type='text/javascript'/> A Latte Talk: Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime...

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime...

I heart summer. We only get like 2 weeks of it here in Minnesnowta, so we enjoy it thouroughly!

I'm joking, I'm joking. 2 months.

When I first moved here from San Diego, I remember a friend saying to me, "Wanna go to the beach?"

I thought she was kidding. "Yeah, which coast should we go to? West Coast or East? Ha HA!"

She was confused. "No I mean to Lake Johanna to swim!"

I laughed hysterically. "Whatever. THAT little sad stretch of fake sand is NOT a beach! That's a lake. " I laughed for days about the fact that poooooooor Minnesotans didn't even know what a beach was.

Fast forward to um, today.

Corene: We're going to the BEACH! The BEACH! I'm so excited we're going to the BEACH!!!"

Pride swallowed. My own children don't know what a REAL beach is. Ahem.

BUT, I've also learned how utterly AWESOME the not-real beach can be!

My friend Sarah and her little girl Elle joined us at the beach today.

The only real tragedy of the day was my own mommy gag reflex.

It involves the bathroom.

Obviously. Because we all know how clean and sanitary beach bathrooms are.

So, I'm holding the stall doors shut for the girls because *of course* all the locks are broken. They are in seperate, but adjacent stalls. I hear Corene say, "Cool! That's cool! You should show Mommy!"

I didn't stop to think about it. They stepped out and I stepped in.

As I'm using the restroom, I hear them talking. "Wow!" "It goes in and out!" "That's neat!" "Show Mommy!"

I still wasn't even the least bit curious.

Until I stepped out of the stall, when Ava ran up to me and pushed her new found treasure into my face.

A pretty, pink, shiny, tamp*n applicator. An empty one, to be exact.

3 gags, 4 gags, more and more gags. Mommy had twenty-four gags.

After I freaked right out of my skin and yelled at her to "DROP IT, DROP IT!", I promptly scrubbed her hands at that beach sink that HAD ACTUAL REAL SOAP, which I am completely certain was placed there by God just for me.

We had ourselves a nice little talk about touching things in bathrooms, even things that are pretty and pink and slide in and out.

Moving along.

We had a really fabulous time. Summer, friendship, water, good food, children, hand soap....

I've had some of those "time standing still" moments this summer, you know, the kind where you snap a picture in your mind and you just know you will some day (sooner than we think) think, "those were the days!"

I snapped some pictures in my mind of the kids playing in the sand and water together.

I mentally recorded the sounds of them laughing.

I dug my feet into the sand and willed myself to remember these precious days.










12 comments:

Sarah said...

sniff, sniff...the pictures are great!!!! As Elle said "MY Friends: Aba, Reen, Igat...and Yenny too!" We had so much fun too! And, yes, Minnesota beaches are REAL beaches :-) At least for the frozen chosen here in Minnesnowta!

Jenna said...

did anyone else hear the hallelujah chorus when jenny mentioned ACTUAL soap in a "BEACH" bathroom?!!!!

oh. my. goodness. what a story, jenny.

this reminds me of the time i was at camp and we were having one of those cabin heart-to-heart/giggle fests. one girl shared how her brother was found playing with an applicator like it was (i'm not kidding) a trumpet.

so...count your blessings???

by the way, my word verification is "roidart". if there is such a thing as "roid art", i don't want to know what it is.

Kelly @ Love Well said...

You know this made me snort out loud.

tiffany said...

i'm totally gagging! i can't even imagine! nasty! otherwise it looks like tons o fun!

Marty said...

Wow. Yes. Ish. Gagging. Makes you think mean thoughts toward people who don't realize your children will think it's cool and so don't wrap "it" one million times and throw it away at the next "beach" where you might never be.

Grace ate a cigarette butt one time. I was so stunned, I let Emma fall off a picnic table.

Piper Paradise said...

I had to laugh at this post. I had the same conversation with a friend shortly after moving to Mpls years ago. I am from AZ where we frequented San Diego - a real beach : -)

Broken Yet Grateful said...

Jenny, again you amaze me with your wit and writing skill! I was there, gagging right with you!! I read it out loud to Justin who responded with yep she is a good writer!

Great pics too! How do you do that with the edges and color?

Jennifer Mulvihill said...

Ha! Your kids are adorable!

Also, I would love to send you one of my flute polishing cloths I have been working on! Would you be willing to use it and give me some feedback? If you go to my Etsy shop at www.motifdesigns.etsy.com and choose a print, I'll send one to you. Email me your address and what print you'd like to my yahoo email (jennifermulvihill@yahoo.com) and I'll stick it in the mail in the next couple days! :)

Dawn S. said...

soooooooooooooooooooooo disgusting. so. what did the girls think after your freak out??

Anonymous said...

So Gross to the first part and yes it must have been soap from God. I am laughing about the beach. Well you take what you can get right. We have the coast up here. Cold but I do get to see the ocean. I know what you mean about willing yourself to remember these moments. They are sweet. Love you friend.
Michelle

Jennifer or Valerie xo said...

I am hooting and bawling with happy and grossed out laughter.. Wow! Thanks, I needed that. I am wiping happy tears thank to you.. xo You are priceless.

Unknown said...

WOW!... They are so adorable kids. These pictures are beautiful.
Thanks for posting...

--
Jhon
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