Behind every good idea there's that little voice,

So this morning as I was settling with a cup of coffee and a little writing, dear hubby walks up and says, "Let's paddle across Taylor Creek to Carrot Island and walk to the beach!"

(I'm thinking, "WHAT?"  "Are you kidding me?"  "What about my writing?")

"Sure honey, let's do it."  (Am I really going to make it across the creek?  What about the boats?  Stand up paddle boarding across the waterway?  What if I fall in?  Why is my heart beating so fast?)

It's a adventure of 5 - Erik in a kayak with Emma, Jeff in a kayak, Maria and myself on the paddle boards.  Now comes the real adventure of the trip.

"We're going to walk across to the beach!  See it way over there?"

Me, on the paddle board, "Where?"  (Walk?  Over all that muck?  Oysters?)  "Oh, way over there in the horizon?"  (Warning objects are farther than they appear)

We hit the shore and immediately are knee deep in muck.  Jeff pulls his foot out of the muck and has lost his shoe.  Erik immediately puts Emma on his shoulders and steps into the muck.

We start walking, Maria jumped, "I just stepped on something really big that moved."

Emma looks at me, holds out her sweet little hands and quietly says, "Help me....."

I'm thinking that I am smart to have my river shoes on until my foot comes out of the muck minus the shoe.  Now I have to dig in the goo for my shoe!  I get it back put it on and some unfortunate snail gets stuck under my arch.  (We're really walking through this crap all the way over to there?)

We decide to try and get around to the dry horse trail, walk the trail to another mucky part which takes Jeff's flip flops, Erik's flip flops and adds more snail to my shoes.  Emma has this look on her face as her Dad sinks into the mud, not terror, just a "Is this a good idea" type look.  (I'm with you Emma.)

We finally find a path to the beach and as we start walking normally, husband jumps about ten feet into the air.

"What!"  I almost jump with him.

"I almost stepped on a crab," he points.  We both go over and look as poor Jimmy, pissed over a  little coitus interruptus with Shirley in the marsh.  (Sorry crab dude, we're just trying to get to the beach.  Atleast someone is getting some)


We are walking, birds are flying over us wondering who these random humans are in their uncharted territory.  I'm thinking, "First rule of survival, find potable water, then food, then shelter."  I look around.

We're screwed.

The beach is amazing!  There's miles of sand, not a soul on the beach.  We're finding conchs, hermit crabs, and the biggest scallop shells I've ever seen!  Emma is walking behind me in the water, much happier.  Jeff and Erik are talking conch recipes, while I am secretly saying, "Swim away little conchs don't become dinner!"  Emma enjoyed watching the conch spit ocean water as we picked them up, then letting them "be free" in the ocean.

The walk back was shorter, my husband the only one getting stuck in the muck, "Honey!  Don't come over here, it's a mine field!  I lost my shoe!"

Two perfect conch shells later, our pockets full of scallop shells, our memories full of laughter watching others look like little old men walking through muck, the fish biting our ankles and of course that sweet little voice saying, "Help me."

I got all excited about a HUGE conch shell sitting on the beach only to have to leave it to the hermit crab that called it home.

A few lessons learned on this trip:

I am better at paddle boarding that I thought.
It hurts to have a snail in your shoe.
Sometimes a little child can voice what you are thinking.
It really is cool to still that little voice in your head and just for for the adventure.

And, sometimes three hour tours are worth while!


So the next time you are listening to people mention what would be a cool little adventure, and that little voice starts in your head telling you every reason it is a bad idea?

Don't listen to it.

You may find something amazing.

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!