What's today?

The beach was great.
Even two days of it.
Love that place.
It really truly soothes my soul.
We watched the Hogs win.
If they had lost, I was going to drown myself in the ocean.
I read a book. 
I got a little sun.
We almost hit a deer, a dog, and a piece of an oven.
All of which were in the road at some point during our journey.
But we made it to and fro safely.
Back now.
And reality has already started showing her fast and furious face.
Lots and lots and lots going on.
My goal is to just get through this day.

Lips and knees and nothing

So, yeah, the beach. Love.

It was a short trip. But a trip to the beach nonetheless.

We left after Jordan's volleyball game on Thursday night. Which scheduled our ETA for 1:30 am. Which is ridiculous. It got a little dicey between 11:45 pm and 1:00 am. That's when the Captain was sitting on the edge of the driver's seat begging for M & M's and searching the abandoned Mississippi highways for a caffeinated beverage. To no avail. Well, I provided the M & M's. But couldn't come up with a drink. *yawn*

The next three days featured a frenzy of nothingness. Which is fine with me.

Six of the folks in our "sort of" group that I knew but didn't know ended up leaving on Thursday afternoon so they weren't even there. And four of the folks in our "real" group left on Saturday. So it ended up being the four of us, the Captain's MIL, and her friend. And NOT Connie. Which made me sad. Because as we discussed, it was the first time in 15 years I've been to the beach without her. And that's just not ok.

We slept and read and ate and watched football (including a big ol' Hog win! Woop woop!) And it doesn't get any better than that.

Jordan has finally seen the beachy light and just wanted to sit on the beach the whole weekend. Cooper isn't quite there yet because he was beyond obsessed with the indoor pool. Really? The INDOOR pool.

And the washer broke so we didn't even have to do laundry. And that was fine too. Although it's a proven fact that vacation laundry isn't nearly as painful as home laundry. But no laundry is best of all.

I got some ridiculous sunburned kneecaps. Which I really have no explanation for other than they were at a direct angle to the sun while I sat in the beach chair doing nothing except sitting and reading and dozing and watching the surf.

I apparently got sunburned lips too. Because on Sunday morning I woke up looking like Angelina Jolie with Botox gone bad. My bottom lip was humongously swollen. I looked like a complete goober. With a big ol' lip. And red kneecaps.

All good things must come to an end, and Monday morning we headed home.

That's when we found the volleyball bag - with a four day old, less than fresh, volleyball uniform. Major stinko.

So now we are home. And laundry is done. And my lip isn't swollen anymore. And my kneecaps are fine.

The end.

byebye

Guess what? We're headed to the beach today! Woot Woot!!

I have to work a few hours, go the bank, go to Target, take the Bloggie Doggie to the puppy motel, finish laundry, pack, make sure there won't be any science experiments growing in the frig while we're gone, get gas, go to a volleyball game annnnnnnd THEN we're headed to the beach. So it's really more like "We're headed to the beach tonight!"

I have already talked to my friend, The Weather Man and asked him to keep all named storms and other various forms of wet weather away from that area for a few days. His reply? "You should have great weather." So that's taken care of....

Still makes me a little sad because fall break beach trips remind me of my daddy so much. Because sometimes you just miss the way things used to be, you know?

And this is -- I think -- only the third time in my life I've ever been to the beach without Connie. Ever in the history of sister everness. Waaaaahhhhh.....

But it will be a nice few days of nothingness.

Just me and my squatty beach chair and 18 books.

And the Captain.

And my kids.

And my MIL.

And 11 other people who are "with us" but not "with us". Which is too complicated to explain. And it doesn't really matter anyway. But it does include a total of six teenage girls (including my own) so, while the chance of rain may be 10%, the chance of teen girl drama is probably closer to 85%. Anyhoo....

The ol' MAMGL blog may be a little hit or miss the next few days.

But, I'll be back.

I promise.

A bit more rested.

And slightly tan.

Over and out.

And thus it begins...

As of today, I'm off work until the Tuesday after Christmas. I'm so excited! {clapping hands with glee}

And today, we are headed to Houston.

Via Dallas.

Via Little Rock.

It's gonna' be like an episode of Amazing Race.

Drive.

Then fly.

Then fly.

I'm wondering if there will be a pat-down in there somewhere.

Erg. I hope not.

Unless it involves the Captain.

Oh, excuse me. I forget this is a PG-rated blog.

Never mind.

Let me get back on track.

We are going to Houston for the Captain's sister's graduation from culinary school.

I'm expecting to eat lots of yummy food this weekend. Surely all these graduates will show us what they've been studying and whip something up for us.

We're also celebrating our Christmas with all the rest of the Captain's Texas fam.

So we have to pack gifts too. All the gifts I bought for them are no larger than 4"x4". Matchbox cars for everybody! Not really. But even lots of small gifts end up taking lots of space in one's suitcase.

And I don't fly too much anymore, so I'm not really good at "minimal packing". I am hoping to pull off mixing and matching at its finest. I may just end up wearing my Christmas tree pajama pants the whole weekend. Surely they won't care. And maybe the newly graduated chefs will think it's parsley or endive or something on my pants.

Oh, by the way, if there are any house robbers reading my blog, don't get any big ideas about breaking in my house and stealing all the Christmas gifts under my tree. The Captain has arranged for the SWAT team to house-sit for us. Be afraid. And stay away.

Alrighty, people. Have a nice day. Y'all play nice while I'm gone.

Been gone

Yes, I've been a little MIA.

I've been on a little break.

At the beach.

Do I sound tan?

It's my favorite place in the world.

Wanna' know what I did?

Absolutely nothing.

Sat in my squatty little beach chair

At the ocean's edge

And read my books.

It was yummy.

The kids and I have one more day off.

And now,

Post vacation laundry awaits.

I'll try to turn my brain back on again.

Oh - and there's a volleyball game this afternoon.

Welcome back.

I'll pass on the reality but thanks anyway

We are back from a great week at the beach. I am happy and rested and tan.

And now it is time for me to sing that little ditty called "Facing Reality after a Week Long Vacation at the Beach Really Stinks".

It is back to work for me today which stinks. The poor Captain had to work yesterday which stinks even more. The kids get one more day off which just makes them stinkers.

Here are some things I learned while on my vaca at the beach:

• You can get very, very sunburned when it is very, very cloudy.

• If you sit on the beach for an entire day and read a book, you get white marks on your neck from where you held your head down.

• Teens & tweens still need to be connected to their social world outside of their vaca world.

• Adults have no desire to be connected to their social world outside of their vaca world.

• I can laugh so hard that I will pee in my pants.

• If my son eats too much greasy food too fast, he will puke.

• We are addicted to college football.

• It is possible to become so disconnected that you really do not know what day it is.

• I am very good at doing absolutely nothing.
  

OK people, I must forge ahead and head to work. But let the record show I am not in favor of it.

PS -- I may or may not have my bathing suit on under my clothes.