They call it 'Toobing'

Fun trips don't always end up...

as fun as you may have hoped.

Take, for example, our... challenging trip to the river a few weeks ago.  What should have been a nice, relaxing, gentle float downstream turned into a nightmare.

Of course, that's my view on it.  Me, who feels like the world is falling apart if a fly looks at her wrong (part of why I'm in therapy- breathing techniques WORK, people!).

Let's take a quick look at what happened:

We were bringing the girl, so we wanted to find a float for her.  Aunt T and I spent the preceding evening searching all around town for one, only to be informed that because in other parts of the country, fall is fast approaching, TEXAS store are no longer carrying swimming accessories.  I mean, really?  We find one on the way down to the river... air it up. and she would much rather just hang out in our tubes with us.  Great way to spend $20, if you ask me.

There's a rather quick chute at the beginning of this float.  We knew we wouldn't take the girl on it, but Unca Roo and Aunt T wanted to do it, of course.  Well, sometimes, this chute can drag you of your tube and under the water.  Unca Roo almost drowned early in our trip due to this.  Fun!

The only way to get past this chute was to get out just before it, and back in IMMEDATELY after.  So after climbing out... with 2 tubes, 2 coolers, and a baby in tow... we climb down back into the water. P went first, and took the girl into his lap, seeing as we were literally climbing in at the very bottom of the chute (where there was still rushing water!)  He, the girl, and a tube containing a cooler got sucked into the current and rushed away... The girl LOVED it.  She laughed and laughed as they swirled across the top of the waves.  P held on to her for dear life.  We lost our shoes.

Yeah. You read that right.  You see, we had all our shoes in a mesh bag that was tied to P's tube- and when that current hit him, it ripped that bag right off the rope.  3 pairs of shoes (Aunt T had water shoes on, smart girl!!) gone. Just like that.  And let me tell you, the sidewalk on the way to the bus when the float was done was HOT!

After the chute we were in for what we thought would be a great day... hanging out with good friends, relaxing, getting some fun in the sun.  What we forgot about was that there was yet another rough current ahead... that if you went one way, you were fine... but chancing the waterfall meant danger.

Ok, ok, *I* forgot that.  To be fair, however, I couldn't have gotten to easy mode if I had tried.  It was just too late.  I went over the falls... along with the attached cooler.  Consequently, I was flipped off my raft and swept downstream- I couldn't even get my footing, the current was that strong.  I was scared!  And, wouldn't you know it, there were  some kind (cough cough) teenagers at the base of the waterfall that held onto the tube for me- kept it right there, at the base of the falls.

Remember how I said I couldn't get my footing?  Yeah, I never really did.  Eventually the kids let the tube go- but not before opening the cooler and taking the beer, letting the girl's juice, wipes, and Aunt T's glasses float to goodness knows where.

That was a *really* expensive trip, don't you think?

Home.

You know what's awesome about being married? Always being able to come home.

I've had a week off from school, and that's meant lots of traveling. I need to get the hang of traveling and blogging at the same time, but when traveling alone with a toddler, my hands are kind of full, and we didn't have internet access on our beach trip.

We decided to take advantage of the last free weekend, and rented a beach house with some friends down in Rockport. Our first real, grown-up, vacation. It's a great feeling. Of course, this means along with the house, we have to either buy groceries to cook or go out to eat every day- and since it's a small town with not much, we opted for groceries. And let me tell you, we picked out some good stuff. There was a charcoal grill at the house, so we picked up a leg of lamb, some steaks, I roasted some chicken and potatoes... I also made some homemade orange rolls that our dear friend T said, “These taste evil. I think they have way too many calories for me to be eating this early in the day.” I smiled, because of course- what better time to cook (and eat) such scrumptiousness?

So we went grocery shopping Friday night, after we got here and got settled in a bit. Of course, our friends being who they are, I was not able to take a list (which I pretty much must have. Otherwise I am completely lost and sad!) which meant a few very important things were forgotten. So the following morning, I took a quick trip to the store. While in the store, P called wondering what to do about the biscuits in the oven. As the call was wrapping up, I said, “OK, I'll be home soon, love you!”

After that call, I was wondering why I said that. After all, we're not home. We are, in fact, roughly four hours from there, we don't have most of our traditional comforts, we aren't sleeping in our bed. What we do have here, though, is each other. Our daughter. Our love.

And it hit me- anywhere he is, I call home. Have you seen the movie “Where the Heart is?” A great quote from that movie states, “Home is where the heart is.” And I find it oh, so true. I am so blessed to have a home wherever I go. We could move anywhere (and we have!) and not know anyone... but he and our girl will always be there. That's what makes anyplace home. And I am so, so happy to have that.

“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”

Maya Angelou