The Beach

The beach! We made it! After a super busy week, a 14 hour car ride Saturday, then church and Taco Bell (blech), and a 3hour car ride yesterday we are here. I realized that this is Lyla's first time at the beach that she can actually play on the beach. The last time we were here as a family the oil had just rolled through a few days before. The beach smelled like an old gas station and there was a definite sheen on the water. The tankers were visible the whole time off shore skimming up the oil. We had a good time anyway, but Lyla didn't really experience "the beach." So it is especially great to see her smiling so uncontrolably while jumping in the waves that she keeps getting salt water in her mouth. Even that hasn't dampened her mood though. Gwyn and Celee are having a wonderful time too! I remember when they were little one time having to pack up and leave a beach when Gwyn got sand in her eye and wouldn't let me do anything to help her and wouldn't stop screaming. Now they just take the salt water and sand in stride. And a place with "free shells!" fits Gwyn's slight OCD leanings too. I am trying to impress upon Celee and Gwyn that we really don't have to take large handfuls of shell bits back to the room with us. The big ones I get, but every little piece of shell!? Incidentally, while we were making a sand castle 3 guys in non-descript clothing with nets and bags came over because they thought Lyla had a piece of oil in her shell stache. She didn't, but one guy said he just sees oil everywhere. They are still picking it up. I don't know if these guys work for the city or BP, but there is still enough oil that dudes comb the beach daily picking up whatever washes ashore. Jason tried/is trying his hand at skim boarding. I guess we can add this to the list of odd sports we/he enjoys, like frisbee golf and washers. At least it's sports we all enjoy unlike the usuals of football or baseball or something. Have I mentioned I love the South? I love fresh seafood, warm wind, boys that call me ma'am, red dirt as well as sand, boiled peanuts, juicy peaches (sorry Midwest peach-growers, your peaches are good, but not as good), old beat-up pickup trucks, trees that tower over and look they are going to enclose a tunnel around a road, big hair, fancy shoes, tea that is sweet by default, muscadines, and - even though I don't partake - SEC football fervor. I just enjoy seeing other people's support of Bama, or LSU, or Auburn, or MSU, or Ole Miss. (I think it's funny that I actually went to USM, but in general no one cares about them) Back to the vacation... It's kinda hard for me on a vacation. I am most comfortable with a schedule and a list of "to do's" (mental or otherwise). So it bewilders me to not know what we are doing each day and if I'm in charge of what we are going to eat or not. We are having fun though! Minus the shark scare this morning - a guy stopped me and told me that he had been watching a bull shark swimming about 6 feet off the shore and circling some guys who were kneeling in the water drinking beer. Crazy! But we keep seeing dolphins too, and they supposedly scare sharks off right?! Anyway, the girls have collected enough shells to create our own beach at home. We have braved the waters, although we are keeping the kiddies close. And there is an awesome lazy river here that you do not have to stay in a tube in. The girls especially enjoy swimming in the current around it! And I think some of the allure is because in the lazy river at home, you aren't allowed to get out of your float. I have been a little taken aback by the amount of thoughtless things that I see people doing. Like the teenaged girl who took the wrapper off her water bottle and threw it in the ocean and the proceeded to throw the bottle in after it. Or the unknown strangers that pitched their tent on top of Celee's sand castle which also put their tent over our blanket and chairs. Or the people that leave their trash on the inside island of the lazy river where even if some condo employee has to pick it up, they will have to cross the water to get it. We also had a sort of "dueling" fireworks show tonight. The main huge Gulf Shore one that is done by professionals was going on... And also a consumer grade alternate show was being set off about 50 yard from where we were sitting. I just wanted to yell "Weak sauce!," every time the ones next to us went off. Again, all I can say is "Thanks thoughtless people for giving me real-life examples to talk with me girls about." I have taken lots of pictures, but I can not figure out how to get them on the blog from Jason's phone or iPad, so that will have to wait until I either gain some tech knowledge or get to a real computer. I am also dealing with some phone withdrawal that was unexpected, so maybe loosing my phone and having to borrow Jason's whenever I want to do something Internet-related will do me some good. I still hope that I will find my phone upon returning to the in-laws house in a few days though. ;)