Experience 1- I was in early elementary school and we went to the beach. I am not sure where this was although I imagine it was in Alabama. I was stung by a jelly fish. I am pretty sure it was life threatening, but did we go home?!?! OH NO we did not. I could have lost a leg and no one really appreciated the experience.
Experience 2- Having successfully avoided the beach for many years, my uncle, Chris, decided we needed to "get away." So off we went to Orange Beach, Alabama. We had the beach to ourselves, the waves were beautiful, the breeze was lovely and there were all kinds of colored flags waving on the beach. There was only one other person on the beach and as the three of us basked in the beauty of having Orange Beach to ourselves, the man said "something keeps hitting my legs." SHARK!!! Yeah turns out those cute colored flags weren't decoration after all....I am pretty sure that was the beginning of my obsession with reading articles.
Experience 3- I went to Kemah with my grandparents and we were going to watch as the beginning signs of a hurricane came in. The wind was nice and the waves were beautiful to watch until one crashed into the wall we were standing on and I was soaked the whole way home.
I hate the beach.
Experience 4- Cal wanted to go to the beach and I gave in. I asked Carrie to go with us, but she was already going to Surfside with her friends Kayla and Omar. Thankfully, Kayla let us come visit for the day. We drove through quite a storm on the way there (Cal said there were funnel clouds) and I was thinking this was fitting to the beginning of what I knew would be an unsuccessful beach trip. When we got to Surfside, the weather was beautiful and we had a blast! Cal enjoyed playing on boogie boards and catching shrimp and crabs with Kayla's boys. Overall it was a great experience and shockingly, I would go back. Although I will need to wait a week or two since I am brighter than a stop sign right now.
So why go to the beach when I hate it so much? Cal was about 3 when I realized there are some things he will never get to do simply because his father isn't involved in his life. Father Son Campouts? NO Donuts with Dad? NO So I decided I would do everything I could to give him a good "boy life." We went camping for the first time during Christmas that year. Cal fishes, camps, play sports (because of my sister) and does all kinds of fabulous "boy things." I am determined that he will not miss out on those experiences. The beach is one of those things...I may not like it, but he won't miss out because of it. And this is what makes it all worth it...My little boy had the time of his little boy life and for a few hours was just a boy on the beach, not a boy without a dad on father's day weekend.
Just being a boy...
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