Beach Zen

As happens in our life the last two years, an event came up at the very last moment that made for some quick plans and a trip to the beach.

Our old stomping grounds. Where Songbird was born.

I was lucky enough to find a condo on Mexico Beach in Florida for Mouse's Spring Break. There's more to the story that makes all this make more sense but its not for public consumption so I'll just have to remain a little mysterious.

Anyways.

The teen was thrilled and Mouse was very excited.

Most people would go for Panama City Beach or Destin....but I prefer Mexico Beach. Its a very small community right on the sugar white sands that caters to families.  They wont even rent to the younger crowds so it is NOT a meat market spring break area.  There is also nothing to do there but go to the beach. No big tourist attractions. Like maybe 4 places to eat. One store that sells groceries -- a very small selection.

So if you want to go to the beach and just hang in the surf and sand with your kids....its beyond perfect. If you want the whole tourist experience.....go to Panama City Beach instead.

Sadly, our trip was just a girls trip. It would have been much better with daddy. But when daddy is gone so much, Spring Break still happens. Summer still happens. Events still happen. So do you not do anything? Many women I know wouldn't. But I don't want my girls to miss out on so much life because we were waiting. Its not what I prefer....but its what life has for me to deal with.

So, I was really in need of some zen time. And here it was.

I packed a bag of books and blankets and headed for the beach. Mouse was IN LOVE. She spent the whole week saying THIS is where we needed to move to...not Texas.

Mouse also was very sick and I thought we would end up spending some quality time at Gulf Coast Hospital with pneumonia ..but the sea air worked wonders and the freezing water (which I could not keep her out of) killed the temperatures. Somehow we managed to avoid the hospital. But I sure didn't win any parenting awards for my handling of this sickness!! Well, Mouse might disagree.

We took long beach walks every day. I took the girls out to Tyndall Beach so we could go for miles and miles without seeing a soul. Definite benefit to being a military dependent on the gulf coast. Mouse did 5 miles on this day. She was a trooper.

Songbird wanted to find sand dollars, but it was sea urchin time instead. I did find a few for her out on a sandbar.

I didn't get to see as many of my old friends as I would have liked, but I did get to spend a little time with the most important one. Made me homesick.

And I did take the girls out to Panama City Beach so they could enjoy the touristy stuff.  Mouse was in love with the tacky beach shops and tourist traps. She is an advertisers dream, that one. Mom! Can we stop at the shark!!!!

I did get my zen time. It was very good. There is something about a beach walk that soothes my soul in a way nothing else does. I think its mostly the sound of the surf...which really appeals to my senses. And the squeaky white sand under foot. The breeze that cools and carries the sounds of the gulls. The unlimited vitamin D beating down on your skin (or at least on the 70 spf barrier coated on my skin).

All too soon it was time to pack up and leave. Mouse bemoaned this fact long and hard. She spent the first few hours in the car trying to hard sell the beach as our next place to live. She does not think its fair at all that the rest of us got to live there and she never did.

The trip home included a stop for lunch with my uncle in Pensacola, and an overnight and retirement party for one of my mother-in-laws in Mississippi. A good way to end the trip.

And each hour on that 9 hour drive home got progressively colder. Soon I was crying with Mouse about how I wanted to go back, and why didn't we rent on the beach while we were in limbo. LOL. I SO hate the cold!

Now we are back in the cold. But we aren't too sad...because daddy will be home soon! Its been a long month and a half without him!