Beaches

out of a love for our kids & the deep routed desire to share the boardwalk & beach in the summer fun with them...we bit the bullet & took them down last thursday. We got them up & out the door before 9am...pretty good right? yeah, not when it takes 2 1/2 hours to get there & we have to leave by 2:30pm to make sure we get home in time for Hunter to shower BEFORE going to 3 hours of football by 5:45pm...yeah, you're adding THAT one up & thinking we've really lost it. No, we lost it many many moons ago.
We get there, its 86 & sunny. Perfect beach weather! You are wondering now, why we went on Thursday instead of Friday when there was no football aren't you? well, a major hurricane is headed that way with a projected arrival date of friday. Me, the overwhelming beach zealot, is thinking it will be wonderful, good waves, lots of shells before the next big storm...oh the FUN!
After fighting with Hunter that a double thick fleece sweatshirt is NOT appropriate summer beach attire, we get to the boardwalk, pay for the beach tags & hit the sand. The beach looks oddly short & rather crowded for not being 11am yet. We go down toward the water, get a spot in the "second row" and spread out. Now, we are minimalists, or shall I say, I am the minimalist, so its just a small cooler, two boogie board I argues against & lost, a bag of towels, and 3 beach mats we picked up for a fantastic buck a piece. Not bad for 6 people huh? Yeah....

Everything was great...I was laying in the sun, enjoying the lovely beach sounds, smells & music while len & the kids frolicked in the ever increasing in size waves over at the lifeguards...slowly dozing off, almost there....the scream escaped before I had a chance to remember I was ON A CROWDED BEACH...water, icy when your nice & hot in the sun, was submerging my legs & feet that were as always, off the mat & towels enjoying the sand! Yikes, that water came up fast! I jumped after regaining my composure & quickly hauled up our meager supplies a good 10' up the beach till I was locked into the people who were in the what used to be "fourth row". I dug us a good trench (being left alone to do all this as the kids & len were oblivious to my near disaster & enjoying the water too far off for me to yell to them). I was halfway through when Len noticed I had moved & was desperately flinging sand...NOT a normal behavior for mom at this stage of the game I assure you! He came over with peach who joined in as Len shook his head & said "its not going to work you know" yeah yeah, what does HE know anyways?? we dug, the next big wave came & washed up to the "outer wall" of my fantastic trench design, and was held off...triumphantly Jazmine & I said "SEE???" the glory was short lived as I laid back down, sure it wouldn't really get us, just a freak wave I was sure...ahhh, sweet peace & sun, sleep is calling my name....then the tsunami hit!!!! I was suddenly submerged in a blast of cold rushing water, not just my toes mind you, no.....EVERYTHING was underwater by several inches & I was once again, the squealing was just as loud & then I looked up at len & just couldn't help myself...we laughed & laughed...then started to clean up....

I can honestly say this has never happened in my 35 years of hitting the beach many times a summer...but I learned again...never underestimate the power of those incoming waves!

By the time we left, the beach had shrunk considerably & there were only 5 packed tight rows of tourists before they hit the fencing...for those of you who have been to the beaches on the east coast in jersey, you know just how huge those beaches usually are! It was truly an adventure, and yes, Hunter slept the whole way home & did awesome at his practice while his mother, who forgot to sunscreen herself after doing up the other 5 members of the family, sat in her sun kissed glory & FROZE as one does when they had just a touch too much sun :)