Getting back into the swing of things

We had a lot of fun on our beach trip. I really needed that break before being thrown back into the fire.  It’s been tough getting up in the morning, and even tougher staying up in the morning. Mexico beach feels as far away as, well, Mexico. 

                 

We spent time together on the beach, and our friends Melissa and David

 took us fishing on their boat.

It was Korey's first time deep sea fishing and he was a fishing machine.

He caught the first fish and the only king of the day!

 

Then he caught some red snapper and some trigger fish

and even a shark!

The shark cut the line, which turned out well for both of us since we didn't have any use for it anyway and they are famous for tearing up boats and spoiling fish. 

I managed to catch a few snapper myself.

While we were fishing, a few dolphin showed up and tried to "fish" for our fish as we reeled them in. 

I felt so bad for one of them. He had scars where he had been cut by something and some of his wounds were still pink and raw.

He didn't get any of our fish, but honestly, I wouldn't have minded one bit if he had.

We caught our limit in red snapper, 4 trigger fish and a king fish, and we didn't see one spot of oil, even 20 miles out. It breaks my heart to think of those sandy beaches covered in tar balls, not to mention all of the poor animals and industry that has been destroyed. Hopefully Mexico Beach will be spared. I would love to return.

Romance is what you make it

There is something about the ocean that forces me to be pensive. I was thinking of this last night as Korey and I strolled along the beach together. Perhaps it's my sister getting married, or my sister getting married at the same place that we were married, or that Korey asked me to marry him on a beach much like this one after a stroll much like this one, that makes me want to think on love. 

As we were walking, I was reminded of a quote from a book I used to have by Donald Miller. I can't find it online, so I'll just have to badly paraphrase it, but it went along the lines of "Is it not miraculous that God makes the sun rise every morning?" There is a certain miraculousness in constancy, in every day things. Which is more miraculous, that God heals a wounded heart or makes the sunrise every day for more than two thousand years? I'm slowly learning that length is the most beautiful thing about marriage. 

When we reached the sand, I took my shoes off and Korey offered to carry them for me so that I could take pictures as we walked. 

We have always been more this kind of couple than the handholding, public kissing, romantic kind of couple. 

It is a love of mutual respect, of consideration, of companionship, a comfortable kind of love.

The day we got engaged I had been teasing Korey. We had taken a day trip to Savannah from his grandmother's house and I said casually over dinner, "You are just not a romantic person. We can be in the most romantic place in the world and you would be totally oblivious to it." So I was not surprised when he said, "Let's go walk on the peer and then walk on the beach and watch the sunset." I thought to myself, "This man is the most stubborn man on the planet, and he is out to prove me wrong." So we walked the peer and then walked all the way down the beach and all the way to the other end of the beach. And suddenly, he stopped and grabbed his pocket. "I have to give you something before I lose it," he said. I said, "Well don't give it to me. I'll definitely lose it!" And there he stood with his hands cupped and my beautiful ring sitting sweetly on his fingers. 

"I was hoping that you would be my wife." 

"of course I will."

I'm starting to think my idea of romance was all wrong. 

What is romance?

Holding hands in public?

or holding shoes? 

or getting the camera back from your husband and realizing that he's taken several pictures of your freckled, round, nothing special face?

 

 

This is my every day miracle.

My best friend.

My romance.

Love is in the little things.

My sister's wedding

Phew! I am so glad that my sister's wedding is over. Don't get me wrong. I am not a mean or hateful person, and I absolutely love love stories, but it has been stressful helping with the wedding. I just wanted everything to go well for her and be perfect on her special day. Her photographer, the talented Ken Rada, was kind enough to give me some of the pictures from the wedding since the only pictures I took on her wedding day were

this one

And this one.

I did manage to snap a few at the rehearsal, but the wedding day was just so hectic. I guess that's why you're supposed to hire someone else to take the pictures. Ken was very easy to work with and I am so excited for Ashley to see her pictures! He did such a wonderful job!

ok well Ken didn't really take that last photo. I took it at a walmart near Mexico Beach. I'm thinking about submitting it to www.peopleofwalmart.com. 

It's the little things

If you're an awesomely fun parent, you're probably going to have some pretty awesome babies.

And if it starts to rain, you will probably still let them go out and play for a little bit. (Seriously, look at these faces. Who could deny them?)

And if you're camera toting friend is going to capture some of the awesomeness, she's probably going to have to risk getting her camera wet so that you can have pictures of you're sweet babies playing in the rain.

And after a few minutes, you'll call them back in and wrap them up tight, because (let's face it) you're the coolest mom ever and you may let them be wild for a moment but you don't want them to catch a cold.

And they'll wonder why they can't play in the rain forever.

But they'll settle for coloring with sidewalk chalk

And pretending to ride the lawnmower.

Jess, you were right!

You were right, Jess! It was a car. 

If you look you can see that the whole frame of the car is there, floorboard and all...or what's left of it. I did a little internet research and all I could find were some shady urban-legend-like sources that said it was a car from a moonshiner who took a wrong turn while drunk and drove off the falls. Creepy, but a valuable lesson. Apparently there is another truck from the 50s that can also be seen around the falls. I'll have to look for that one next time we go.