I have just spent a full day in Florida. We arrived yesterday around dinner time. After a fantastic dinner at a little Mexican Restaurant (where I made fast friends with our adorable waitress, Alex), we found our beach house. We dragged in all of our belongings, picked our beds, did some shopping for provisions, put all of that away and then took a quick walk to the beach. There is something calming about walking a beach by moonlight. It was breezy and the water was cold, but it was still quite peaceful.

This morning, in spite of no where near enough sleep, I was up early. Thank goodness for coffee. I learned quickly that my housemates are morning talkers. As in, they wake up and talk to people. And they don’t drink coffee.  I don’t understand how that works.  I don’t talk to anyone until I have eaten, had caffeine, showered, gotten dressed, put in my contacts, did my taxes, refinished a piece of furniture and changed the oil in my car. Okay, maybe not quite that many things… but I assure you that I do not talk in the morning.

After we all were up, fed, bathed and dressed, we again ventured out. We hit up a couple more stores and took in the gorgeous views. We took a wrong turn and ended up seeing a lot more of Holmes Beach than we planned, but it was still fun. The colors, sites and sounds just brightened everything.

I found flip flops, which was important. I did not own flip flops. This may seem weird, but I don’t wear them. Ever. However, after walking to the beach in tennies and socks, I knew I had to get some. Shoes worn on the beach have to be shake-out-able. That has now been remedied. I don’t like flip flops, and I am sure one of my children will wear them after this trip. But while I have to deal with sand, they are a necessary evil.

After our errands, we came home and had lunch. We all ventured over to the beach again. This time there were people there, although I would not say it was crowded at all. There were small groups and families. The water was still pretty chilly, so only a few brave souls ventured in beyond their knees. That’s as far as we got.  The wind had picked up even more than last night, and the sand was blowing everywhere.

I managed to snap quite a few nice pictures. While lounging in the sand, got some Snap Chats from Louisa who has made it quite clear that she would much prefer to be the one on the beach. I know, honey. Your turn is coming in June.

Isn’t that lovely?

We also had some special company on the beach. There were many seagulls as well as a flock of sandpipers that Karen kept comparing to the Raptors from Jurassic Park. As we sat on the beach, this little guy came by. I am sure he hoped we had food, which we did not, but I got his picture. I named him Walter

After the beach there was lots of snacking and Karen made a slushie punch that looks amazing. It has Jim Beam, Peach Schnapps and many other lovely ingredients. I haven’t had any yet, but I imagine it’s lovely.

One thing I may not have shared is that Karen and I love the movie Oceans 11. I mean the remake with George Clooney, not the original with Frank Sinatra. We have both seen it so many times that we can say most of the lines. So at this moment, the four of us are watching it and Sheila has turned it into a drinking game. When Brad Pitt eats, we drink. When Carl Reiner talks with a bad accent, we drink. When Karen or I quote the movie, we drink. Yes, we are all still conscious.

Today has been a fun reprieve from my reality. My norm of being a mom, wife, employee and student is on hold for a few days. I cannot tell you how much I needed this, but at the same time, I still feel guilty about being here. Mikey’s birthday is today and I’m here. He is single dad this week, by the way. I am so grateful for that love and support.

Tomorrow some of us will be venturing to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates at their Spring Training Camp. I am sure I will post lots of pictures, in case you want to see what I see. I hope for many more walks on the beach, lots more laughs, and lots more recharging. I have three papers to write and a project to do, so today’s complete relaxation may not exactly be replicated. But I’m pretty sure doing homework in Florida is still more relaxing that being at work!

When I was googling for an image (the one above) for this blog, I also found this one.

I hope you had a lovely weekend. Please remember to care for yourself. Thanks for stopping by. More to come from Florida….