I Survived!

Some of you know that we had Baby M overnight last night. She arrived at 7:30 AM on Wednesday and stayed so her parents could go to a concert in Columbia after work. They came and picked her up around 1:15 AM today.

18 hours with a 9-month-old is not for sissies. No matter how cute they are.

Of course, she did nothing that her sweet mommy said she would do. When you're at Grandma's you do whatever you want to do. That includes exhausting Grandma.

We did survive! And I did have help as Baby M's Auntie Breezy was here all day. But let me just say that the admiration I have for single parents has grown tremendously. I don't know how they do it.

So, the next two pictures mean someone is sleepy. But this is not equal to the act of actual sleeping. Because Baby M is highly allergic to daytime sleeping or, as I call it, napping. Which is very important when you're the grandma because you aren't as young as you once were and tired comes much earlier now.

Auntie Breezy and I figured we'd get Baby M nice and tired by taking her to Shem Creek Park.

We went out around 9:00 while the weather was not yet sweltering and before the people came out. You can see the triangles on the Ravenel Bridge in the center of the next picture.

It was a nearly perfect morning. Why nearly? Because it was still a bit warm for me. Otherwise, gorgeous!

The scenery is pretty nice out there. Can you see the Ravenel Bridge triangles on the right?

We enjoyed ourselves.

So did Tucker who met some new friends in between sniffing and peeing on everything we passed. He thought it was a bit warm, too. Don't worry, I forgot my water but brought plenty for him and Baby M.

But this little stinker never showed one sign of tiring out.

We thought about sticking around and hitting one of the restaurants for an early lunch but the two grown-ups were ready for a nap. Which never happened. Except for Tucker who takes a nap whenever the spirit moves him to do so.

Even though our attempt to tire out Baby M failed, it was quite a nice morning. Shem Creek Park is a good place for grandparents to take their grandchildren. It's not usually crowded out there and the people who do frequent the boardwalk are, for the most part, quite nice and engaging. There are plenty of coastal birds to watch and, on a lucky day, maybe a dolphin or 5. You can watch the shrimp boats come and go depending on what time you go and, since Charleston Harbor is at the end of the boardwalk you might even see some big ships headed out to sea. All of the restaurants on Shem Creek are family friendly and provide outdoor seating which is my favorite because we always see dolphins. There is also indoor seating by big windows so you can enjoy those frolicking dolphins while sitting in the AC. But seriously, every inch of the boardwalk is in FULL SUN (there are two covered areas with seating, though) so remember the SUNSCREEN and know that it will be HOT even in the morning most of the year. Oh, and there is a nice little (and I mean patio sized) 'park' area with seating and vegetation that is nice and cool about halfway between the beginning and the end of the boardwalk.

And yes, I'm still alive. But I'll be tired for a week.

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles!
There's a special running through the month of April!
$10.00 OFF your purchase of $30.00 or more! 

Bloggers in Person

I thought I had set this to publish this morning but, instead, I had set it for June 3. How? I have no idea. I think I got it this time. Sheesh. 

I don't even know where to start, y'all! Summer break began and we are already having the BEST SUMMER EVER! This is crazy! All I can say is, good things happen the summer after your last year of teaching. LOL

I have just finished going through the pictures and am beginning to write about all the happenings. I'll split them up because it's too overwhelming to put it all in one post. Here we go---

The first fun thing that happened so far is that I got to meet a blogger friend IN PERSON! That's right! Terri (our friend from Florida) headed up this way and she and her HILARIOUS husband, Joe, took the time to stop here and treat the youngest lovely and I to lunch!

When you come on this side of the bridge, you have to eat on Shem Creek at least once. We dined at Water's Edge. The food is pretty good there and you have the option of sitting on the creek inside or out. We chose inside since the heat was on full blast outside. Water's Edge is across the creek from my favorite place to eat, Red's, but the only reasons I like it there are: you can take your dog and the view is perfect. You do not go to Red's for the food, though and they only have outside dining on the creek. There is no creek view inside. Not the best option for taking out of town-ers.

I was so excited about meeting Terri in person that I forgot all about taking pix of the menu, the restaurant, the view... but here are a couple I found online:

This is almost exactly where we sat. 

We ate and then sat and talked and laughed and laughed and talked and it was FANTASTIC! AND, Terri brought gifts for Baby M!

And, just in case Baby M comes on July 4th as we'd like, Terri brought this:

I know I've said it before, but the best part about blogging really is the people you meet whether online or in person. It does my heart good to know that in the midst of all the crazy in the world there really are kindhearted folks out there.

Terri and Joe, it was great meeting y'all! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your trip to stop and visit. And thank you so much for lunch! I hope I get to your area of Florida one day!

Up the Creek

Sometimes things will happen to you during your young empty nest years that will make you start to understand that these years are not as bad as you first thought.

Yesterday was one of those days for me.

My brother and SIL called to tell me they were in town and asked if I would like to have lunch. I immediately said, "Yes!" Because I could.

When the lovelies were coming along, I would have said something like, "I really wish I could," followed immediately by something like this:

• "but I have to take someone to the dentist/orthodontist/doctor."
• "but I have to take someone to practice/rehearsal/class/lesson."
• "but we're on our way to a game/performance."
• "but I have to take the girls school shopping."
• "but I have to pick the girls up from school."
• "but the girls have company over right now."
• "but someone is not feeling well."
• "but there is no one to watch the girls right now."
• "but we are on our way to a movie/the beach/wherever."

Not yesterday. No Siree Bob! It was a "YES" plain and simple. And so we went.

It's actually nice to be able to spend time with my brother and SIL. We can do this kind of thing whenever we want to now. I like that.

We went to Red's Ice House on Shem Creek. Funny, Deanie used to work there in the summers during her college years which made us think of her and miss her. Red's is not a place one frequents when one is looking to eat only healthy/organic type foods so we don't go often- like maybe once every year or two. Plus, it's really more about the younger crowd- fried foods, bars, bands at night. You know, the sort of place we sought out during our college and pre-parent years. But when we do go we have a good time and we eat that food that we don't eat anymore. And then there's the very appealing view. Yesterday was no exception. We had a fabulous view of shrimp boats---

and a few 'other' boats---

and some kayakers (is that a word?) adding a little color---

and a chocolate lab enjoying a day on the water-"Avast ye land lubbers! Thar be pirates 'round here!"---

and a laughing gull---

and a pelican---

and a dolphin, or a porpoise...whatever, it was awesome---

 and a guy who had nothing better to do but fish and rinse his boat off....Hey, I'm not judging. I'm jealous!

Do I miss the days when the lovelies were little? Yes I do. Nearly every single day. But there are times now that I can appreciate the nest being empty.

Days when I can go out and enjoy the company of my brother and SIL and come home feeling good about my life and know that I am blessed by my family no matter what stage we're in or where we are.

I still look forward to the times the lovelies will be home for a visit. But I've learned how to enjoy myself during those in between times.

In between times when the kids are growing up are short because there are usually only minutes between drop offs and pick ups. In between times when the nest is empty can span days, weeks, months...How do you spend your in between times?