It is cold and there is no snow and no snow in the forecast, what a waste of cold air.
Today I was dreaming of summer, something I do a lot when it is cold and I am cold. So I tried making a list of why I enjoy summer, and the spring too.
1. Lightning bugs
They are just magical, a bug that glows in the dark, who would have thought of that, I would never believe it, if I hadn't seen it myself. Seeing the first ones light up in late spring is my favorite moment every year, noticing that they are gone is very sad sign summer is over.
2. Flip flops, sandals, or really any shoe that doesn't require socks
I love flip flops, I own multiple pairs. I love shoes that don't require socks. My feet are always cold so I have to wear socks in the fall and winter so I love being free and close to barefoot in the summer, if not barefoot.
3. Swimming
Nothing is more freeing than floating or swimming in water. I am extremely attracted to water, it is very soothing and calming for me and so floating or swimming in water is perfection. Yes there are indoor pools one can visit in the winter, but they still can be chilly and the chlorine fumes can be a bit overpowering. Also, nothing wears kids out faster than swimming.
4. Eating outside
I love picnics, cookouts, just eating outside. Some of my favorite restaurants are those who have outside seating. Yes, I am obsessed with being outside, but eating outside and being comfortable temperature wise is very relaxing and I tend to eat slower and enjoy the food more.
5. Flowers, leaves, and everything green
I love color and winter is so dull and drab and all so brown.
6. Summer clothes
shorts, short sleeves, and sundresses, I prefer less clothing to more clothing. I love sundresses and shorts and wearing clothes that are pretty or fun, not functional like I do in winter since it is hard to find pretty things that will also keep me warm. I also like not having to wear gloves, hats, scarves, and jackets when we got out too. I totally believe in less is more.
7. Sleeping with ceiling fan on and occasionally the windows open
I love ceiling fan season, there is something about sleeping with the ceiling fan going, the sound, the feel, the air movement is nice. I generally don't sleep very well in the winter months and sleep much better in the summer. Also I love sleeping with the windows open when my allergies can handle it, I love night sounds, the bugs, the birds in the early morning, the occasional car, or the ocean when we are close by or the sounds of boats when we are at the lake.
8. Warm late evenings and cool early mornings
I love that the sun sets late and taking a walk in the magical light of twilight when it is still warm and the bugs are singing and everything just looks beautiful. We seem to have so much more time in the evenings to do things than in the winter. Also, I have a hard time getting up early in the winter, but I have no problem getting up early in the summer. I love to grab a blanket and so sit on the screened in porch first thing in the morning and read. It starts my day off right and since our porch is on the east side of the house I can watch the sun get higher and higher in the sky. In the winter, the sun doesn't come up until 7-7:30, so I can't enjoy the early morning sun because I am getting ready for work or the kids to school, it is too late to just enjoy it.
9. The sun, in general
I love the sun straight overhead and bright. It is sad how the sun never gets very high in the winter, it always seems to be halfway up or halfway down, never just here in the moment.
10. We look better in the summer
I don't actively tan, but being outside it just happens sometimes that I tan and I look better with a little color. Right now my skin is so pale it is practically transparent. I look better in the summer. My skin has more color, my hair gets a little lighter, and I just feel better. why yes, I have a touch of seasonal affective disorder!
11. It is less stressful
The kids are out of school, I am out of school, our schedule is more relaxed, we can go on vacation, we have more flexibility, we have more time (outside time). we can have more fun, life is just good. There are more free things to do on the weekends when the weather is warm, I hate the park when it is cold.
12. Alternative forms of transportation are a lot more fun
Riding a bike or walking somewhere is a lot more fun when you don't have to layer up and is good for the environment and our bank account.
13. Summer foods are better
I love to grill, I like summer salads, and fruit, and your typical summer foods. I prefer lighter foods to heavier comfort foods. I love spring/summer fruits that are fresh and just picked, strawberries and other berries that we pick or grow ourselves. Nothing beats fresh corn on the cob from the farmers' market.
14. Thunderstorms or a summer rainstorm
It has rained a lot these last couple of weeks. I hate a cold rain on a cold day when it is just miserable, but I love a good cooling thunderstorm after a hot day. There is also nothing like the power of a good thunderstorm, sometimes scary, but usually just exciting and something to watch and enjoy. Or a summer rainstorm when we can run around in the puddles and get wet without a care, rain boots optional. Or even the occasional rainy day in the spring and summer that keeps you inside, slowing you down a bit, and the sound at night is soothing and relaxing. I guess rain sounds better in the spring and summer because it is watering the flowers and other plants so you don't have to where in the winter it is just creating mud and a mess.
15. Summer sounds
Fireworks or thunder rumbling in the distance, cicadas and other bugs creating unique evening melodies, birds singing, water lapping or waves crashing when in the right location. Winter is not only void of color, but sound, especially when it has snowed. One of the things that always amazes me is how quiet everything is when it is snowing. Whenever it snows we always go for evening walk and I just can't get over how quiet it is, you can hear that white noise of snowflakes falling, something that seems like it would be overpowered by all of the wildlife in the summer.
I know that one day when I am older, if I am not already there, I will be a snowbird who heads south for the winter because my ideal winter temperature is 60 degrees!
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Friday, May 31, 2013
summer screen time
It is officially summer vacation. Lance's last day of school was yesterday and so summer fun has begun. Trying to keep the kids busy and occupied and away from electronics has also begun. This year, like last year, we are limiting the kids screen time because both of them could easily spend the whole day on the ipad or playing video games if they were left to their own devices. Trying to keep up with how much time they have watched as well as trying to explain to them that they are out of time is difficult so we came up with screen time tickets. We decided that 1.5 hours of screen time a day is sufficient, watching a movie as a family in the evening is an exception to the rule. I made each kid four tickets, 2- 30 minute tickets and 2-15 minute tickets. When they want to play or watch they give me a ticket, when the tickets are gone, the screen is gone too. It is a great way for the kids to understand why I won't let them watch anymore since they can see there are out of tickets and for me to keep up with what they have done. Also the 15 minute tickets are used for discipline, first time you get a warning, second time I get 15 minutes of screen time and the next day they only get 3 tickets or less. Having tickets also teaches them time management. Today Lance has already used up all his tickets by 9 am, in a few weeks he will probably be saving 30 minutes for late afternoon.
I also made extra tickets because I have a tendency to lose these especially when the kids are handing them to me at 6:30 in the morning before I am fully awake.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Labor Day
Labor Day, the unofficial last day of summer.
One of the more depressing days of the year.
I prefer Memorial Day, with the promise of summer, of new beginnings, with the daylight still increasing, with temperatures increasing, with vacations to countdown to, and things to look forward to.
Even though this summer was non-existent and far from spectacular, I still enjoyed it.
Summer seemed to fly by, but I guess that is what happens when you are in school every day for 7 weeks then vacation for one then back to work two weeks after that.
Even with Gram's passing and quite a few colds and illness, it wasn't horrible, I guess I just deal with things better when I can go lay in the sun at the pool.
Our house feels bigger in the summertime not all closed in and claustrophobic.
It is easier to get up in the morning since it isn't freezing cold and I prefer wearing less than more any day.
And then there is the beach, I love the beach and it just isn't the same when it is in the upper 70's compared to the upper 80's.
There are fun things to do in the fall and things I am looking forward to, I am just going to miss warm summer nights catching lightning bugs when it stays light until almost 8. I dread the days when darkness comes at 5
Looking back this summer, well at least August unlike a lot of the country was not very HOT, we didn't get a lot of pool use these last couple of weeks because it just wasn't hot enough.
But it is nice to be able to go outside with jackets and accessories.
And now that we are in the routine of school, life seems complicated, I miss summer already.
It doesn't help that this week the first week of unofficial fall will have highs in the upper 60's and lower 70's and be rainy so we will be banished to the house, but hopefully summer temperatures will return so we can have a proper goodbye.
I curse myself for complaining about the humidity yesterday, it was very warm and humid and come January 15th, I will long for that weather again.
So today we say good-bye to beach vacations, the pool, mosquitoes and gnats (yay!), playing outside until 8pm in the light, catching lightning bugs, weeknight adventures, the splashground/spraypark, hot and humid weather, warm early mornings spent on the porch, ceiling fans, the smell of rain and fresh cut grass, green leaves on the trees that provide much needed shade, fresh produce from the market, the constant roar of cicadas, and all the little things I take for granted, but miss terribly when they are gone.
I will look forward to pumpkins, apples, Halloween, hikes in the mountains with leaves of various shades, but I will look forward to next Memorial Day with the promise of an amazing summer ahead.
As I sit here on my porch, I am trying to take it all in so come February when I feel trapped inside I can have something to look forward. I can try and remember the purple and pink sky from the sun rising giving everything a pinkish tint (I have a hard time getting up early in the winter so I don't often see the sunrise like I do in summer). I want to remember the sound of the birds chatting in the trees and the cicadas droning on and on. The sound of distant cars driving pass by our neighborhood and occasionally down our street, it sounds different in the now then it will in a couple of hours when cars will be constantly coming and going. I will try and remember how the humid air seems thick, like you could swim or float through it and how the coolness is passing, not lingering all day.
Good-bye summer, don't stay gone forever.
One of the more depressing days of the year.
I prefer Memorial Day, with the promise of summer, of new beginnings, with the daylight still increasing, with temperatures increasing, with vacations to countdown to, and things to look forward to.
Even though this summer was non-existent and far from spectacular, I still enjoyed it.
Summer seemed to fly by, but I guess that is what happens when you are in school every day for 7 weeks then vacation for one then back to work two weeks after that.
Even with Gram's passing and quite a few colds and illness, it wasn't horrible, I guess I just deal with things better when I can go lay in the sun at the pool.
Our house feels bigger in the summertime not all closed in and claustrophobic.
It is easier to get up in the morning since it isn't freezing cold and I prefer wearing less than more any day.
And then there is the beach, I love the beach and it just isn't the same when it is in the upper 70's compared to the upper 80's.
There are fun things to do in the fall and things I am looking forward to, I am just going to miss warm summer nights catching lightning bugs when it stays light until almost 8. I dread the days when darkness comes at 5
Looking back this summer, well at least August unlike a lot of the country was not very HOT, we didn't get a lot of pool use these last couple of weeks because it just wasn't hot enough.
But it is nice to be able to go outside with jackets and accessories.
And now that we are in the routine of school, life seems complicated, I miss summer already.
It doesn't help that this week the first week of unofficial fall will have highs in the upper 60's and lower 70's and be rainy so we will be banished to the house, but hopefully summer temperatures will return so we can have a proper goodbye.
I curse myself for complaining about the humidity yesterday, it was very warm and humid and come January 15th, I will long for that weather again.
So today we say good-bye to beach vacations, the pool, mosquitoes and gnats (yay!), playing outside until 8pm in the light, catching lightning bugs, weeknight adventures, the splashground/spraypark, hot and humid weather, warm early mornings spent on the porch, ceiling fans, the smell of rain and fresh cut grass, green leaves on the trees that provide much needed shade, fresh produce from the market, the constant roar of cicadas, and all the little things I take for granted, but miss terribly when they are gone.
I will look forward to pumpkins, apples, Halloween, hikes in the mountains with leaves of various shades, but I will look forward to next Memorial Day with the promise of an amazing summer ahead.
As I sit here on my porch, I am trying to take it all in so come February when I feel trapped inside I can have something to look forward. I can try and remember the purple and pink sky from the sun rising giving everything a pinkish tint (I have a hard time getting up early in the winter so I don't often see the sunrise like I do in summer). I want to remember the sound of the birds chatting in the trees and the cicadas droning on and on. The sound of distant cars driving pass by our neighborhood and occasionally down our street, it sounds different in the now then it will in a couple of hours when cars will be constantly coming and going. I will try and remember how the humid air seems thick, like you could swim or float through it and how the coolness is passing, not lingering all day.
Good-bye summer, don't stay gone forever.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
birthday weekend
So we kicked off our family birthday week with Jeff's birthday. We went to a local pizza place for dinner:
we found tiramusi at the grocery for a cake:
and cupcakes for the kids, since they aren't a fan of coffee and since we thought that if each kid had their own candle to blow out that Jeff could blow out his own candles, but we were wrong.
As soon as we finished singing happy birthday Lance leaned over and blew out Jeff's candles despite me yelling "NO" when I realized what he was about to do. We continued the celebration on Sunday by driving to a nearby ski resort and hiking around on their nature trails. The views were incredible:
We did have a bit of a scare. We took a trail down to an overlook and then took a perimeter trail around in hopes of connecting to another trail to make a loop. The initial trail had other hikers on it, but the perimeter trail was deserted and was a little creepy especially since the trail map mentioned that several trails were prime bobcat habitat and to beware of bears. At some point on our journey I noticed there was what I suspected, bobcat scat (poop) which put me a little on edge. Then we got quite a scare, so much so that both Jeff and I got goose bumps. The perimeter trail runs below a mountain ridge and at one point we came up on a turkey vulture and scared it so it left its roost to fly away. We heard the flap of the wings and the movement up ahead of us and though I can't describe it, it scared us, we thought it was a bear or bobcat. Jeff and I both started making a lot of noise in hopes of scaring it away and the kids of course started screaming and crying. I guess what made it scary was we were enclosed in thick brush, well actually rhododendron shrubs, so we really couldn't see our surroundings at the time and heard something very large move right in front of us. After the incident we were ready to get off the trail that seemed endless. We did something stupid in normal situations, we left the trail once we got out of the thick brush, and headed up to the top of the mountain. Normally this isn't smart, but since we knew all the houses of the resort and roads were above us we knew that the only way to get back to the car was up. Despite not seeing any houses when we decided to start out on our own we spotted some right away and walked back to the car. Turns out we were almost to the trail that would have taken us back to the car if we just would have kept going, but we were too freaked out and tired by that point, it was starting to look like it might rain or storm.
We got back to the car and drove to a city nearby and had dinner at Chipotle and went shopping at an outdoor store. We then headed home and just missed two severe thunderstorms and got home just as it was starting to rain.
So we had yet another breath-taking animal encounter, fortunately this time though we weren't in any real danger.
So despite being terrified and feeling lost, we had fun, I am so thankful that the kids are old enough to go hiking and enjoy being outside adventure, I am looking forward to even more adventures to come.
we found tiramusi at the grocery for a cake:
and cupcakes for the kids, since they aren't a fan of coffee and since we thought that if each kid had their own candle to blow out that Jeff could blow out his own candles, but we were wrong.
As soon as we finished singing happy birthday Lance leaned over and blew out Jeff's candles despite me yelling "NO" when I realized what he was about to do. We continued the celebration on Sunday by driving to a nearby ski resort and hiking around on their nature trails. The views were incredible:
We did have a bit of a scare. We took a trail down to an overlook and then took a perimeter trail around in hopes of connecting to another trail to make a loop. The initial trail had other hikers on it, but the perimeter trail was deserted and was a little creepy especially since the trail map mentioned that several trails were prime bobcat habitat and to beware of bears. At some point on our journey I noticed there was what I suspected, bobcat scat (poop) which put me a little on edge. Then we got quite a scare, so much so that both Jeff and I got goose bumps. The perimeter trail runs below a mountain ridge and at one point we came up on a turkey vulture and scared it so it left its roost to fly away. We heard the flap of the wings and the movement up ahead of us and though I can't describe it, it scared us, we thought it was a bear or bobcat. Jeff and I both started making a lot of noise in hopes of scaring it away and the kids of course started screaming and crying. I guess what made it scary was we were enclosed in thick brush, well actually rhododendron shrubs, so we really couldn't see our surroundings at the time and heard something very large move right in front of us. After the incident we were ready to get off the trail that seemed endless. We did something stupid in normal situations, we left the trail once we got out of the thick brush, and headed up to the top of the mountain. Normally this isn't smart, but since we knew all the houses of the resort and roads were above us we knew that the only way to get back to the car was up. Despite not seeing any houses when we decided to start out on our own we spotted some right away and walked back to the car. Turns out we were almost to the trail that would have taken us back to the car if we just would have kept going, but we were too freaked out and tired by that point, it was starting to look like it might rain or storm.
We got back to the car and drove to a city nearby and had dinner at Chipotle and went shopping at an outdoor store. We then headed home and just missed two severe thunderstorms and got home just as it was starting to rain.
So we had yet another breath-taking animal encounter, fortunately this time though we weren't in any real danger.
So despite being terrified and feeling lost, we had fun, I am so thankful that the kids are old enough to go hiking and enjoy being outside adventure, I am looking forward to even more adventures to come.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Mr. Cautious
This is Mr. Cautious:
I know he doesn't look like a cautious person:
but he is a bit timid, especially when it comes to riding his bike without training wheels.
We have been working on it on and off all summer and it has been a struggle.
A struggle that I am not cut out for because I get easily frustrated when he will not even try. He finally figured out how to balance and pedal and ride without training wheels after a week of trying, but getting him back on the bike was difficult. Getting him to ride without running along side of him was tricky too, but we got that down. He was doing so good the only thing was, he hadn't had a big crash yet, and we knew it was going to happen, we were just worried he would not get back on the bicycle afterwards. Well yesterday we had a playdate at playground that has a small paved loop beside it, a perfect opportunity to ride our bikes. Lance got on and took off, it was great:
until he got a bit ahead of me and encountered a slight decline in elevation and started going faster and faster and faster. I realized that Lance was going faster than he felt comfortable with so I started yelling for him to brake and was running to try and catch up to him. "Brake! Brake!" I kept yelling, I couldn't figure out why he wasn't doing the very thing that he was so good before. When we were first teaching him how to ride minus training wheels, Lance would put on the brakes the first instant he realized that we were not holding onto him or the first time he was balancing on his own, and now he is riding and needs to use the brakes and he wasn't. I can't win with this child! At the bottom of this slight decline is a slight left hand curve and it was here that Lance crashed. Thank goodness it was on the left because the right had some erosion control plastic up and trees that could have broken something on impact. I ran to him as he was sitting up and I wish I would have gotten his picture because he had a large blade of grass stuck to his forehead and dirt all over his face, he ate it and he ate it good. I immediately brushed him off, told him it was a good crash and tried to get him back on the bicycle. Fortunately, I think due to peer pressure, when he stopped crying, he climbed back on and we went back the way we came to avoid future downhills and did two loops on the trail.
He did great! I did not have to stay right beside him or hold on and he was able to stop twice without me. Now he just needs to get started on his own. So I think we have got bicycle riding without training wheels down! I never thought we would be here, not after all the crying fits and refusals to try that occurred back in May. We have come a long way so to celebrate we had a treat:
frozen yogurt! It was delicious! So our summer mission to get Lance to ride his bike, accomplished, all that is left is trying to get her:
potty trained, we have been working on it for months, but we keep having setbacks and she just doesn't care if she pees all over herself which makes potty training very difficult.
I know he doesn't look like a cautious person:
but he is a bit timid, especially when it comes to riding his bike without training wheels.
We have been working on it on and off all summer and it has been a struggle.
A struggle that I am not cut out for because I get easily frustrated when he will not even try. He finally figured out how to balance and pedal and ride without training wheels after a week of trying, but getting him back on the bike was difficult. Getting him to ride without running along side of him was tricky too, but we got that down. He was doing so good the only thing was, he hadn't had a big crash yet, and we knew it was going to happen, we were just worried he would not get back on the bicycle afterwards. Well yesterday we had a playdate at playground that has a small paved loop beside it, a perfect opportunity to ride our bikes. Lance got on and took off, it was great:
until he got a bit ahead of me and encountered a slight decline in elevation and started going faster and faster and faster. I realized that Lance was going faster than he felt comfortable with so I started yelling for him to brake and was running to try and catch up to him. "Brake! Brake!" I kept yelling, I couldn't figure out why he wasn't doing the very thing that he was so good before. When we were first teaching him how to ride minus training wheels, Lance would put on the brakes the first instant he realized that we were not holding onto him or the first time he was balancing on his own, and now he is riding and needs to use the brakes and he wasn't. I can't win with this child! At the bottom of this slight decline is a slight left hand curve and it was here that Lance crashed. Thank goodness it was on the left because the right had some erosion control plastic up and trees that could have broken something on impact. I ran to him as he was sitting up and I wish I would have gotten his picture because he had a large blade of grass stuck to his forehead and dirt all over his face, he ate it and he ate it good. I immediately brushed him off, told him it was a good crash and tried to get him back on the bicycle. Fortunately, I think due to peer pressure, when he stopped crying, he climbed back on and we went back the way we came to avoid future downhills and did two loops on the trail.
He did great! I did not have to stay right beside him or hold on and he was able to stop twice without me. Now he just needs to get started on his own. So I think we have got bicycle riding without training wheels down! I never thought we would be here, not after all the crying fits and refusals to try that occurred back in May. We have come a long way so to celebrate we had a treat:
frozen yogurt! It was delicious! So our summer mission to get Lance to ride his bike, accomplished, all that is left is trying to get her:
potty trained, we have been working on it for months, but we keep having setbacks and she just doesn't care if she pees all over herself which makes potty training very difficult.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
as i sit here one last morning
i am sad.
we are going home today.
back to regular life when jeff is only home on sundays and my mom is only around on the weekends or late afternoons.
back to life of trying to manage to pay bills and where I don't have an extra set of hands to cook and clean.
where in the evening you can't walk a few yards and let the kids run wild.
i am going to miss siting out on the the porch in the morning and listening to the surf and the tree frogs and the occasional car passing by.
back to the real world.
where i have to find a job.
figure out a new normal now that classes are done and the kids will be going to school.
it has been a great week.
not necessarily the best vacation ever, but it was exactly what we needed.
time to relax and time together.
perfect.
yesterday jeff and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary by taking a guided kayak tour through the creeks and intercoastal waterways behind the island.
It was very nice to paddle around in the middle of nowhere and see the island from a new perspective. We heard bomb explosions from Camp LeJune, we saw snowy egrets, osprey, blue crabs, and snails that rest on the tops of grasses to escape the crabs. It was nice to paddle around, it would have been fun if it could have been just the two of us, but the tidal creeks are a maze and we could not have done it alone.So we are winding down a week at the beach that was full of excitement, but overall nice and relaxing and I can't wait to do it again next year.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
never been so scared
For this beach trip I had wanted Jeff to break some white water kayaks to surf in, but due to lack of time and crazy schedule he never got things coordinated. well our neighbors in the beach house next door rented an ocean kayak and told us we could take it out for a spin, we were excited about the opportunity and when I got back from shopping (almost 5 o'clock), we headed out. We paddled out past the breakers, turned around, surfed in, paddled out and that is when we saw it.
a shark
not just any shark but at least a 6 foot long, girth, BIG shark.
Jeff saw its head and gills, I just saw the gills back, I saw it whip its tail around and swim out to sea, but I have never been so scared, it was beautiful, but very big and we were in a kayak that we could easily tip. I immediately freak out and want to go back to shore immediately, we turn to ride the waves back in, but we didn't align ourselves very well due to my freaking out and we flipped.
To recap- saw a shark big enough to take a chunk out and then 30 seconds later, we flip our boat and we are in the water.
It wasn't deep where we were and me being in panic mode start trying to run to shore, not sure why I thought that running in water would be faster or safer than boat, but Jeff convinced me to get back in, I did and we paddled quickly to shore.
I got on the shore ran over to my mom apologized for going out in the boat at 5 pm and swore I would never do that again and laid on the beach trying to slow down my heart rate and not throw up.
So now over 12 hours later, I think, did I really see what I saw? If Jeff wasn't there I would not have thought so, but he saw it too, but it seems so unreal. It was so scary, but yet so beautiful and so fast, but so creepy because we were not really in deep water. I wish I had my camera and my rational brain knows there was no way I could have snapped a picture, but I guess I just wish I had it so I could confirm we saw what we saw because it seems to unbelievable.
Lesson learned: there are big sharks not too deep at 5 o'clock so don't go swimming or kayaking.
It is going to be a hot one today, I wonder if I will be getting in the water today or will I be too chicken.
a shark
not just any shark but at least a 6 foot long, girth, BIG shark.
Jeff saw its head and gills, I just saw the gills back, I saw it whip its tail around and swim out to sea, but I have never been so scared, it was beautiful, but very big and we were in a kayak that we could easily tip. I immediately freak out and want to go back to shore immediately, we turn to ride the waves back in, but we didn't align ourselves very well due to my freaking out and we flipped.
To recap- saw a shark big enough to take a chunk out and then 30 seconds later, we flip our boat and we are in the water.
It wasn't deep where we were and me being in panic mode start trying to run to shore, not sure why I thought that running in water would be faster or safer than boat, but Jeff convinced me to get back in, I did and we paddled quickly to shore.
I got on the shore ran over to my mom apologized for going out in the boat at 5 pm and swore I would never do that again and laid on the beach trying to slow down my heart rate and not throw up.
So now over 12 hours later, I think, did I really see what I saw? If Jeff wasn't there I would not have thought so, but he saw it too, but it seems so unreal. It was so scary, but yet so beautiful and so fast, but so creepy because we were not really in deep water. I wish I had my camera and my rational brain knows there was no way I could have snapped a picture, but I guess I just wish I had it so I could confirm we saw what we saw because it seems to unbelievable.
Lesson learned: there are big sharks not too deep at 5 o'clock so don't go swimming or kayaking.
It is going to be a hot one today, I wonder if I will be getting in the water today or will I be too chicken.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
wildlife
Yesterday we got our fill of wildlife, not really, but pretty close.
We had a close encounter with a prehistoric, didn't-know-they-could-get-that-big, dragonfly, we got to watch baby loggerhead sea turtles waddle down the sand and into the ocean, and we got to see several pods of porpoises cruising up and down the beach.
The dragonfly incident was a big scary. I was sitting in the kitchen and the kids were in the living room area watching a movie while Jeff and I my mom were preparing to go shopping when all of a sudden both kids screamed and ran towards me. I looked to see what frightened the kids when I saw this thing that was the size of a bird flying around and making this buzzing sound. I grabbed the kids, ducked under the bar of the counter and yelled for Jeff to come and rescue us. I then realized it was a dragonfly, which was not going to sting or hurt us, but it was so HUGE and kept dive bombing around the living area that it probably would have hurt on impact. Jeff finally came up and he attempted to get it out the door because killing it wasn't an option, it was too big. It dive bombed him once, he hit the floor and then it disappeared. We searched the area we had seen it fly to, but couldn't find it. We finally gave up the search went shopping, we came back briefly to get ready to head down to Wilmington and then left for the rest of the morning/afternoon. When we got back from our Wilmington excursion we came upstairs and there was the dragonfly resting on the floor by the door.
I immediately took out my camera to get a picture but realized that without something else for scale his size couldn't be understood so I tried to get my flip flop as close as I could without setting of the dragonfly.
It should be notes I only where a size 7.5 shoe so this is a big dragonfly.
We grabbed a broom and dustpan and managed to scoop up the dragonfly and release him outside. So we can now rest easy that the dragonfly is not lurking somewhere in the house, He was beautiful, but he was unsettling large.
We also saw several pods of porpoises, not unusual, but usually we see them first thing in the morning when everything is so hazy, not at 4 o'clock in the afternoon when everything is crisp and clear and relatively close, they were beautiful and it is a little creep how close they are to shore, or maybe how deep it gets so close to shore is more like it.
And we ended the night watching some loggerhead sea turtles scoot down the beach to their death. Not really, but knowing that it takes 1,000 eggs to produce 1 adult and that most baby turtles do not survive till adulthood, makes things seem pretty hopeless, but they were cute none the less and watching them head down the beach and take off into the water is amazing. I guess it the whole instinct thing, how they know what do and where to go and they do it on their own. The turtles were released by sea turtles monitors, they were found during a nest analysis as well as from another next down the beach, two of the turtles climbed out of the nest during the day so they captured them and waited until dark to release them to give them the best advantage.
So two days of beach vacation gone, four more days to go!
We had a close encounter with a prehistoric, didn't-know-they-could-get-that-big, dragonfly, we got to watch baby loggerhead sea turtles waddle down the sand and into the ocean, and we got to see several pods of porpoises cruising up and down the beach.
The dragonfly incident was a big scary. I was sitting in the kitchen and the kids were in the living room area watching a movie while Jeff and I my mom were preparing to go shopping when all of a sudden both kids screamed and ran towards me. I looked to see what frightened the kids when I saw this thing that was the size of a bird flying around and making this buzzing sound. I grabbed the kids, ducked under the bar of the counter and yelled for Jeff to come and rescue us. I then realized it was a dragonfly, which was not going to sting or hurt us, but it was so HUGE and kept dive bombing around the living area that it probably would have hurt on impact. Jeff finally came up and he attempted to get it out the door because killing it wasn't an option, it was too big. It dive bombed him once, he hit the floor and then it disappeared. We searched the area we had seen it fly to, but couldn't find it. We finally gave up the search went shopping, we came back briefly to get ready to head down to Wilmington and then left for the rest of the morning/afternoon. When we got back from our Wilmington excursion we came upstairs and there was the dragonfly resting on the floor by the door.
I immediately took out my camera to get a picture but realized that without something else for scale his size couldn't be understood so I tried to get my flip flop as close as I could without setting of the dragonfly.
It should be notes I only where a size 7.5 shoe so this is a big dragonfly.
We grabbed a broom and dustpan and managed to scoop up the dragonfly and release him outside. So we can now rest easy that the dragonfly is not lurking somewhere in the house, He was beautiful, but he was unsettling large.
We also saw several pods of porpoises, not unusual, but usually we see them first thing in the morning when everything is so hazy, not at 4 o'clock in the afternoon when everything is crisp and clear and relatively close, they were beautiful and it is a little creep how close they are to shore, or maybe how deep it gets so close to shore is more like it.
And we ended the night watching some loggerhead sea turtles scoot down the beach to their death. Not really, but knowing that it takes 1,000 eggs to produce 1 adult and that most baby turtles do not survive till adulthood, makes things seem pretty hopeless, but they were cute none the less and watching them head down the beach and take off into the water is amazing. I guess it the whole instinct thing, how they know what do and where to go and they do it on their own. The turtles were released by sea turtles monitors, they were found during a nest analysis as well as from another next down the beach, two of the turtles climbed out of the nest during the day so they captured them and waited until dark to release them to give them the best advantage.
So two days of beach vacation gone, four more days to go!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
vacation
it is finally here and despite getting little to no sleep last night, I am content because at the beach nap time is perfectly acceptable because there isn't anything else to do, no housework, no homework, no responsibilities, just play and sleep, and relaxing. I have waited a long time for this- over a year to be exact.
this morning lily comes into our bedroom and announces "wake up, the sun is up, we can go to the big, big water!"
life is good.
this morning lily comes into our bedroom and announces "wake up, the sun is up, we can go to the big, big water!"
life is good.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
the 4th was redeemed
The 4th of July was redeemed and all was not lost. I finally started feeling human again Saturday. I had dinner with the family, worked on schoolwork while the kids went swimming, and then went to see some fireworks. Though we weren't at the beach this 4th of July, the fireworks were enjoyable and the waiting for them to get started was bearable thanks to two thunderstorms in the distance that provided some amazing lightning to keep us entertained until the real fireworks began.
Monday was definitely a better day, the best day of the whole weekend for me, but not so much for other members of my family. We all seem to have caught the cold Lily started with and though I seem to have had it the worse and Lance the mildest, he either was feeling its affects yesterday or was just overly tired from staying up the night before and getting up really early or a combination of both. Despite Lance's grouchiness that was apparent at 9 am, we packed up the car and headed up the road to the Virginia Safari park where we paid a small fortune for some close encounters of the wild animal kind.
The drive-thru/feeding part of the park was fun since we could sit in our car and see the animals, but the walking around exhibits was a bit much, it was so hot and HUMID it was miserable and most of the animals were beating the heat by hiding or in some other not ideal for viewing position. So despite the heat and Lance's bad mood, we had a nice afternoon with the animals, we did get to pet a 12 foot python which was pretty neat. We got home and headed over to my mother's house for a cookout. The kids survived dinner, but it was obvious they were exhausted, Lance especially, so right after dinner we took the kids home and got them ready for bed, no fireworks on the actual 4th, which didn't really bother me, I guess I was too tired. So we celebrated America the American way- we went to a tourist trap and spent money and had a cook out. I am thankful for the white, rich, slave-owning Aristocrats so many years ago that didn't want to pay taxes who made this country, happy ____ birthday America.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
the beach
Friday, July 02, 2010
life's a beach
Tomorrow we leave for a week at the beach, for our yearly beach vacation that I have been looking forward to since July 5th of last year when our week was up. One day I would like to live closer to the coast, or at least have a beach house we can visit regularly. I hope and pray that everyone will stay healthy and safe and despite having two wild and crazy kids, that Jeff and I can find time to relax, because we so desperately need time to spend together and let go of all the stress of life right now. The kids and I need to relax so we can get ready for the crazy month ahead when we get back home. Earlier this week I looked at our July calendar and there is hardly time to breathe, or well in the mornings/daytime! The week we get back is set with playgroup, storytime, and a playdate, then the week after that is vacation bible school for both kids while I am taking a graduate class during the day (I'll be gone 3 days from 8am to 6pm, a very long day!), then Lance has preschool summer camp the following week while I finish my second week of a graduate class, then the first week of august I am in a new class every day all day (9am to 5pm) and someone different will be watching the kids and they will have storytime at the library and playgroups. So as much as I can't wait for tomorrow and going to the beach and getting away for a week, I can't wait for the second week of August when I can really relax after 3 weeks of graduate school and 4 weeks of busy, busy, busy. I thought the summer was a time to slow down and relax? Maybe next year!
Friday, July 31, 2009
lions, and tigers, and bears! oh my!
Yesterday, lance, lily, my mom, and I headed down to north carolina and went to the nc zoo in Asheboro.
It was hot, sunny, and extremely humid. Despite the heat and the miles and miles of walking we had a good time. The kids did awesome despite the long day, we left at 8:30 in the morning and didn't return until 9 that night. I am not sure how much Lily saw or what she could understand, but Lance enjoyed the animals, though he missed out on the chimpanzees because he fell asleep, I thought he would get a kick out of them, Lily found them entertaining.
Sitting in the polar bear cave was much more interesting then the one polar bear himself who was trying to get inside, don't blame the poor guy, he is meant to be in much cooler environments.
I took Lance on the carousel, didn't know if he would love it or hate, he loved it.
My favorite animals were the seals and sea lions. Not only were they fun to watch in the water, the cool air coming from their tank felt so nice and refreshing, I didn't want to leave.
The lions were quite impressive and one of the few animals that were easy to spot, so many of them were tucked away to escape the heat.
Lily and the chimpanzees, she got quite excited when they ran by, but she lost interest quickly.
The giraffes and zebras didn't look real, their patterns and colors were so vibrant they didn't seem natural.
The grizzly bear had the right idea, lounging in his swimming hole.
After walking through the whole zoo we took the tram all around and then got back in the van. After a quick stop for dinner and our favorite Fresh Market we headed home. So another summer adventure is complete, can't wait for next week's adventure, this time to the mountains!
It was hot, sunny, and extremely humid. Despite the heat and the miles and miles of walking we had a good time. The kids did awesome despite the long day, we left at 8:30 in the morning and didn't return until 9 that night. I am not sure how much Lily saw or what she could understand, but Lance enjoyed the animals, though he missed out on the chimpanzees because he fell asleep, I thought he would get a kick out of them, Lily found them entertaining.
Sitting in the polar bear cave was much more interesting then the one polar bear himself who was trying to get inside, don't blame the poor guy, he is meant to be in much cooler environments.
I took Lance on the carousel, didn't know if he would love it or hate, he loved it.
My favorite animals were the seals and sea lions. Not only were they fun to watch in the water, the cool air coming from their tank felt so nice and refreshing, I didn't want to leave.
The lions were quite impressive and one of the few animals that were easy to spot, so many of them were tucked away to escape the heat.
Lily and the chimpanzees, she got quite excited when they ran by, but she lost interest quickly.
The giraffes and zebras didn't look real, their patterns and colors were so vibrant they didn't seem natural.
The grizzly bear had the right idea, lounging in his swimming hole.After walking through the whole zoo we took the tram all around and then got back in the van. After a quick stop for dinner and our favorite Fresh Market we headed home. So another summer adventure is complete, can't wait for next week's adventure, this time to the mountains!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
we are at the beach
enjoying the beach
all you need is a bucket of water to keep the kids happy
sunset at the pier
love time with Gigeeand i never want to come home
can't I just stay here all summer long?
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