Birthday Weekend

Well, to quote Merrilee "That was the best birthday I ever had!" I turned 43 on Sunday and we spent the weekend in North Carolina. We packed more into one weekend then I think we ever have in an entire week-long vacation! The weather held out great, considering the pop-up tropical storm, Cristobal, that came out of nowhere on Saturday. It made for big waves at the shore when we went to Topsail Beach, but that didn't stop the kids and I from braving the rough surf. We took our dunks in stride and enjoyed the body surfing.

In contrast, the kids enjoyed swimming in the New River at the marina where the waves were non-existent. We just kept watch for the American Alligators that hang out in those parts. Didn't see any, though. Too bad...the kids were kinda hoping to have to out run one.

On Sunday we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then Jay asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. I had thought about it ahead of time, so I think I caught him off guard when I said I wanted to go roller skating. But he came through like a hero, called a friend and found us the roller rink called Wheel Fun! It was so fun showing the kids how we used to rent skates and spend our time when we were in our teens. It has been thirty years since I skated! Despite all the bumps and falls, the kids loved it and didn't want to go home when I asked them if they'd had enough. They managed to keep it up for nearly two hours. We had a blast. And I have to say...Jay was quite Da Man on the floor! I didn't know he had it in him! Ladies, if you've gotten to the point of ho hum with your man, take him roller skating and see what you might be missing!

After we wore ourselves out skating, we went to the arcade in the lobby of Wheel Fun! I'm not an arcade person; I cannot stand the stress of video games, especially the kind Jay likes to play. I had to get away when Merrilee was playing one of those driving games; she was all over the place running down pedestrians and going the wrong way on the highway. I was getting way too strung out and was nearly hollering for her to "Turn the wheel, turn the wheel! Look out for that guy!" while Jay was holding her accelerator down and paying no attention to her, as he helped Jacob with his game. I was freaking out because she was going too fast and I didn't even realize she wasn't using the pedals because her legs were too short. It was awful. I was so glad when we switched to dunking basketballs. Whew, so much more relaxing.

We restored our spent energy with a chocolate cake/vanilla ice cream layer cake. It was a marvelous birthday and I think Merrilee can speak for all of us in saying it really was "The best birthday I ever had".

Finally, Beach Weather

We've finally gotten to go to the beach a couple times this past week. Our spring went from the 60's and low 70's to the 90's in a matter of two days. I thought the water would be frigid, but it was wonderfully warm, even following the amazing thunderstorms we've had.

Jacob and Merrilee are old enough now to really enjoy the sand and the surf and this was the first time I've really gotten to see their "beach personalities". I was surprised that Jacob is as much of a water monkey as he is. Even though he usually sinks like a rock, he loves to just jump in and splash away. He can swim as long as he can start in water at waist level and land on his feet after a few strokes (if you can call the thrashing "strokes"). He does get from point A to point B, but needs to work on his endurance. It was also interesting that, for being somewhat afraid of water in the tub getting too deep ("It might go into my face") he eagerly pushes the limits of how far out he's allowed to go into the water.

Merrilee, on the other hand, prefers to stay on land. She loves the water as a source of "soup" for her recipes, usually mixed in a bowl dug into the sand just out of reach of the waves. But she just doesn't really warm up to getting her face in the surf. And she's my swimmer. Like my mom, she prefers the pool. I admit to having a case of the heebie-jeebies when I think I might step on a living creature or get touched by a passer-by down where I can't see it. But I really do prefer open ocean to a pool. Merrilee just feels uncomfortable swimming in open water and is happy to stir and mix and dig and toss rocks. She did decide, about 6 minutes before we left the beach yesterday, that she was "ready to swim", but of course once she got the salty water in her face she called it a day.

We'll just stay home today and enjoy the pool in our back yard. Jacob came home with a cleverly hidden collection of rocks and sand in places unseen yesterday, so today we'll just save him some chafing issues.

Blessings to you all!