beach vacation!
I'm back from a wonderful vacation at the beach. Got to see all my family on my father's side, more or less. Spent a ton of time just relaxing on the beach, boogie boarding, walking, collecting shells, reading, playing games and chatting with family. I also got to go kayaking with my dad (in my uncle's 2-person sit-on-top), destroy two beach cabanas - rendering them into a giant tangled ball of metal and canvas dragged into the ocean and back again (technically the storm did it, but really we should have taken it down!), yell a lot playing catchphrase, watch my Aunt Nita try to sing and dance a Justin Timberlake song acapella, listen to Emily mis-pronounce Marine Corps (her husband is in the Army!), grill shrimp on the barbie, build a sand sculpture shaped like a turtle (Tom's was better), avoid getting sunburnt, bike with Tom and my cousins, see an Alligator from 10 feet away!!!, eat tons of seafood (both good and bad), walk on a dock by a pirate ship, buy yarn made from corn, and some made from locally grown cotton, shoot off "real" fireworks on the beach, play guitar hero with my sister and cousins, and take zillions of naps! My grandmother gave out more than usual artwork - I got a pottery vase, a gorgeous agate necklace set in an impossibly complicated hand-sawed silver setting, and a painting of asiatic lilies that will match my guest room beautifully.
We also spent a few days at my brother's new house - it's a freakin' mansion! Tom kept saying one of the doors took him to Narnia for 300 years... They've got 3 "normal" bedrooms, plus two rooms in the basement (with a jacuzzi and an unfinished work room) and a room over the garage. Not to mention a huge kitchen, den, and separate dining room. Oh, and a pantry bigger than several bedrooms I've stayed in! And that's just ONE of the pantries! Argh! It really makes me want to move out to the country, only around here it wouldn't be any cheaper. Their land (1.5 acres) is so beautiful and wooded... Tom said I was going to pitch a tent in the yard and never leave. Almost!!! I planted a little veggie garden for Cindy, since she has a worm phobia, and also some beautiful Lantana, and I also pruned her crazy "cousin it" mailbox - hopefully I didn't damage the clematis too much!
We even got to see Bob and Gina for dinner one night. Gina's starting to show her baby bump!!! I'm very excited about that. It was nice to see everyone and catch up on Dr. Bob and his wife. Gina's graduating soon as well, and already has a job lined up! With a nice break before she starts for the baby. Yay!
All in all a great week.
We also spent a few days at my brother's new house - it's a freakin' mansion! Tom kept saying one of the doors took him to Narnia for 300 years... They've got 3 "normal" bedrooms, plus two rooms in the basement (with a jacuzzi and an unfinished work room) and a room over the garage. Not to mention a huge kitchen, den, and separate dining room. Oh, and a pantry bigger than several bedrooms I've stayed in! And that's just ONE of the pantries! Argh! It really makes me want to move out to the country, only around here it wouldn't be any cheaper. Their land (1.5 acres) is so beautiful and wooded... Tom said I was going to pitch a tent in the yard and never leave. Almost!!! I planted a little veggie garden for Cindy, since she has a worm phobia, and also some beautiful Lantana, and I also pruned her crazy "cousin it" mailbox - hopefully I didn't damage the clematis too much!
We even got to see Bob and Gina for dinner one night. Gina's starting to show her baby bump!!! I'm very excited about that. It was nice to see everyone and catch up on Dr. Bob and his wife. Gina's graduating soon as well, and already has a job lined up! With a nice break before she starts for the baby. Yay!
All in all a great week.