This year our family’s over thirty years of vacationing at the grandparents’ condo in Miramar Beach comes to an end.

When I got engaged to my husband Alan in 2002, I took my very first trip to Miramar Beach. Alan’s mom, who we call Nonna now, took me to her parents’ condo. We walked on the beach, ate out, went shopping, and had a great time.

Nonna’s dad was a contractor. He built these condos in the 1970s. How cool is that? He built them, and he bought one for himself. It seems like he rarely visited the beachside getaway himself. Instead, Grandaddy and Grandma Cunningham kept this condo up so all of their children could enjoy the beach with their families.

They made summer vacation an affordable pursuit for all of us. Without this condo in Miramar Beach, I doubt many of us would have seen so many beach days.

Since the condo was built in the 1970s, Alan and his family and cousins and aunts and uncles have summered in Miramar for as long as Alan can remember.

When I discovered this place, it was pure magic.

I have always loved the beach! This place was perfect. It is across the street from the beach. In the earlier days, there were two pools. Now it’s one larger pool, very small child friendly.

There used to be a playground too, and for a while, a giant sandbox surrounded the playground. John David buried two of his Batman toys in that sandbox one year. He buried them so well nobody was ever able to find them again. JD’s sand obsession was kind of a problem for a few years there.

Joshua went down the slide on that playground a million times the year he was a toddler with no younger brother. He had our full attention for about twenty months. After that, things got crazier and crazier.

There were so many wonderful years. Let’s go through all of them and start at the beginning. Don’t you love it when stories are told in order?

Let’s start with Alan’s early years of going to Miramar Beach. Throwing it back to the 1980s/early 1990s.

Alan’s mom and her sister, Janet, used to take their kids to the beach together every year. Doesn’t that sound fun? Cousins really are your original built in friends.

And then in 2002, Alan and I got married and we established our own family beach traditions.

But my first trip to the family condo was actually with Alan’s mom. I think Alan was away on an Army assignment. I remember well how amazing I thought the condo was that very first visit. I mean, wow! Imagine having a beach house you can go stay at every year for free.

To quote an adorable preschool boy I overheard at the condo pool a few years ago, “Is this life?”

My heart melted when I heard him ask his mom that, as they sat on the side of the pool, literally enjoying life. I feel that too when I am relaxing by the pool or the beach.

2002

My second condo trip was far less relaxing, but quite exciting. Alan and I were married by then. Alan was stationed in Oklahoma for five months for training. Meanwhile, I was finishing up my degree at the University of Alabama.

One weekend, Alan was the best man in his college roommate Tom’s wedding. Alan flew into Destin for the wedding. Alan’s sister and I drove down from Birmingham to join him and attend the wedding. We all three stayed at the condo together.

I think Amy and I drove into Destin especially late at night that weekend. Then the wedding was the next night. All I know for sure is somehow we were both extremely sleep deprived. I don’t know why exactly we were so tired.

On our drive back from Destin to Birmingham, we could not drive safely or think straight because we were so sleepy. We pulled off whatever highway we were driving on, found a small church parking lot, and conked out. I don’t know how long we slept, probably twenty minutes. It was long enough to survive driving the rest of the way home.

2003

In 2003, Alan flew off to Iraq. He didn’t get to lounge by the beach that year. For Mother’s Day weekend, Nonna and Amy invited my mom and me to join them for some Destin shopping and Mother’s Day photos. Pretty cool, huh?

2004

When Alan came home from Iraq, and got all of his required return-home-sanity classes done, we headed to Destin. Alan and I basically set up housekeeping for ten days at the condo. We entertained family and friends there and enjoyed all that Miramar Beach has to offer without a care in the world. This is how we did the beach back when we had no children. I cannot even remember what that was like.

My mom, Aunt Ann, and Melony even came by and visited. They got in some pool time. Then Ann regretted sitting quite so close to the water.

I love Ann so much. Finding these pictures was such a blessing. Ann passed away in the fall of 2023, and this was such a humongous loss to our family. I haven’t been able to bring myself to blog about Ann yet, but someday soon I will. It’s just hard.

I stayed at the condo when I went to Jennings’ beach wedding. I think that was 2004.

2006

In 2006, Joshua was still in his first year of life, and the photos are a preciousness overload. I love these so much.

2007

We had to go to the beach early that year. I knew once we had a newborn it would be too challenging. We went in March, and I was six months pregnant with Caleb.

The condo was booked, as the “snowbirds” were staying there. We are creatures of habit though, so we booked ourselves another condo at the same place, right across the pool from Alan’s grandparents’ condo. It was a smaller one, with only one bedroom, on the bottom floor only. The small condo was perfect for us in those days though. Joshua slept in a pack and play in the living room, and all was well.

This next photo is hilarious to me. It was back when the vendor in front of the condos rented bicycles, not just motor vehicles. We rented ourselves a tandem bike with a bike trailer. Poor Joshua might not have enjoyed his bike ride as much as we did.

2008

Somewhere down there, we found a Gulfarium. We got to see parrots and dolphin shows, and it was a great place. I don’t know if it is even still there.

I remember Alan and I managed to squeeze in one last beach trip that year before he was off to Iraq again.

This story, y’all!

The photo above with baby Caleb and Joshua in the little pool is a key moment. that was right after, or right before, Caleb picked up a whole, live, beta fish, and put it in his mouth!!

You see Alan out there, bent over in the ocean? He had a bucket, with which he scooped up a beta fish. Then he put it in the baby pool, and the baby went right to work with his chubby little hands. He was determined to catch that fish, and he did! Then he tried to eat the fish!!! We laughed so hard that day. I mean there was a moment of panic, but we got the fish out, and then we laughed.

When I saw this photo, and as I pass the outlet malls down there, I feel a twinge of sadness. I forgot about how I used to get to go shopping on vacation. Can we bring that back? I have not done that in ten years, at least.

2009

In 2009, Alan was in Iraq. Dad and Mom and my brother came down and visited us for the day while we were staying at the condo. Back then, my dad had a bay boat he used to love to take out fishing in Florida.

That was an incredible day. Number one, I love boating. For another thing, my parents were a consistent part of our parenting team during the second Iraq deployment. It was wonderful to get to share this with them and take the boys out on their first boat ride.

Caleb had a little trouble with seasickness, and then he fell asleep. Joshua, on the other hand, was old enough to thoroughly enjoy to the boat ride, playing water guns, and stopping on an island and looking around for seashells.

2012

Summer 2012 was an extra exciting beach year. Alan returned home from Afghanistan in April of 2012. We did several fun family things that year, to include this beach trip.

I worked so hard that summer to get back in shape. I remember walking on the beach each morning, feeling ecstatic that my size 12 Bermuda shorts were falling down loose on me.

I spent the winter of 2011-12 living with my parents until Alan got back from Afghanistan, and I had consumed an ungodly amount of chocolate chip cookies. Dad and I had ourselves a ball buying the dough at Sam’s and making cookies. Poor Mom had to go to work everyday, and we were at home baking and playing with babies. That was before gluten turned against me.

2015

For 2015, we made time for the condo again. Even though we lived in California, the beach there was not the same. You cannot beat the Emerald Coast with its white sand, warm weather, and aquamarine water.

I swear we were more fun and adventurous when we were younger. Nowadays, we go to the pool, the ocean, and a restaurant or two. Back then we’d go to malls, movies, and we even checked out the Harbor Walk Village.

2016

In 2016, we moved back to the South, and we went to Disney World. I have no idea how we found time to go to the condo too, but I found this photo from 2016:

I don’t know what year they reconstructed the pool, but it was definitely done by 2016. JD destroyed that poor Woody doll between all the sand, the pool, and the markers. But if Woody’s goal was to be played with, he was the happiest toy ever.

2017

I remember taking so many boys to the beach and the pool used to be so much work. It was draining and hard, but I always knew it was important and it was worth it. The photos and the memories are glorious preciousness and I love it so much. Now when we go it’s so much easier. No one even runs away when I whip out the sunscreen. It’s too easy.

2018

I know Alyson’s kids used to enjoy that float too. We all shared it for years. That storage closet of floats and buckets was so awesome. After a few years, the favorite float died, and we were all sad to see it go. There is an awesome new one down there though that is basically a boat!

In 2018, we were moving again, so the fact we even made it to the beach was a miracle.

2019

I remember this trip well because it was a moving year and the summer of my 20th high school reunion. Before the reunion, we went to the beach. We were kind of between houses. I think we’d moved our stuff but had not really unpacked it all yet.

In earlier years, we used to always go to Destin Commons at some point for either a movie, a Bass Pro Shop visit, or Barnes & Noble. Look at how nicely they all used to read. We aren’t as good about that as we used to be.

2020

In 2020, we didn’t make it to the beach until August. We all remember what a disaster that year was.

2021

After a year of solid quarantine in Maryland, it was extra special to go down to Florida and get to live life free and mask-less. The strict, drawn out lockdown policies in Maryland were a real downer.

2022

In 2022, we were again in the middle of a move. I didn’t take as many pictures that year.

I always make everyone take at least one evening walk on the shore. JD and Joshua usually throw the football the whole time as they are walking. It sounds impossible, but they make it work. In fact, I’ve been dragging everyone out on these evening beach walks for so long, I think they are starting to like it.

My mom laughed and laughed in 2022, when I told the boys, “Okay, everybody let’s go to the beach!”

And they said, “Nooooo!!!”

Sometimes, I think maybe their life may have been a little too exciting because they seem to crave low-key, couch time.

Alan isn’t much better about it than the kids. He was excited about chillin’ in the condo too. We were out walking on the beach that night, and Alan turned to me and said, “Is this what you wanted?
What do you do with a bunch of homebodies on vacation? It’s hilarious. I laughed and laughed. We now say that all the time whenever we go anywhere at all. “Is this what you wanted??”

2024

Many years we manage to get Nana to come down for a day or a night. We always enjoy that, and I think it’s good for Nana too. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just go to the beach all the time??

I’m proud to report that everyone went to the beach without complaining in 2024. They were all good, energetic sports this year.

I think 2024 was the year everyone in the family was most excited to go. Everyone expressed their regrets that this was our last time at the condo.

When Grandaddy passed away, we knew no one else would be able to afford to keep it up for everyone. The condo has to be sold at the end of this summer. It will always hold a special place in our hearts and memories. I have no idea what we will do for summer vacations from now on! I guess we will all have to try some new things. That’s fine too.

But for now, it’s an end of an era, and we are all so grateful for the time we shared at Seacove Condominiums in Miramar Beach.

I hope everyone in the family (and it’s quite a large family) gets to enjoy the condo one last time this year!

The post Over 35 Years of Miramar Beach appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Alan pleasantly surprised me a couple of weeks ago when he announced that he had cashed in our hotel points and made reservations for us to spend July 5th in Ocean City.

Say what?? Granted, Alan can be very spontaneous, but this was even better than a last minute trip. This was a PLANNED vacation surprise! Wahoo! I had not even suspected that he was planning something like this. We have been basically stuck here. You see, not only is there a pandemic which we respect and take precautions for, but Alan is in the military. He is not even allowed by the government to travel beyond some specified radius for now. Don’t ask me what the radius is exactly. I haven’t bothered to look it up, but all I know is we are required to basically stay in place.

Alan and I went to Ocean City seven years ago, for a marriage retreat, but it was in winter. We have never been to their famous boardwalk. The children have never been down there at all. So this was something to get excited about!

John David actually said, “Well, I am excited because of staying in a hotel, so yeah!”

I was a little nervous about pulling off social distancing in such a crowded location. Catching coronavirus is certainly not on my summer bucket list.

In fact, I have only two items on 2020’s summer bucket list:

1. Do not catch coronavirus, and do my best to ensure the family does not catch it either.
2. Go to Alabama to visit our family.

So is it possible to pull off social distancing while taking a beach vacation?

Yes, I mean, not perfectly, but just as well as we do at home anyway. We ate out once and got take-out twice in twenty-four hours. Normally, we would not need to venture out for food or eat out as frequently as that.

I think anytime you go out and especially eat from a restaurant, it is a risk. Right? But I mean obviously, some risks are going to have to be made. Even going to the store carries some risks, but people do have to eat.

Before we left, I looked up Ocean City’s current COVID numbers.

Their numbers were even lower than our own county, so that was a plus. There just comes a point where you need to get out of your own house for your mental health, and we were definitely at that point.

Bathroom stops

I am happy to report that bathroom stops are possible. Royal Farms abound at every turn in eastern Maryland and Delaware, and their restrooms were open, so this was not a problem. I cannot say what level of cleanliness they were because the kids and I did not take any bathroom breaks. The trip from our house to Ocean City was only around three hours. Did you know that I have a bladder of steel? It’s an attribute I’m quite proud of. Once, in high school, I held it for thirteen hours, from Alabama to Texas. You see, public restrooms give me the eebidy-jeebies.

Our entire family is pretty crazy about Sweet Frog. This is a frozen yogurt place that lets you add all kinds of toppings of your choosing. It is also a Christian company. We were delighted to discover it was right next door to our hotel!

Hotel Stays with a Family of Six

Hotel stays have to be planned out very carefully when you are trying to room six people together. This requires that you book a suite that has two queens and a pull out sofa, or two rooms of almost any description joined together. This time we had two joined rooms, and it was so spacious and wonderful. Both rooms had queen beds, pull-out sofas, and full kitchens. Plus, one room was handicap accessible, so it had about two feet of extra width everywhere. Home 2 suites is also pet friendly, or at least this one is, so we highly recommend this hotel!

We originally booked a pet-friendly hotel, thinking we would bring Rosie with us, but in the end we decided to send Rosie to her boarding place. She stays at a doggie daycare that is run out of the owner’s house, so I can assure you, she probably has more fun there than she does at home. Rosie loves getting to go play with the other dogs.

The Golden Age of Parenthood

We are smack dab in the middle of the golden age of parenting. It is glorious. No one is in diapers, needs bottles, or needs help using the potty. Everyone can bathe themselves and wash their own hair. Meanwhile, no one can drive yet, so we always know where everyone is and what they are doing. This is our golden age.

I should also mention that we also left ALL video game devices at home so we did not have to settle any fights over turns.

Our Biggest Obstacle: Feather pillows!!!!

There are only a few things that could allergically ruin our vacation: cashews, peanuts, fire ants, peas, or feather pillows. Thankfully, our boys know how to avoid their food allergies with excellent accuracy and very little anxiety. Fire ants do not live this far north, so that only leaves the nemesis of at least FOUR of us….feather pillows.

It never even occurred to me to be worried about this, but it brought great distress and a little bit of asthma to our evening. Thankfully, I never travel without adult and children’s Benadryl. Several of us had to make make-shift pillows and switch beds, but I am happy to report that we did not end up at the ER. I cannot BELIEVE I was careless enough to forget to bring an inhaler. It has been a year since anyone needed one, so it never crossed my mind.

Yes, the beach was still somewhat crowded. It was Sunday, July 5th.

That did not mean we came into contact with anyone at all though. We set up our blanket about twelve feet from the nearest group, just as we normally would anyway. I did have to try harder than usual to stay away from other people in the water.

John David and Daniel were ALL about the ocean. I loved watching them enjoy it so much. That was another golden age of parenting moment. No one was so small that I had to worry about their every step. I stayed close to them, constantly scanning of course, but it was nothing like those years where Caleb would take off running in the opposite direction or J.D. thought he could just plow right into the deep waves with no fear whatsoever. I was made to be a big kid mom!

You may be thinking, “It’s not as pretty as Florida.”

Well, no, it is not as gorgeous as the Gulf of Mexico. It was fun though. Really it was exactly what we needed.

Daniel told me early on, “I got pinched on the toes by a crab!” Isn’t it sad how we naturally think kids are wrong sometimes? That is exactly why I FULLY deserved that very real, quite startling, pinch I got on my big toe an hour later from a crab that I could not see in that dark water.

We saw many crabs, of all different sizes that day. Maryland is not known for its crabs for nothing. In fact, their prevalence makes me wonder why it costs so much to eat them. Ha!

Alan buried the boys up to their knees, per their request, and then headed back out for some swimming. Why do kids love to be buried in the sand so much? Ick. It is not for me.

Pool Time!

According to the CDC, you are not at risk of catching coronavirus from swimming in a well maintained pool or hot tub. I think it is the chlorine that we have to thank here.

Home 2 Suite’s pool policy was that you sign up for an hour at a time for the pool. No more than ten people in the pool at any given time. The great thing about this was that we had the entire pool to ourselves for most of the time. We thoroughly enjoyed our pool time. It was badly needed. The only swimming we had done this summer was the day the boys swam in the stream at Rocks State Park.

Longboard Cafe

This restaurant was next door to our hotel, so it was an obvious choice. We lucked up and got seats right away, and the food was delicious. I am quite pleased to say that everyone was on their best behavior. It went much better than last week, when the boys had not been out in forever.

Childhood Problems

We noticed at dinner that Daniel looked all pouty, so Alan asked him what was wrong. Caleb said, “He’s just mad because he didn’t get to push the buttons on the elevator.”

I laughed. Kids do not like it when you laugh at their problems, but it is so hard not to laugh!! We worked extra hard to make sure Dan got to push elevator buttons on the way back to the room.

Home 2 Suites Breakfast

They did still have the free breakfast. You just had to pick it up and carry it to your room. I had one of those microwavable sausage biscuits, and we made coffee in our room. The kids, as usual, all ate cereal, and everyone was happy.

The Boardwalk!

Ocean City’s boardwalk is famous. I have heard people talk about it ever since we first moved to the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia area) nine years ago. The boys did not care one way or the other. They are funny like that, but I could NOT wait to check it out.

However, locals advised us to steer clear of the boardwalk at night this trip. There has been violence in recent weeks. Not ones to ignore sound advice, we decided to do the boardwalk on Monday morning rather than Sunday night. We enjoyed Sweet Frog by our hotel instead, and no one was disappointed really.

It looks so fun, doesn’t it? But the amusement park was not open when we went. Arcades did not seem like a good idea during the ‘rona either, and we weren’t hungry because we had eaten the free breakfast at the hotel. Plus, the sun was beating down on us with very little shade available. I can see where normally it is actually more fun at night.

We stayed at the boardwalk all of thirty minutes and then headed back home.

I would have been perfectly happy to remain in Ocean City all week.

But then you know how much I LOVE the beach. Like everyone else, I am tired of staying in my house all the time. I officially miss regular life. Yesterday, I was so sad to be back at my isolation island full of people fussing about their video game controllers, I just sat down and watched reruns on Netflix all day. That left me feeling even worse, so today I am aiming to be more productive.

I am already starting to daydream about our next getaway. Alan has resubmitted paperwork to take leave to visit family in August, so now we wait to see if it will be approved. Here’s hoping!

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This year we moved AGAIN. Did I mention that already? Maybe I’ve brought it up too much. Sorry about that., but moving is everything. Where you live and who you’re surrounded by, that’s your life setting.

I was at the eye doctor this week because I’d run completely out of contacts and haven’t been to the eye doctor since 3 states ago. The eye doc asked me many of the usual questions, including this one:

Of all those places you’ve lived, what did you think? Which one did you like best?

It’s funny how when people ask me this, all of a sudden I AM the old Rose in Titanic, at the end of the movie, looking back like “It’s been 80 years.”

I cannot fairly choose one of our duty stations and say, “This one was the best,” because so much of my memories of each place are colored by what was going on in my life at the time.

My best life experience was always Virginia. Always. I had this wonderful support network of friends there, 4 seasons of weather, and an active neighborhood. It was the best, and yet it was still too far from family, and the traffic was atrocious.

But when I see a photo like this:

I know where my favorite place is. It’s wherever the ocean is. The shore is my favorite place to be. So many of my best memories were there.

The first time I saw the ocean was on a truck driving trip I took with my dad. For a short while, he had his own trailer moving business. He drove the big rigs you see hauling mobile homes on the interstate with those signs that say “Wide Load”, and they have those escort trucks. My dad’s cousin Dale drove one of the escort trucks.

By the way, Dale’s escort truck was one of my favorite childhood things too. This truck had a 10 foot antenna on it. 10 or 20! I got in big serious trouble one time for climbing up and swinging on it until it broke off…

But going back to that trip with my dad, I was around 5 years old, maybe 6, and I got my first glimpses of the deep blue crashing on the shores, and I loved it already.

Beach with the Grands

My next life-changing memory at the beach was the year my grandparents took us to Panama City Beach and rented this little beach house that was only a block away from the shore. I was with my grandparents, my Aunt Linda, and my cousin Amber. My excitement was off the charts.

You see, it was hard for us to take vacations like that where you go to a place and stay there for days on end because we had my sister, who is severely disabled; plus traveling is very expensive.

I grew up sharing a room with my sister, Amanda. We shared a bed even, until 4th grade. Amanda is only 15 months my elder. Caring for her was a full time job, which Mom did pretty much by herself. I had to keep my room tidy, or Amanda would chew up my things. She is blind and unable to walk, but also her brain never developed past that of a sixteen-month-old.

Sometimes at night she’d freak me out pretty good by suddenly smacking her hand over my face when I was trying to sleep. I kind of get a chuckle about it now, but it wasn’t always funny at the time. I understood though, and I loved Amanda. We all loved her, cherished her, and protected her, not that I recall anyone ever trying to bother her when we were around.

Have you seen the movie Wonder?

I related to that movie on a level I haven’t been able to relate to any other movie, although trust me, the book is WAY better. Read the book! In the book, Auggie has an extremely deformed face, which causes the family to have to do things differently and subjects them to lots of staring, and Auggie requires special attention.

Auggie has an older sister, named Via. She’s the one I could relate to in the book. When a family has a member who needs an extraordinary amount of extra care, I think the other members try to make up for it. I always had zero desire to take any more from my family than was necessary because Mom and Dad’s hands were already full. So you do your homework without being told, you plan ahead and study for tests, you make sure you can send yourself to college, and you just try to do the right thing and not cause any problems.

Okay, I know that was a long tangent, but I had to tell where I was coming from to fully explain my deep connection with the ocean by age 14.

Here was a place where I could leave all my usual cares behind me. Amanda, who as I said, we did love her, but she didn’t come with us to the beach. She was at home with Mom, the one who truly needed a vacation.

The beach was glorious, and I could never go without getting soaking wet from tip to toe. We had floats, friends, and Coca-Cola in the refrigerator. Who needed Disney World? Not us. This was amazing.

And that line where the water meets the sky on the horizon points to God.

It just does. You can’t look at that expanse and not see its Creator. Every time I go, it puts me in my place, and there I stand, staring in awe at the vastness of it all. It’s the perfect place to pray.

On the shore, against the never-ending enormous sky and sparkling water, all that land stuff seems smaller. The problems are there, but they don’t feel so close by with the waves crashing at your feet. It’s a spiritual thing. God feels closer and life seems clearer. At least, that’s how it has always been for me.

Even with the loudness of the waves, there’s a calm that I feel there. God is there, steadying my anxiety and reminding me that He is in heaven, and here am I on earth, and I let my words be few while I soak it in.

The sea shore is definitely my favorite place of everywhere that I have been. Just talking about it has made me want to hop in my car and go!

Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive any complaint you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:11-15

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Over the years I’ve had a few run-ins with jellyfish.

This year was one of those years that we got stung. If you spend enough time at the shore, any shore, you are going to see wildlife. But what kind of jellyfish live in the Gulf of Mexico, exactly?

Thankfully, I’ve never had any ER trip inducing stings or run ins with sharks, though I did see a shark at Miramar beach once! That’s the upside to crystal clear water. It does make it easier to spot the dangers. In the dark Pacific waters of Monterey Bay, you didn’t have a chance! (For more information about vacationing at Miramar Beach, see this post.)

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I didn’t get a single jellyfish sting this year. Hurray!

But Alan and two of our sons were swimming around when they all began to realize that their legs were stinging, all of them! It wasn’t a terrible run for cover ordeal, just a, “Hey, I’m getting out. My legs are burning.”

“Yeah mine too.”

“Me too.”

Now that has happened to me before, and the stinging sensation lasted for a little while after I got out of the water. It was like something tiny and invisible had been nipping away at me until finally it felt like I had little fire electric stings all over my body. I’m not even sure if I felt mine until I’d gotten out of the water.

What kind of jellyfish do you think that is??? Or is it something else?

That’s been bothering me for a while, the ignorance of it all. I decided to do some sleuthing around ye olde internet and see if I could find some answers to what has been stinging us.

Most likely culprit: Sea Lice

According to my research, “sea lice” can become trapped between your swimsuit and skin, which would explain why the boys all had it in the same area, where their swimming trunks were.

The good news is these are not lice like you think of, in your hair. They are actually teeny tiny jellyfish larva. It’s funny how you have instincts about things. I’ve always called them “tiny invisible baby jellyfish”, and it turns out I was exactly right.

The articles I read all say it can cause a “sea bather’s eruption” (rash) that can last for weeks. Well, I’m here to tell you that none of us had bumps for weeks. Maybe we all got out quickly enough to really only get a couple of stings. Maybe we aren’t all that sensitive or allergic to them. I don’t know, but this problem didn’t last long for us.

Are they all over the coast of Florida? Oh yes they are. They’re usually baby thimble jellyfish, according to several sources like this one and this one, even though you don’t see adult thimble jellyfish, the babies are still there.

So really, don’t sweat it.

Here’s what to do if it happens to you.

Get your swim suit off and get it in the dryer to kill off all those larva, pronto. Next, move on with life, and maybe no more ocean swimming until the next day, to avoid getting more stings.

Now onto my next jellyfish question. Have you seen these washed up on the beach?

What are those condem-looking jellyfish you see washed up on the shore some years?

Those are Portuguese man-of-war. They reportedly hurt BADLY and will leave some serious marks. As soon as these are reported, Florida beaches fly the purple “dangerous marine life present flag.”

The Last Question: About My First Jellyfish Sting

What about that time when I was around 14, and I got stung all over my legs, leaving little red welts all over my calves and shins, but it stung for the next 24 hours. It was miserable!!! What was that? That was more than just sea lice. I felt those tentacles hit me! Yet, it was not as drastic as the Portuguese man of war photos either.

I took everything I could remember about that incident and did more research.

It happened somewhere around Gulf Shores, Alabama. The seaweed was insane that day. It was so thick you couldn’t see through the water well. I was only in knee deep, and I was wading with my brother and my cousin.

We were all getting hit by the seaweed, but then all of a sudden I felt it. Whatever it was! It WHACKED me with what can only be described as THE FORCE. I SCREAMED, and I leaped out of that water as quickly as my legs could carry me. I stayed on the sand and didn’t go back in for the rest of the day.

My grandparents, who had planned for us to spend the whole day there, were quite unhappy with my dramatic display because no one else wanted to go back in the water after hearing my screams and seeing all my little red welts. In fact, my grandparents told me I was overreacting and that it was just seaweed hitting my legs.

My parents, who are waaaaay more sympathetic people, were not there to help. I hobbled around the rest of the day, burning from the stings, and bewildered that I had this horrifying (to young me at the time) injury and no one cared.

And yes, I was fine, but it did hurt! I’m pretty sure I had those red bumps for the rest of the week.

But what kind of jellyfish was that??

It was something more than sea lice because I felt the long tentacles zap my legs– both legs, I think. This was over 20 years ago, so the memory isn’t crystal clear. Yet, it wasn’t the kind of dangerous jellyfish sting that requires an ER visit either.

I will never know exactly what kind that was. My best guess is a hydroid, or several hydroids.

The reason I think that’s what it was is three- fold, and I will explain what the heck hydroids are.

1. That day there was a seaweed invasion. Hydroids are a ton of tiny jellyfish attached to a feather-like sea-weed base. You can see it and think you are just looking at seaweed.
2. The stings were not so serious that I had to go to the ER, as they might have been had I been stung by a larger, more dangerous kind of jellyfish.
3. I found another blogger with a similar story to mine, but she was stung by a great deal less of it than I was, but her research led her to believe it was hydroids too. You can check out her blog here.

Other jellyfish that live in the Gulf Shores/ Florida panhandle area:

1. Moon jellies— stings are not strong enough to penetrate skin
2. Cannonball jellyfish– no tentacles but has venom to give mild sting
3. Atlantic Sea nettle-– This is what you picture in your head with the classic long tentacles. They do have a moderate to strong sting, but the pain doesn’t last long and should not send you to the ER. Maybe that’s what stung me at age fourteen.
4. The Pink Meanie– eats the other jellyfish. It is monstrously large.
5. Portuguese Man O War– extremely painful stings

Can I know for sure what caused these stings?

No, but after a little simple internet research and a few Google docs, I feel so much more informed. That’s a good thing since the beach is a place we frequent each year. We love the beach. Nothing can keep me away. I am one of those people who cannot go to the beach without leaving soaked from head to toe.

I hope you learned something too! My sources are embedded into the article, so just click on the blue words throughout this post to learn more about those topics.

The post Ow!! What just stung us at the beach in the Gulf of Mexico? Jellyfish? appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

You know it was a happy spring break when it takes you 3 weeks (ish) and 4 separate blog posts to finish writing about it.  This was that sort of year, and if you missed the first few parts, you can catch up here:

Part I– The Shirt War

Part II– The Funny Stuff

Part III– Legoland Discovery Center

We now live in Georgia, so we decided it was time to re-visit Callaway Gardens. It has been 15 years since we were there before. 15 years ago to the day we re-visited, almost. Alan proposed to me on March 25, 2002, on the lake beach there. We returned on March 26, 2017. Pretty cool, huh?

Us, 2002, Callaway Butterfly Gardens. He proposed on the beach there.

We enjoyed re-enacting it for the boys. Caleb took pictures for you, but I didn’t like how I looked,so those will be on the blog never…

Daniel, taking off for that beach.

The boys were all supremely disappointed that they didn’t have their swimsuits with them, but it was a touch chilly for swimming still, and we wanted to scope out the whole place that day. We can go back to swim anytime.

Ever since we left California, and my beloved Point Lobos, I have had no place here to go and just revel in the beauty of nature. Actually, my back yard is pretty awesome because I do see red cardinals and an occasional snake (*shudder*), and I find little brown balls that lead me to believe that deer are occasionally jumping our fence, but Callaway goes beyond that.

Here at Callaway, our little family was all at peace and excitement, as we hiked the trails, visited the butterflies, and even got to see a captive falcon with a wingspan as big as me!

Caleb will tell you. Everyone in our family knows it. It is not possible to take Caleb anywhere that there is water of any kind and bring him home dry. He will always be beckoned in so far that he will always leave soggy. We love that about him.

This was a half-mile trail, but in the southern heat, it feels like more. Thankfully, some of it is shaded. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. It felt like home to me.

Me, feeling like I’d found my new Pt. Lobos.

There is something about being outdoors that is nourishing not only to your body but to the depths of your soul.

I was also reminded why, by the time I was a teenager, I thought I didn’t love being outside. When you grow up in the South, MOSQUITOS reign! Yeah, wear bug repellent if you do anything like what we were doing here. And sweat, of course, sweat. Mosquitos and sweat. Still worth it though.

I don’t think a person can look at a bed of tulips without feeling a little better.

A small dogwood tree! How I’ve missed dogwoods!!

Normally, tons of azaleas would have been in bloom, but a week prior a cold front had come through and killed all the azaleas at my house that were blooming or budding, so there were none. I also read that azaleas bloomed early at Callaway this year. That would have been such a beautiful sight to behold, but alas, we missed it. A week later the late azaleas did finally show off in our area, so that was some comfort.

inside the butterfly center

The butterflies were of course all over, and we were all excited to be a part of it…..except John David. JD sort of whimpered the whole time and got all sorts of freaked out if a butterfly flew anywhere near him, and so our time in the Butterfly Center was cut short.

After a butterfly actually landed on my hand for a few minutes, the boys took to trying extra hard to get one to land on them.

But alas, it never happened. Sorry boys.

JD, in panic mode…Butterflies are apparently terrifying.

Daniel kept picking John David up and carrying him, and JD only weighs 10 pounds less than Dan, so we started referring to Daniel as the ant man.

My camera phone died before I got to photograph the giant bridge with the water, over by the Discovery Center, which is one of the most beautiful parts. Next time! Because you know there will be a next time!!

“A cheerful heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”  Psalm 17:22

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”        Psalm 19:1

And now it’s back to work. I hope you all manage to squeeze in a little sunshine time today.

*

The post A Beautiful Day Trip Exploring Callaway Gardens appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Happy Mother’s Day! What better to share on this treasured day than some adorable seal mom and pup pairs from my favorite spot in the world, Point Lobos State Park.

This particular beach is not a seal hang-out for most of the year. However, when it comes time to birth babies, late winter/early spring, this tiny beach, completely surrounded by rock cliffs, becomes a true seal nursery. This is NOT a zoo. This is the real world, animal style.

ALL of these photos were taken by Aunt Janet, photographer extraordinaire.

This first mom and pup pair are the funniest. This little fella’ was rambunctious, robust, and ready to do some more swimmin’. Mama was trying to take a nap, and he kept sneaking off to the ocean.

She’s trying to rest, but off he goes…

Still going….Even for animals, some little ones are just tougher to raise than others.

Bet you’ve never seen a seal run, but this Momma did. She cut him off at the pass, barking up a storm at the little rascal.      “Nope! We are NOT going back out to the ocean. You don’t know what you’re doing. You are shark food. Now get back up on that beach, lay down, drink your milk, and take a nap. Don’t you go sneakin’ out to this water again without me, you hear. Bark bark bark bark bark!!”

Here she is, at the top of the photo, leading that baby back on shore. She had to keep holding him down with her little flipper.

This momma had a younger, smaller pup to bring in, and she just didn’t have her job figured out yet. Poor little pup was trying so hard to beach herself, but the waves kept washing her back out to sea.

Oops. There goes baby again. Mom needs to learn to get behind her.

nursing seal baby

Every few minutes, you see another momma and baby seal coming in or going out. I could have watched all day, but I had taken a few elementary school boys with me who could only enjoy it in 5 or 10 minute increments.

If I were a seal, I’d hang out here too. Actually, I’m not a seal, and I still like hanging out here.

Look closely to see the baby seal on the momma seal’s back.

This Mother’s Day is coming at perfect timing for me. I have felt a little down lately, mostly due to my mystery low-grade fevers. They zap my energy, and leave me feeling confused and a little hopeless.

But Mother’s Day reminds me of my most basic and happiest job. I am first and foremost a mom, and I am tickled pink to be Mom to our four precious sons. I always considered myself a “girly-girl”, so it’s ironic to me that I am now the mom with the baseball nails, trying to learn basketball lingo, and passing rules about not bringing slugs into the house. When I brush everything else aside, every other worry, every other commitment or hobby, this is the job that I most cherish: being wife and mom. I was never so happy as I am when I’m being mom.

-Wiping noses

-Trying to convince JD to poop on the potty.

-Reading These First Four Years to Joshua and Caleb

-Reading Green Eggs and Ham to Daniel and Caleb

-rocking JD in the rocking chair

-pushing them in the swings

-cooking their dinner

-buying their clothes

-hugs and kisses

-talking through their problems

-teaching them about Jesus and praying with them

-watching them play baseball

Oh, I love it all so much. What a wonderful gift to be entrusted with. I hope I can walk worthy of this calling.

And I’m thankful I don’t have to go it alone, like the seal mommas.

This guy makes being a mom more doable and more fun. I could not do this without Alan.

Mother’s Day is a reminder for me this year. It’s a reminder of how blessed I am. Healthy or not, I have a glorious life, full of purpose and every good thing. I must remember to be thankful and always share with others what I have. I am renewed with joy. What a blessing.

I better get to sleep. Alan and Caleb are making me french toast in the morning, and I’m super excited. I say Alan and Caleb, but they will probably all insist on helping.

Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!

The post Darling Photos of Seal Moms and Babies appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

You may be tempted to think, “How can you live in California and not be utterly happy all the time from these incredibly beautiful surroundings?”

Good question.

The unfortunate thing is that I don’t actually live on the beach and see these sights every single day. In fact, I pretty much forget they are there until company comes and we show them around. Most destinations are too hazardous to take on with two pre-schoolers, seeing as how I’d like to keep them all alive, and I have the hip problem. Pity. So I wait until I have other adults to go with us to these lovely places, and once I finally make it out there, I am reminded that it does indeed have healing powers.

Fresh air. Sunshine. Water. Wind. Oxygen. Green. It’s life-giving. How can I get out there more often?? I desperately need to do so. I don’t think our Creator ever meant for us to toil our days away, all shut up in our houses all the time. He put the first people in a garden, right? A perfect garden with no briars or thorns even. No sin. No clothes. Ha! Now there’s a picture….

I hope you’re enjoying this series of photography posts from Aunt Janet. Today we will share with you the scenic central California coastline.

These are my favorite.

Nature tends to disorder, and that can have its own magnificence, but well-tended gardens are a testament to the things that we can do with what we have been given.

Carmel

Pelicans!

Carmel Mission: founded 1771.

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission

visitor’s entrance to the Carmel mission

Nonna and Aunt Janet: the traveling sisters

These trees are unique to the area. They are Monterey Cypress trees.

A big thank you to our talented photographer, Aunt Janet!

And thank you to Nonna, who helped us with our boys!

Hope you all get out and visit inspiring places this weekend.

“In times of great change [which is always], learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists.” –Eric Hoffer

27Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!…  Luke 12:27-28

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