WTF - What is that wall of water?

 As some of my Facebook friends may know, I'm spend a few days of R&R (drinking) on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.  I'm lucky that I have friends (family) with boats and planes and things I can use.  Today, we took our crew to Shackleford Banks for some time on the beach.

Shackleford Banks is an island only accessible by boat, with wild ponies, and beaches that boast of shallow water - the perfect spot where we can settle with 8 children and not freak out all day long.

A few tips for a big party at the beach:
Wienies roast very well in foil on a skim board sitting in the sun.  (get your mind out of the gutter)
Never put the New Mom in charge of the beverages.  (Who put all these juice boxes in my cooler and where is the beer?
When someone says sit on a boat, especially the captain.  You sit.  (Splash, enough said)
So we make it out to the beach, setup our compound (12 chairs, 6 coolers (one with beer) 15 hot dogs, 4 peanut and butter sandwiches, and 22 cracker snacks (if you don't know the term, google it, it's a Southern thang, 2 baby floats, 4 skin boards, one cast net, and a 5 gallon bucket (that's for the booty we expect to catch at the beach and haul home)

There's a saying down south, "It's all shit and giggle until the someone gets hurt."  In our case it was, "It's all shit and giggles until the storm rolls in."

We're lounging in the chairs, relaxing when someone quietly says, "What's that over there?"

We look.  Funny, the town we usually see is missing in a mist, or is that rain?

Some of us slowly get up, (we don't want to stress the children), "Should we start packing up?"

The Captain looks at the mist, stands up, handing a baby to a passing adult, "Let me check the radar."

It goes from slowly moving things into the boat, to a Keystone Cops type freeforall as we start running from beach to boat.  You'd be amazed at how things seem to multiply when you've unpacked them on the beach.  Where is my phone!  What happened to my towels?  Who shoved this open can of sardines in my bag?

We make it into the boat as the heavens open up, the boat moving quickly, everyone in saying, "OWW," from the pelting rain.  What do the matriarchs in the boat do?  Sit in the back with the glasses of wine, a towel over our heads, laughing.  Why?  Because the kids haven't figured out that you won't get pelted so bad with rain in the back of the boat.  Ha ha, have a sip of wine, hide under the towel.

We make it back to the house with the sounds of thunder in the distance, and not a single child complained about the cold pelting rain of the ride, they complained about the cold of the air conditioner once they made it inside the house!

So whenever you plan the perfect family beach day, remember to always include your WTF moment whether it be crap in the ocean, or rain on the ride back, or the smack of the cold of the air conditioner once you arrive home!