sun.

My worries left behind in Vicksburg, I was determined to soak up every last drop of sunshine, which I did.

Let’s just say the directions on the sunscreen bottle that specify to “reapply” are not to be taken lightly.

After a few days I was as red as my team’s logo, which incidentally turned out to be a surprisingly good distraction from my hot-to-the-touch skin.

Saturday I spent the afternoon drowned out by chants of “T-I-G-E-R-S, Geaux Tigers!” from my LSU-crazed parents, somewhat dreading the late-night game.

I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, but I was pragmatic going into the Ole Miss vs. Alabama game.

Ole Miss had never beaten Alabama two years in a row, and the Rebels hadn’t won a game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in my lifetime.

I hoped for the best, which in my mind was a close game.

When the Hotty Toddy chants outnumbered the day’s Geaux Tigers chants, I knew we were on to something good.

Being the good LSU fans they are, my parents even joined me in rooting against Alabama.

That night, an Ole Miss victory soothed the pain of singed skin, and I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be: with my family.

Never underestimate family time, the sun or the Ole Miss Rebels.

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Austin Vining is a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at austin.vining@vicksburgpost.com.