An Unexpected Twist

So I won a blogging award. Yah, me. If you'll look back on my history of posts, you'll see why I find this so hilarious. But if you know the person who gave it to me and all of her sweetness, you'll understand why she passed it on to me. Here it is:

And now I have to follow the rules. (Sort of feeling like I'm in that junior high free underwear chain letter experience all over again.)

1. Thank who gave you the award and link to them

2. State what is is you look for in a blog

3. Give the award to 7 people whose blogs pertain most to you (be sure to let them know they won!)

Here goes:
1. Thank you Myrna! Please go read her blog. She's much more productive than I am.

2. Hmm.. what I look for in a blog? I look for a decent layout, not too much crap cluttering up my line of site, and juicy literary and visual tid bits to suck on. (This could be recipes or book reviews or tips on how to keep a 7 year old away from the light socket with the screwdriver.)

3. SEVEN? seven blogs? really? uh... ok. Reading and writing blogs, for me, is something I do when I have NOTHING else left on earth to do for the day (or a huge list of things I'm trying to ignore and I've done everything else I wanted to before them). It's fun, it's just not very high on my list of favorite fun things to do on earth. I do have a few blogs that I visit regularly, however. Here they are.. Not sure if I'll hit 7, but we'll try!

The DeMaria Quads - these are my adorable great nephews and now NEICES! (we just got another one! Congrats!) I read their blog because I never get to see them and because I am completely facinated and amazed at how my niece Amber and her sweet husband cope with 5 children under the age of two at their home. It makes my life seem like a piece of cake!

Heather in Kazakhstan - My friend's amazing adventures halfway around the world without red vines.

What did you said? my sister-in-law Wendy's site. Always a good laugh there right when I need it.

Eliza - because I always learn new words from her. And she's a kick butt runner!

The Hammonds - because Janeen is amazing and I miss her.

And Kate - whom I also miss, a lot.

Ok.. I know that's not seven, but I'm exhausted, my brain is feeling like cheese (ugh.. forgot to put the cheese sticks in the lunch for tomorrow!) and I desperately need sleep!

G'nite :)

Off to the Beaches!

It's that time of year! When it starts to get hot and sticky in Raleigh. When the kids start to whine uncontrollably. When my house begins to feel like a rat trap and I can't do anything outside without sweating to death. Including a 5am run. It's the running that really flips my trigger. I can run in sleet, snow, rain, hail and hurricanes, but 90 degree heat and 85% humidity? At 5:30 am? Forget it. It's time to hit the beach!

We've already tried a couple of beach trips this year. We had a quick trip to Myrtle with my brother's and their families. That was just a touch too cold and windy for my tastes. Then we hit Florida with Dan's family. Again.. the day we picked was just too windy. You can't really enjoy yourself with sand in your facial oriphi (is that a word??). And then Dan and I tried to sneak off to VA beach for a little weekend trip. Again, I was freezing to death in the friggin arctic wind that was blasting us. Plus there were about a million people there. Not fun.

So last week we packed up and headed out for one final attempt at a beach day before Evan goes to camp and the Fourth of July rush hits. I thought it might be just the way to frost my horrific cake of a week. I should have listened to the little voice in me saying.. just DON'T leave your house today.. better yet.. DON'T leave your bed!

I can't name names, and there are SO many fun details I'd love to expand upon, but really, I had better keep most to myself. Here are the highlights:

• One late start (I hate leaving after 8:30am)
• A poopy in the car on the way down.
• Rice crispy treats packed for food FOR THE DAY for two of the children (not my fault!!)
• Two kids with autism arguing the semantics of space exploration for at least an hour straight (again.. this is just on the way down)
• A peepee in the car seat on the way down.
• A MISSING car seat - I just can't even get into this one, probably ever.
• One missing child in the bathroom at the beach, can we say panic??
  
• One hour of glorious beach and swimming time with friends we dearly love followed by:
  
• One massive lightening storm
• Five crying, starving and whining kids
• One really great friend with bread and ham to pacify two of above children (thank you!)
  
• One run-away swimming into the ocean and claiming he won't get struck by lightening.
• One van so close to being out of gas on the way home that I started to pray.
• One lost shovel.
• One very tired and cranky crew, home two hours early and no absolution for the week gained, whatsoever.

So that's it! I felt like it was possibly the worst day this year to date. But you know what? When I talked to my friend, who's kids tagged along with us, she said they had an amazing time and loved it all! That really made me stop and think hard about my attitude and the fact that I've forgotten lately to focus on the positive. It comes so easily to kids most of the time. They are so easily amused and entertained by the smallest of efforts on our part. I need to be more like that.

Here's to next week and our next attempt at the beach!