It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written anything, and every time I take a break I have the hardest time knowing where and how to pick back up. Something about summer and its lack of structure makes the days and weeks all run together. How is it June 20th already?! I won’t try to make up for lost time with verbiage, but we did spend last week at the beach and that surely merits a few pictures.
One of the highlights of going to coastal South Carolina in the summer is that you can enjoy the best of both the beach and the natural wildlife there. We were lucky enough to spot this turtle one day just in time for the Preschooler to pet him. I’m not sure how “lucky” the turtle felt about this encounter, but we noticed he moved a lot faster after our visit.
The local farm is another favorite destination for the Preschooler. The older two girls are too citified to appreciate the farm and all its aromas. But, the youngest one is still mesmerized by the ponies.
Unfortunately, her petting zoo time was marred this year when one of the goats stuck his head through the fence, grabbed hold of her peplum shirt, and tried to eat it. She has now declared all goats are mean and aggressive. I think it’s possible the goat felt provoked and/or threatened by a high-pitched, high-energy visitor. But, what do I know about goat behavior? All I know is that we walked to the farm this year, and on the way back she declared she was “too poofed out” {possibly from the energy she spent crying about the goat situation} and couldn’t possibly walk any further. So, we had to call for van service to come rescue us along the road and return us to air-conditioned, non-farm living.
The beach was pleasantly bright and breezy most of the week. We’re still in a stage where getting ourselves and all our gear to the actual sand and surf requires more time and effort than one might hope. I’m not saying it isn’t worth it; I’m just saying we haven’t mastered making the beach a place of relaxation because there is sunscreen application, tent set-up, sandcastle building, wave jumping, crab chasing, snack serving, sandal losing, sand removal, etc. For that reason, I think my favorite part of the trip this year were the sunsets at dinnertime.
It’s strange how I rarely take notice of the sun setting when we’re at home, but every time it happens when we’re traveling in the summer I’m in awe of the way the colors of the sky change from one magical hue to another so effortlessly.
On the way home from the beach we detoured through Atlanta to catch a Braves game. We’re not big baseball fans, but they were selling special Father’s Day tickets for $16 that included a souvenir hat and a pre-game walk on the field. So, we took advantage of the opportunity to check out the new stadium and it didn’t disappoint. It may not be as magnificient as watching the sunset over the water, but watching it set over the skyline from high up in the stands {$16 seats don’t get one real close to the action} isn’t too shabby.
The 2nd Grader nearly refused to walk around the field for fear that she might be caught on camera and put on live television. Oh, the embarrassment of being spotted with her family. But, we assured her no one would be interested in broadcasting a bunch of fans walking around the field an hour before the game. So, she reluctantly and discreetly agreed to make the trek. The rest of us enjoyed it.
Before coming back home, we made one more touristy stop in Atlanta at the World of Coca-Cola. I hadn’t been there in years, and the Spouse and the girls had never been so it was fun to explore for a bit and taste Coke from around the world. It’s not a place that one would want to visit every year, but the girls thought the 4-D, multi-sensory movie was pretty fun.
You probably can’t read the sign, but it says, “Cheers! It’s our anniversary!” Technically our twelfth anniversary was the following day on Father’s Day. Hallmark only makes special cards for the years divisible by five, but I really do believe every single year a marriage survives is worthy of acknowledgment.
When I think about the challenges of parenting, vacationing with three kids, driving through Atlanta traffic at rush hour, or just doing life together in general, I’m pretty sure humor is what sustains us. I tend to get particularly hateful and harried when I’m trying to get all our stuff together for a trip. And, I’m not sure if all men do this or not, but the Spouse has long believed in what I call laundry purgatory. This is a special holding place for clothes that are neither clean enough to be hung up nor dirty enough to be placed in the hamper. Purgatory is located on top of the hamper or on the top rack of the closet. Sometimes clothes linger there for months unsure of their final destiny, so just before we left for the beach I asked him to go through some of them. He did so, and set aside a few things to launder, a few to pack, and a few to give away. Then I heard him call downstairs, “I went through all that stuff, but I might need to save a couple pair of those khakis that don’t fit anymore as emergency pants.”
What in the world? I love that he introduces me to things like “emergency pants.” I’ve heard of saving a pair of old jeans for painting or yard work; old tennis shoes for mowing or hiking; old t-shirts for lazy Saturdays. But, emergency chinos are new to me. The girls overheard this whole conversation and the 4th grader looked at me and said, “Did he just say emergency pants? What are those?” And then we got the biggest kick out of imagining scenarios that might call for such. Please know that if you see the Spouse out somewhere in a pair of frayed, ill-fitting khaki pants… there’s been an emergency.
This reminds me… The Preschooler did incur a major toe injury one day last week {I’ll spare you and me both the details}, but since I had not packed the emergency pants the Spouse had to deal with that situation wearing his regular shorts. Next time we head out for a trip, I’ll pack accordingly.
This is such a fun post! I feel as though I were there, and your descriptions, and laid-back attitudes are “caught” by your 3 sweet daughters! I know everyone had a great Summer already, and there’s much more in store for them before school starts!