Saturday, June 5, 2010

Goodbye Paradise

It has truly been a looooong year and all I've been able to think about was vacation.at.the.beach!!! You see, I truly do believe that teachers work extra hard for 10 months and then veg out for two months to rejuvenate for the upcoming school year.

Due to the oil spill :(, we had to move our vacation up and shorten it. We are not much on the "impromptu" side, but we did a great job on this getaway.

We loaded up the car and our little puppy, Marley, and headed to the beach. We had so much fun on the seven hour trip. Paige slept in the backseat and cuddled with Marley while my mom sat up front with me and shared stories of her childhood and her romance with my dad. We laughed so hard and even shed a few tears. I drove for two hours listening intently to how she fell in love with my dad and the funny stories about how they handled being new parents and starting careers and juggling crazy relatives. The hours flew by in the car and I will treasure that candid conversation for as long as I live. I hope and pray that I can get my mom to retell some of the stories about Madie and Randy Hunter and Nanny and Aunt Lottie, Uncle Rhyne, Nita, etc... Priceless!

Once we got to the condo, I have to admit, I was a little taken back. You see, we always go all out on vacation as to where we stay. Since this was last minute, we went out on a limb and booked a condo that allowed pets. When we pulled in it didn't look bad at all. We were on a lagoon and the beach was directly across the street behind some very quaint beach houses. Once we started up the stairs to the condo, I saw empty beer cases and sandles and funnels and thought, "Oh, this reminds me of my college years" aye yi yi! There was even a bit of a "college smell". We unlocked the door, closed our eyes, said a little prayer and hoped for the best. Once the door opened it was if the angels sang hallelujah! The condo was GORGEOUS!!! It was clean and decorated to a tee. As a matter of fact, I felt like we grossly underpaid the owners.

The next morning Paige and I went straight to the beach. We had a BLAST! The last time we went she let the water wash over her feet and would occasionally walk a couple of feet out. This year, OH THIS YEAR, the kid scared me to death. She got her boogie board and off she went like she had been doing this her entire life. I could not comfortably lay out, because I was constantly checking to see if her head was above the water. Scary stuff.

Thoughts while watching Paige:
- she does things on her own terms, when she is ready. No one can coax her into doing something that she is not ready to do. When she is ready, she never looks back.
- she takes such joy in the simple things. While riding the waves, her smile could light a ships way home on a dark night. She didn't know I was observing her. Her smile was not for me. It was for her. I love that she enjoyed the moment.
- she loves to hunt for treasures, whether it be shark's teeth, sand dollars, snails, tar balls :) what have you.
- she is not a whiny kid (PRAISE GOD!) When I ask her to do something that she doesn't want to do, she just sucks it up and does it.

I am so blessed!

We took pics on the beach and I am so sad to say that it stressed me out sooo much! I do not want to be stressed about silly photographs. I mean, seriously, in the grand scheme of things does it really matter that I have 100 shots of her in a pettiskirt romping in the sand??? NO! We made it through, though, and fortunately I did get "the shot", as in THE Christmas card shot. No tears were shed and all was good with the world once we got to share crablegs.

Some funnies from this getaway that I don't want to forget are:
"There is sand in places where sand should NEVER be!"
"Sissy, what I am about to tell you is very importNant. I spent my money on a ship in a bottle".
"Hang ten dude!" (with the hand motion in full effect)
"I am so happy that we are on vacation from dance!"
"No drama people allowed!" hee hee !

I will post some portrait style pics on here in a few days, but first I want to post candid pics that mean, oh so much, mure to me!

I love my family and am so blessed to have them in my life. I can't believe that God placed these wonderful girls in my life. I am loved and because of that, I am happy. Completely happy!

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Paige at our favorite restaurant!

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My life!

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LOVE HER!

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silly girl

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lol

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Paige took this pic of me, therefore, I love it. What I don't love is the fifteen chins, frizzy hair, crows feet, etc... Whatever, I am pretty happy...take me or leave me, this is who my family loves!

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Don't mess with Paige :)

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On our way to the beach.

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Paige and Marley

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Gorgy girl!

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Couldn't love em' more if I tried!

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One portrait style pic! ...hey, I couldn't resist! :)

11 comments:

Jodee said...

It looks like you girls had a blast at the beach! Great pictures!

P.S. I would have been a little nervous about the college smell too! So glad it all worked out!

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

It sounds like you had a fantastic trip filled with lots of laughs and heartfelt conversations.......GOOD TIMES!!!

I had to LOL @ "There is sand in places where sand should never be".......

I love the pictures and everything they represent....a spur of the moment fun family trip!! You are blessed to have such a wonderful family Missy......enjoy the rest of your summer!! I can't wait to see more beach fun:)

Lisa

Jboo said...

Sounds (and looks) like a GREAT vacation! So glad you were able to get there and enjoy the sun, sand and your sweet family! That Paige cracks me up! Hope you all have a great summer!

Janet

Christine @ 12,450miles said...

Sounds like a really fun trip!! I need a vacation just reading about this one...

I love the portrait style photo (LOVE) but I also love the candids. You can see how much fun was had by all!

a Tonggu Momma said...

She is gorgeous and so are you! I still have to ask... exactly where IS that sand? Not being a beach lover, I am unsure... *grin*

Sherri said...

I smiled reading about your mom sharing her stories. Those times with her are definitely precious moments.

Your vacation sounds like it was a lot of fun.
And I love the pic Paige took of you! I think you are beautiful inside and out :)

paige said...

oh my word....i've never seen a pale blue one of those fun skirts. would you let me know where to find one...i'd lvoe to photograph cek if we get to the beach.
so glad ya'll got your visit in. we're supposed to go teh week of july 4th...i'm sooooooooooo scared we won't be able to go.
anyway, great capturesxo

rgshrs said...

I'm so glad you guys had fun, and so bummed the oil drove you away early:(
Love, LOVE, and did I say LOVE?? the candids!! and I disagree, I think Paige got a GREAT photo of my friend being truly happy with her family and life in general... good job Paige!
We'll see you soon!! Can't wait!!

Debra said...

What a beautiful woman you are and I adore your family too. I know it was a blessing to have the special time in the car with your Mom. I still remember following your parents journey to Paige. Thanks for sharing. The photos are fabulous!

3 Peanuts said...

YOU are beautiful Missy...inside and out and that is all the people who love you sees. If someone sees something else (Like the things you noted)...they are not looking at YOU!

Sounds like a GREAT trip. I love the conversation you had with your Mom in the car. Something like that cannot be planned...it just has to happen and I cannot wait for that to happen with my kiddos someday:) But they have to be the right age to appreciate it too.


LOVE LOVE LOVE that last image and the way you processed it!!!!!

Denna said...

Paige is growing up to fast. She is such a pretty girl.