Southport

Last Wednesday night I made a last minute decision to join my Dad and Nana on a trip down to Southport, NC where my aunt and uncle live. It's a lovely little town on the water about 5 hours from here. After checking with Geoff a half dozen times to make sure he didn't mind we would be gone most of the day on Father's Day, Mary-Michael and I headed out. Dad and I hit a few roadblocks on Friday morning in our attempt to pick up the rental car, but in the end we ended up with a better car than we had planned - a white Lincoln Continental. Yes, your grandmother might have this car, so you can imagine how happy it made my Nana when we pulled up. And I must say, that car was comfortable and complete with bells and whistles I have never seen nor will probably ever own. Mary-Michael really impressed me with her 5+ hour car ride there and back. Me being in the back to entertain probably helped but still, we were all happy to have her giggles and squeals throughout the trek.

We had a really nice time during our relatively short stay and Nana, in particular, really enjoyed being waited on and spoiled with good fresh seafood, and her joy was really what we focused on. Especially me - when M&M failed to sleep well either night, which is very unlike her. I even resorted to putting her in the bed with me, which we've never done, and will probably never do again because she spins like a little tornado and doesn't stop moving. And then she woke up both mornings at 6am while the rest of the house was sleeping, which forced me to go out and take her for a walk, which was probably a good thing because I need the exercise. And my little energizer bunny was in a home that has beautiful paintings, dishes and many other "no ma'am items", so there was A LOT of me chasing her around. Needless to say, I was ready for a nice long nap by Sunday.

We did enjoy some great food and company, as well as a visit to the ocean, which Mary-Michael couldn't get enough of once she got over her fear of the waves. That only took about 5 minutes, and then I realized why some parents leash their children, which I vowed I would never do (sorry if you're one of those parents).

We returned on Sunday around 8pm to a very well-rested husband who was able to play some softball and work around the house on the projects he wanted to work on (not ones on my honey-do list) while we were gone. And I can't end this without saying how blessed I am to be married to such a wonderful, well-respected and generous man who loves me even when I'm not that loveable. And not only that, he loves and cares for our daughter in a way that I know will positively impact her life and the decisions she makes in a way that only a Daddy can. Already, I can see what a special place he holds in her heart as she pretends to talk on the phone to Daddy and heads to the door when the dogs bark while saying "Da" because she hopes it is him coming down the driveway. Thank you for loving us darlin!


A group photo attempt with the timer on my camera. It's clear I need some practice but photoshop will do in the meantime.


Aunt Barb, M&M and my Dad heading to the ocean.


My beach baby.