The Beach

As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to live at the beach. As a child I used to dream, when we were on vacation, what it would be like to have the beach at my very disposal. The beach signified a place of peace and serenity for me. I would sit on the coast, as morning would break and throw out all of my life's little problems and watch them disappear as the tide came in and out. I would walk the beach for hours, trying to find myself all over again, disappearing from the world, if only for a brief moment.



Though as amazing as the beach is to me, now living here, it is a place that I often take for granted. When trying to figure out the game plan of the day, rarely does the beach even come up as an option. The only time I ever go is when friends or family come down to visit. It is amazing to me just how easy it is to take for advantages of the wonders you have in your own back yard.



But yesterday, we changed that. On a last minute impulse (the way I like to work anyways,) we decided just to pack up the boys and head to the ocean, figuring we would only stay for an hour or two. I could only imagine how hard it would be with the two of them. Fortunately, some friends went with us, helping to keep Josh in control on land as Shawn and I braved the salty water with Tyler.



I am still not sure who acted more like the child, Ty or I. We jumped in water, got buried in the waves and laughed harder than we had in months. We played in the ocean so hard and so long, as if being in the water brought back a natural innocence.



On land, I was able to watch Joshua play more contently in the sand, than he had in the last 6 months. For hours he would make castles, tear them down and start them all over again. Overall we were there for almost five hours.



As I currently put on my aloe vera (yes, I used sunscreen, but yes, I am still burnt to a crisp,) I have made a decision to start remembering the dreams I used to have, begin sharing them with my children and encourage them to begin dreaming big.

Welcome Daisy

To me, watching a child grow up is the most amazing thing there is.

Our two year old Joshua, is growing by leaps and bounds. He has become a smart (rambunctious too!) little boy, talking a mile a minute and trying everything to keep up with his big brother.

Tonight, though, Josh kind of went off in his own direction. He built himself a house out of furniture, boxes, blankets and chairs. He asked Shawn and I to come to his house where he "served" us ice cream and apples. Later, after Daddy went to bed, he introduced me to his baby named Daisy.

For the next hour, I watched him "carry" Daisy, "feed" her and "change" her diaper. In fact, when it was time to go to bed, I had to carry both of them to bed and kiss them goodnight. It was very cute.

All in all, each stage of my chidren's lives have their own special meanings. Being able to see things, the first time (all over again,)this time though,through their eyes, continues to awe and inspire me.

Perspective

My uncle who lives in Florida sent me an email today that I felt that especially with the times, we could all use to remind us about perspective

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'
It was great, Dad.'
'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.
'Oh yeah,' said the son.
'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.

The son answered:

'I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Fly Dorothy, Fly

Lilapsophobia-Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes

We are under a tornado watch right now. They seem to come more frequently lately and I am terrified. I don't know really when this fear came from, but I know I am PETRIFIED!!!!!!!!

I have cleaned out a closet, just in case, have my flashlights ready, and everyone in long sleeve shirts and pants. Did I happen to mention that the boys bicycle helmets are in the closet ready for protection? At least their heads will be protected.

Well, only 45 more minutes until the watch is over. Until then, I'll stand my post.

The Right Stuff

Ok, ok. What a way to come back to my blog!!!!! I have officially reverted back to being a 14-year old girl....THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



For those who know me and don't know this about me....get ready....I LOVE the New Kids On the Block. Yes I admit, that while growing up, my bedroom walls were plastered with pictures of Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jonathan Knight and Danny Wood. There was not an inch of paint on my walls that you can see. I was part of the screaming frenzy of girls that went to multiple concerts in New York, to see just how close I could get to them. They were the end all, be all for me and I have very fond memories of that time.



WELL, I am soooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!New Kids have announced a reunion tour!!!! In fact, my mom (yes, my mom,) remembers how crazed I was that she is buying me tickets to a concert of my choice to see them, with my sister-in-law(which is another story in itself.) I kid you not, I feel that frenzy all over again.

My husband and has also reverted to his teenage years. Will listen to them to appease me, but is still slightly jealous that I can swoon over these five guys. But nonetheless, he is still humoring me.

A quick little funny...As I was watching the New Kids perform on Today, my son Tyler, asked me which one was my favorite. I told him that Jordan Knight was when I was a teen and in fact, that I had posters, pins and videos with him all over my bedroom. He then asked which one I liked now. I told him that Donnie Wahlberg was (not just as one of the "Kids" but also as an actor.) Tyler got kind of quiet and then said, "Won't daddy get upset if you have pictures all over your wall of some other guy?"

Hmmmmmm

We're Back!!!

The title of this first blog is very appropriate, for many reasons.

Of course, being that I haven't blogged in about seven or eight months is one reason, but we are also back to the beach, back in our first home and back where we needed to be.

Have you ever just felt like you needed to go home? Shawn and I are both originally from other parts of the country, but the South Carolina coast is what we consider our home. It is where we met, began dating and then married.

When we came to the beach, it was slightly unexpected. Though, it was the right time for us and it all sort of fell into place. I am not saying that there weren't some bumps in the road, because believe me, there were plenty, but we knew that this is where we needed to be for our families and ourselves.

It's been nice to connect with old friends as well as family, but even being in the house, that we built, that still has the markings from Tyler growing up and in the closet says "Shawn, Leslie and Tyler 4/13/01" feels right.

We have a little less house space than before, and a little more family (we had Joshua after we moved to Charlotte,) but the Yancey's have finally come back home.

Under Construction!!!