Skip to main content

THE BEACH (Finally!)

Daughter #1 has been asking me to write this post for months now, ever since our trip to the Outer Banks.

"Mom, when are you going to write about THE BEACH????"

OK! OK!

It's not easy to write about THE BEACH because it's such a personal family experience. Oh, sure, lots of folks go to the beach--even the same beach! We actually met Chatty Kelly and her girls at a local ice cream shop while we were there. And Mrs. Patterson 5 was at Jockeys Ridge, where a few of our family members took their kites for flights. Bonita and Sonya went to different beaches. Edie wishes she could go to the beach. But, beyond that, how can another embrace THE BEACH the same way as our clan?



We don't just eat, we give the kids control of the kitchen! This year, every kid had the chance to create a meal "experience." We had...
  • Dinner at a Carnival (with corn dogs and funnel cakes);
  • a Breakfast Bonanza with the "Do you like waffles?" theme song;
  • a "Star Wars" breakfast, with "Ham Solo" and "Vader Tatters";
  • a Jungle dinner with vine pie (spaghetti pie);
  • a Pokemon lunch with Pokemon bowling (note specially designed bottle "pin" below on counter);
  • a Beach breakfast with bacon waves and South Beach cereal;
  • French beach (La Plage) lunch with French toast and French vanilla ice cream;
  • the Shopping lunch (take your bagged lunch to the crab-fishing "hole") with a game of "Price is Right" thrown in for fun;
  • And, a Princess breakfast! (You've just gotta have a Princess breakfast when you have a Princess!)

Who would understand giving away raffle prizes on their beach vacation? And who would get so excited about receiving a Jell-O beach bucket raffle prize that it would lead half the family to become engrossed in making Jell-O and Dream Whip instead of basking in the sun?

Or doing....what's that?....CRAFT PROJECTS??!



We sleep well, not because of the sound of the surf but because of our sleep masks.




We have the
Washington Post delivered special every day so we can...




...do the crossword puzzle. (And, by the time it circles through all family members, it IS done!)



We aren't afraid to show our shoe closet to the public.





We spend a lot of time in trees. (Monkeys are Funny)





We even offered specialty classes this year, to help live your life on purpose:



Perfect Shells for Throwing Back Into The Beach: For the Young and Younger



How to Walk Your Dog and Be Cool Doing It



Perfect Turrets: Within Your Grasp



And, Splash Dance: What a Feeling!

No, I just can't imagine that anyone would understand the enjoyment of THE BEACH as we know it, D#1. But, you know, it's not really about the beach anyway.



And, next year, someone remind me to sign up for the "Give Your Camera to a Brother-in-Law or Husband" or "Tripods Make Your Shoulders Look Less Broad in Self-Triggered Photos" class.


(And thanks to my favorite bloggy friends--links to some great places!)

Comments

Edie said…
Laughing and crying at the same time here. Now you know how to have a beach party!

Loved those awesome sleep masks, spacious shoe closet, a very sweet conclusion, and ALL THOSE LINKS! :D
Nancie said…
Hi Sue, I found your blog through Edie. Your post is really interesting. I like the way you incorporate the Blog Names of your blogging friends into the story plot of your post. Truly amazing! The photos are lovely. Glad you and family have had such an enjoyable time at the beach. I love to go to the beach too. Thanks for sharing with us. Take care and God bless!
The Patterson 5 said…
How wonderful! I love it!, love it! What a blast you guys have! The meals are hilarious as are the masks! I absolutely cackled over "Splash Dance"! What a blessing you and your sisters families are to each other!
Kelly said…
LOVED IT! First, you joined the linking epidemic.

Second, your beach trips are second to know. I suspect creativity is a family trait. I was impressed by all the dads I saw involved in the fun.

Finally, you & your sisters looked great. Strong family resemblence! AND, your arms look beautiful you silly. It made the photo so much cuter being to tight just to your faces.

Thanks for sharing the fun with us via blog land (and links!). And thanks for sharing ice cream with the Chatty Kelly family at the beach and taking time away from all the family fun.
Bonita said…
You've made me feel so much better. I thought I was the only one that waited forever to post pictures of trips.

However, I must say that your beach trip definitely gets my Beach Trip of the Year Award and it certainly beats our version which is to get there and flop on the beach for a week. (Such creativity, I know).

This post is so funny and makes the trip look so fun. Can I come next year and take some of the classes you offer?
My ADHD Me said…
Your little monkeys are SO cute!
I want to go to the beach!!
What a fun trip!! I'm with Bonita, when we goto the beach we just stay at the ocean for a week! I'll have to have some more creativity next time. I'll be checking over here for those ideas! Keep that in mind come spring. :)

Love you!
Sonya

Popular posts from this blog

On this Merry Christmas Night....

Merry Christmas, blog friends! I know you're wondering, "Did she finish painting her family room (finally....)??" (Nope!) * * * D oesn't this look like how our days are sometimes? Myriad things scattered about, unfinished. Trying to take a cozy, restful seat by the fire, but still that seat stays empty. We try to make things brighter, but the light strings don't quite have the power to make things clear for us. And we wonder how many coats it will take to cover up what had been there before, without splotches and unevenness. (Three may just be right--sigh....!) * * * We may have things unfinished. We may have "miscalculated" the use of our time. Or perhaps we were called away to other things for which we were needed, even if they weren't part of our plans. Even in our peaceful approach to Christmas, that seat of rest may be vacant. But the opportunity to "Be still...." doesn't always lie in a cozy sea

When I was 45....

I t was a very good year! (Yep, celebrating again! I hijacked my own blog--LOL!) The glass is half full, and things have never looked more browniful! Awesome day on tap.... sunshine, take-out barbecue for dinner, cake.... Thanks for celebrating with me! Enjoy.... ( Let it rise....One of my all-time favorite praise songs! )

Post #100

L ong before we bloggers celebrated our first 100 posts, the psalmists provided us with theirs. In recognition of my 100th, let's celebrate by looking at the Bible's "Post #100" (a.k.a., Psalm 100, A Psalm for Thanksgiving or Thank Offering): Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Surprisingly, there is no direct Hebrew translation for the English word 'joyful' as used in this verse in the King James Version. That leaves things a bit open to interpretation. My study Bible (NASB) says 'joyful' is "a shout of loyalty and homage." The dictionary defines 'joy' with the word rejoicing, meaning "to be made glad again." 'Noise,' however, does come with a Hebrew equivalent, meaning "to split the ears with sound," as in to shout, shout for joy. Lands implies all the earth, the nations, the world. We, those of all nations, are to present to the Lord, out of our loyalty and homage to Him, joyful shouts that