Dear Moms Who Don't Get to Pee in Private

Moms of Littles Who Don't Get to Pee Privately: 

Listen to me. Just hold on. 

You know how all you want to do is go to Target alone? So you can think? I get it. I remember.
Now? No joke, I now want my 11 year-old to come to Target because I value her opinion on housewares. I don't care much for the housewares. She does. She didn't always. There was a time when I had until about 11am to get to Target and get home or all hell would break loose and my Spouse's children could give Stephen King inspiration. 

Also, I'm currently, this very second, in the parking lot of a movie theater where I am waiting for my teenie to come out of a movie with her little friends and NO grownups. What!? I don't know what to tell you. I'm not sad or fetal about this. I'm excited for her.
She chooses her friends well. They are solid.
And this is the natural progression, if we do it right.
The goal is to work ourselves out of a job, right? 

I know some of you feel like you are drowning in your own breast milk right now. Others of you are pretty sure your kid will be the only kindergartener not house trained. This is highly doubtful. You might think about pulling that pacifier before then, though. But that's another post. :) 

I promise you, the time does pass. There is a little freedom to come, for both of you.

Let us not become weary in doing good, 

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

This was either yesterday or July 2006. They are the same to me.

Now.

If you can just get through the long days, the years really are short. 

More on that cliche here. :)

Melissa.

Snippets & Photos & Not-So-Breaking News.

Sunset Paddle in Englewood, Florida. 

Sweet Blog Reader's O'Mine.

I was hoping that would sound like Guns 'N Roses, so this post is a fail from the start. 

Read on at your own risk.

My last post was June 3rd. I don't even know. So much has been going on I don't even know where to begin. I JUST, as in this very moment, noticed I didn't even finish our road trip series. 

From May. Seriously?

Spazmatic Adjustable Blogger.

In true Spouseisms fashion, I'll bring you all up to speed in snippets 

& the ever-faithful iPhone photo dump.

'Member that time I told you we were downsizing and moving to an apartment? That was about eight weeks ago. I also said something like "I wonder how these plans will change as soon as I hit the 'publish' button?" Actually, it was exactly like that.

The view from the girls' room. Lovely.

A few days after we got moved in, my girls went to Carolina Creek Christian Camp and rocked it.

We've been in training for our second sprint triathlon. 

Our family reward for our first sprint triathlon was a trip to Englewood, Florida to the girls' favorite beach condo. We have gone for many years, but not at all since moving to Texas. We got to sneak out a day early so we were pretty pumped. But. It was an all-nighter. We drove from 3pm til 9:30am on 4th of July. Nuts. 

We got to spend some sweet time with Spouse's grandparents. Sixty-four years of marriage this month. Grandma doesn't know who we are anymore, but she's still pretty witty. She took care of Papa for a bunch of years and now he takes care of her. 

The photo on the left is from their wedding day. Awesome.

4th of July in Plant City with Uncle Jarrett. 'Merica.

We had a fab time at the beach. The water was beautiful and serene and all that is lovely in the world.

Seriously.

There was some Cranium shenanigans.

The annual Beach Family Feet Photo happened.

Because we're brilliant, we ended our triathlon reward vacation with another triathlon. 

It was not pretty, Kids. My spouse went totally beast mode, and I definitely finished. Ha.

Photo cred: Cafe Press

I saw a mom pushing a stroller at the finish line wearing this shirt 

and I decided not to do any more triathlons.

Settle!

I'm kidding!

Ish.

Here's what's up, Kids. [Expect my voice & run-ons.]

That's my oldest in the middle, helping lead worship rally at VBS. Such fun for her! So proud & thankful for the leadership there for allowing her to take part at the last minute. 

 A day before we were leaving we got a little intel that would lead us to make the decision to fly Spouse back home at the end of vacation. The girls and I would stay a "few extra days" to look for a place to live! (What!?) Yes. But, it was all on a "it looks like this could happen in the next 30-45 days" conversation. We knew it was a bit of a gamble, but it made more sense to do that rather than us get home and have to turn around and have to come back in a few weeks. 

So, my girls got to spend a few nights at a friend's house and my sweet friend, Debra, and I went on a House Hunters Tampa Bay adventure.  Spouse and I had been leaning toward an area of Tampa Bay that neither of us had ever even been to before. He mentioned one night when we were in the "dreamy phase" of the possibility of getting back to Florida. We liked what we saw online and started from there. 

Seriously. That's how this went down. 

I spoke with a realtor on the phone and decided to like her. When we met, I decided to just love her!

This photo is just to show my inspiration in house-hunting. *Grin*

'Member that time I was a spazzy house hunter? Not this time, Jack! 

I was on point with "Location, location, location" and Spouse's voice in my head saying, "Book it!"

The first day was about 10 hours of driving and we only went inside two houses. This was the first one: A three-level townhouse in a smallish, coastal town with boat slips available and across the street from the Pinellas Bike Trail. We are definitely not "fixer upper" types, but this one didn't scare me. The next day, we spent a few more hours in the area and looked at a few more houses. Five total. We made an offer on that first townhouse. Spouse signed the contract sight unseen. 

These "few extra days" the girls and I were staying became six days and this man was sure we were never coming back! When the negotiations were over and the home inspection scheduled, he knew we were going to be even longer, so he drove all night to get to us. 

We were so grateful to get to go to church together on Sunday in Plant City.

Church Selfie!

Then, there was more shenanigans and ballyhoo. 

They were crying at themselves.

We got treated to a nice dinner of shrimp & grits by my brother & sister-in-law! So fun! 

I think, since my bum was still sore from that race, I felt we should get a pic with this bicycle art thing.
I don't really know, check out Spouseisms on Instagram for more interesting pics. 

After Spouse got to see the home he had committed to buy and the inspection went as expected, we hit the road to get back home to our Houston family. I was anxious to see them and already felt like I had been away too long! 

See how happy we look? We drove until 4:30 the next dadgum morning and we were not so perky, let me tell ya! Spouse even went to work! He's a champ. I'm not. I checked out and demanded no one speak to me. I can't tell you at all what my children did all day. They could have gotten piercings or tattoos and I wouldn't have known it. But, worse, they watched that ridiculous H2O.

So there's that. We are looking at a tentative closing of mid-August. The girls are registered for several homeschool classes and volleyball. We found some youth sailing classes they want to take (because we are right near the MARINA!), but Spouse says I can't sign up for everything at once. Something about transitioning and home renovations and schooling the children. I guess. If you're in to that sort of thing.

There have been so many lessons learned and ways the Lord has made Himself ever-so known throughout this process, but they warrant their own posts. Hopefully, I'll get to it. 

Confessions of a Snob. Yes, Really.

I loathe pretentiousness. I loathe it. 

It is an inexcusable quality in a person to over state one's own importance. I mean, I know we've all got pride issues, but for whatever reason, this one just gets me boiling.

Then, there's Pretentious's cousin, Snobby. Snobby is always ugly and reeks. 

And, that's me. 

Not about everything. Not about most things, I think. 

But, I confess it. I'm a Beach Snob. I've written about it before and evidently, I have not turned from my whiney ways. 

So, we were in that Gulf Coast season of Sprimmer. Still cool in the mornings and evenings, but warm enough during the day to get excited for the beach.

So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to load up and give it another go on the Texas Gulf Coast. I can't tell you how many times we have heard, "Oh, y'all are from Florida? Don't go to Galveston." 

But, I'm desperate and stubborn. Stiff-necked, if you wanna go Old Testament. 

I was so hopeful! So excited! 

Until we drove up. Then I was a snob again. But, I'm a nice person, okay!? 

I love Jesus and people and cheering people on and I'm hospitable and welcoming. 

And, I'm sorry. I really am. This is not a sorry not sorry deal. 

I'm embarrassed that I had to fight back real, actual tears of sheer disappointment over it in front of my friends.

Now, I need to qualify this experience and say it was a super windy, chilly day. The sun I was hoping to get was overtaken by the need to wrap up in a towel. None of this is Surfside's fault. :) Spouse, Big Sister, and our friend all had a great time attempting to surf, despite the frigid water and choppy water. I was content to be discontent in the littered, caramel sand looking at the murky water, freezing. I will say, though, it was hilarious. We were giggling about the absurdity of our surroundings and my attitude. I knew it was bad enough to warrant being made fun of even then. Ridiculous.

I don't know how they did it. That water was about 64°.

I was really making a concerted effort to find all the positives in the situation, so I made the decision then to respond to any questions about our beach day with, "I really enjoyed hanging out with our friends!" That's good, right?

Not really. My people are smart, they would keep pressing about it and before I knew it words like "Ugh...brown sand...gross water...junk all in the sand...never again" were falling out of my mouth. 

I mean free falling. 

Just. like. that. I sound like a snob.

But, you know- being me and all- I was not going down like that. 

"Never again" lasted all of six days. I kid you not, the very next weekend I suggested we go right back. Cause Surfside and I WILL, at the very least, be courteous to one another.  We don't have to have share recipes and have a secret hand shake, but we will be polite, daggumit. 

I've seen the Instagrams. I know there are nice places!

Off we went. This time, we took Maverick.

I mean. Really.

There was a bit more sunshine and not as much wind. Yay! That water was, of course, still freezing, so I didn't get in it. The Little Sister and the Pup took a little nap. That was cute.

Spouse even got a little ride or seven.
Of course, the better the wave was, the less prepared I was to catch the shot.

Someone made the comment "poor Maverick's first trip to the beach is here", but he didn't seem to mind it a bit.

For the record, it wasn't me. One of the girls, I can't remember. 

Seriously, though, he was loving it.

Really.

That right there is an adorable view.

Exhausted.

We weren't down there for too long, but it was a win. I got a little bit of sunshine and I didn't once want to cry. 

It may take a bit before Galveston and I are far enough along in our relationship for a weekend getaway, but I can say that I would meet up for lunch again sometime. :) 

I think I'll bring a rake next time. Evidently, the seaweed has gotten to the point it would make a good Alfred Hitchcock movie. 

Alright. Go on. Chastise me, if you need to. 

OR, go ahead and confess your snobby bone.