This will be shorter than I hoped, but I'm taking a quick lunch break to clear my mind and write on things that make me happy!
A little backstory, a few years ago when life got complicated, there were times when I wanted to be totally alone. There were other times that I couldn't stand the thought of not having someone right beside me all the time. Insert Hannah. At one point, she and her husband came to meet us at the beach one weekend so I wouldn't be alone. We ended up having a total blast and have made it an annual tradition! Hannah is preggers and they used this trip as their 'baby moon' so I don't have any pictures of them on here! They took this last chance to lounge a bit more, and you know, life with a 4 year old at the beach is full of NO LOUNGING!! :) So, we high fived in passing a lot but that's okay! Life beachside is easy like that and I love a friendship that can exist just as happily in the passing as it does in the present!
London had been looking forward to this trip for weeks! It was all she could talk about. We drove down late on a Thursday night and Friday morning we headed down to a super early cloudy beach. She stepped off the boardwalk, immediately fell on to her back and began making JOY FILLED sand angels. She could not contain the happy. I was dying! She makes me the happiest!
The ocean wasn't very pretty. It had been stormy so the water was brown… like lake water color. Also, the waves were enormous so we really couldn't get in past about calf deep or it would take you completely down. It was a bit scary so we mostly stayed in the surf.
Working that never failing bathing suit wedgie.
Her happy place. :)
So so great. Getting UP!!
Being a mermaid. I'm super not good at making a mermaid tail!
We had an afternoon of rain showers so we decided to check out the Gulf Shores zoo. NOT my best idea. In their defense, they are still trying to rebuild from a few years of devastating hurricane seasons, and you can tell it's a work in progress, but I wish they could loan their animals to another facility until they have a chance to rebuild a proper structure. You could feed most of the animals but they were so skinny and mangy and looked so sad. The viewing areas were made of the dog pen wire and the animals slept in those dog igloo containers. I was so sad for them. It honestly changed my perspective of zoos. They are fun and great tools for education but I just wanted to send all of these poor animals back into the wild where they belong. Obviously I kept all of these feelings from London, so she had a great time!
This was our favorite guy. He was the sweetest little deer but he looked like he was starving to death. We both were wishing he could move to Booper's house where he could be big, fat, and happy with the rest of the herd that lives there!
Sunday gave us a half day at the pool and beach before we headed back home. London gave me the best mother's day gift ever: independent shallow end swimming!!! WOOOO HOOOO! I am relaxing in a chair beside the swimming pool here while she swims away. GLORY HALLELUJAH! We just may be at the beginning of the stage where dear ole mom can grab some R & R at the beach again! No complaints here if that's what goes down!
(I'm totally in love with her)
We had a great vacation. There were so many times that I caught myself taking mental notes to never forget these moments as they were happening. The sound of her feet as they slap flat-footed on the pool deck when she runs. The way she would speak in a high, sing-songy voice to the animals at the zoo… like a proper momma. How she was unrelenting in catching a frog in the parking lot then so proud of herself for not letting go (until we got in the car and he was free range hopping again!). Exploring and the excitement over finding beautiful "she shells. The way you could hear her squeals of delight in MARS over getting taken out by a wave. She is an extraordinary child and being alone with her is my very favorite thing.
I also found it interesting and endearing that on Mother's day, everyone noticed each other. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with keeping to yourself, but compared to all the other days on the beach, Sunday was strikingly different. As we walked down the beach, everyone would call out, 'Happy Mother's Day!' I loved how the recognition of another person changed the whole environment around us. I wish we felt so free to recognize people for their goodness, or hard work, or happiness every day. I was charmed by how the world seemed shifted for this one day to be more thoughtful of each other. There is so much good in people. I love watching it make way through the wall we protect ourselves with. People are just my favorite.
As always, thank you, Mom and Dad for another wonderful weekend away where I was filled to the brim with happiness! I'm so grateful for your generosity to let us enjoy this getaway!
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