Spring Break: Pants Optional

Like most families with school-aged kids, my daughters and I were counting the seconds until Spring Break 2018.  We were headed to a favorite spot we hadn’t visited together in a while: the beaches along Highway 30A in Florida, staying in Watercolor with my parents and ready to embark on planned jaunts to all the darling little nearby towns including Seaside, Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach.  Mid-March meant it was more than a little chilly but we were excited and we didn’t care.  I packed a suitcase with a built in phone charger, my girls had their phones and iPads, and we caught an uber here and there; all wonderful modern conveniences.  But the best parts of spring break for me had more to do with being unplugged—and active, salty, free, silly and peaceful. 

Riding A Bike

My little biker babes.

Getting around the area is done primarily on two feet or two wheels.  Not the best news for a sweat-hater like myself but the house we rented had four bikes so I just decided to roll with it. (Get it?)  The last time I was there I only got on the bike a couple of times;  this time I was all in.

I forget how AWESOME it is to ride a freaking bike!  Those first tastes of childhood freedom came flooding back so vividly and it was like Christmas morning and a new puppy and a cherry Slurpee all at once.  There were many moments I had tiny tears of joy. And riding with my girls was the BEST!  We cruised the hood like a little estrogen-fueled gang, heading to the beach, heading to breakfast, or just circling the block.  My booty was hurting, but it hurt so good!

Fritos

I know you know what Fritos look like but I needed a picture to balance out this post and since I didn't take a pic actually eating Fritos in Florida (because why?) this is what I have to offer.  Tiny Hand wants in on the action.  For more on that, keep reading.

With reckless abandon I ate Fritos to my heart’s content.  Usually I avoid them (except in the fall with the occasional Frito Pie) because they make for hideous breath and greasy fingers.  But no one was getting within breath or finger range of me, so when my dad snagged a bag of Scoops at the grocery store I didn’t complain.  I packed them full of spinach artichoke dip and savored each salty bite. Crunch, smack, yum.

Swimsuits Are An Outfit

Me in Rosemary Beach with my almost daily uniform of a swimsuit topped with a giant sweatshirt, sans pants.  In the reflection you can see two of my girls who were wearing the same outfit as I was. You wanna know who wears the pants in this family? None of us. On Spring Break, anyway.

The beauty of a beach town is swimsuits count as proper attire nearly anywhere you go at almost any time of day.  I am not one to prance around in just my suit, but throw a cover up on top and I’m good to go. I didn't worry about accessorizing and gussying up; I just threw on my giant Seaside sweatshirt over my suit and headed out into the world daily.  If you think about it, there really is no other way to be in public basically with no pants on.  You feel like you’re sneaking something really awesome but actually no one cares because they’re all wearing no pants too as you collectively frolic around town in swimsuits and giant sweatshirts.  It’s an #ootd I will love forever more.

The Tiny Hand

Since I brought the Tiny Hand home, I can't quit using it on everyone.  Especially Pippa.  As you can see she's over it, and trying to bite the Tiny Hand that feeds her. How rude!

We were puttering around one night after dinner and popped into the Seaside bookstore.  Upstairs were a million needless things.  That’s where we found Tiny Hand.  My colleague Brittany has one and she uses it at the most random times sparking hilarity at the office.  I had never seen them for sale though.  I thought the shenanigans of the tiny hand were only for Brittany to instigate, but I love her and she lets me hold hers sometimes so I was good with that.  But now I had the chance to have my very own.  I got two of them, “for my girls,” (wink, wink) but I have yet to put this thing down.  Why is a plastic tiny hand so funny?  Get one and pet your dog with it, tap your kids on the back with it, or have a conversation with it perched on one of your fingers. Today at work I introduced myself and shook someone's hand with it and they burst out laughing and I also gave some high fives with it.  You’ll see what I’m talking about and when you do, you’ll be hooked too.  Welcome to  the Tiny Hand Nation: membership has no privileges but you will laugh your face off and potentially drive your kids crazy with it which is reason enough to invest the $1.50 to get one.

Water

Watercolor, Florida.  This is really how it looks, y'all. #nofilter

Our last night at the beach I posted something on my Instastories about feeling so happy to be back on 30A with the girls, realizing I had worried about returning to a place we had once come when my family looked different.  I was soothed by the enormity of the ocean and the strong unmistakable presence of God.

In my post I wrote “My favorite place in the world. Still. Even after everything that’s happened. I wasn’t sure I could come back. I thought it would be too different. And I wouldn’t fit anymore. But it’s still safe and it’s still beautiful. We will come here forever.”

A friend from college who I have so fortunately reconnected with saw my post and wrote this in reply:

“It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea--whether it is to sail or to watch it--we are going back from whence we came." - John F. Kennedy

Deeeeep.  I felt so understood when I read that quote!  Thank you, Josh, for sending it.  I think that is just awesome.  I didn’t grow up near water and truthfully I am not super keen on getting in it (thanks for letting we watch Jaws, Dad) but I absolutely love being next to it, letting the pull of the waves lull me into a calm place that so often eludes me.  It is one of the few things in life that can truly switch the wild parts of my brain into the "off" position and turn "on" the open heart, open arms and open mind in me all at once.  I feel so small next to the ocean,  but so grateful and so overwhelmed by the good things in life: God, my girls, my family & friends, bicycles and Fritos. And tiny hands.  (Trust me, you gotta get one).