So I’m sitting here typing this on Sunday night. And tomorrow is the first day of school. I’ve got school supplies stacked up, a new backpack packed, and Caroline’s choice of outfit laid out on the bed. But nothing can really prepare me for the fact that my baby is going to be a fourth grader. I mean, I remember being a fourth grader. I vividly recall getting in trouble for repeatedly singing the Diet Pepsi jingle over and over again with my best friend, Jill, until our teacher suggested that maybe we should sing it in front of the entire class.
She thought we’d be mortified. However, we saw it as an opportunity to entertain the fourth grade masses. I think that teacher retired the following year.
Anyway, fourth grade it is. A whole other side of the elementary school. The big kid side.
But before I lapse into total schmaltz and a few choruses of “Cat’s In the Cradle”, I need to wrap up the summer with a recap of our last week or so.
A week ago this past Friday, I headed down to Port Aransas with five of my friends. We call ourselves Birthday Club. Last summer we spent a weekend at the beach together because my friend, Julie, and I were turning forty. And this year Gulley and our friend, Hillary, turned forty so we felt like this was a good reason to have another girls’ beach weekend.
The good news is Steph will be forty next year. Then our friend, Amy, will be forty the following year. So we have excuses for beach weekends every summer for the foreseeable future. But really the only excuse we need is that we are all mamas that work hard all year round and sometimes a girl just needs to blow off some steam and eat Fritos and bean dip on the beach and rest in the comfort of spending two whole days by the ocean without having to build one, single sandcastle.
We caravanned to the beach and arrived mid-afternoon on Friday. After a quick lunch of fried shrimp baskets (because nothing like some fried shrimp before you put on a swimsuit) we headed to our condo to unpack the cars so we could spend the rest of the day on the beach.
Good thing we packed light.
And I have to confess these photos only represent about half the stuff we brought. Antoine de St Exupery said, “He who would travel happily must travel light,” but apparently someone forgot to tell us.
We also believe there is no such thing as too many chips. (I believe Gandhi said that.)
Particularly Fritos or Julios.
(Since I know someone will ask. Julios are the most delicious tortilla chips ever made with some kind of special seasoned salt on them. I’m pretty sure you can only get them in Texas. You have my condolences.)
There was one culinary low point when Amy was eating one of the frozen empanadas that Julie bought at Costco and said, “This is delicious. Is it seafood?” And Julie replied, “No. It’s black bean and chicken.” Is there really anything more concerning than something tasting like seafood when it’s not actually seafood?
So we spent the next forty-eight hours sitting on the beach. We ate too much and laughed too loud and might have even danced to Call Me Maybe like we were fifteen years old instead of forty. It was blissful. And ended all too soon.
But my time at the beach was just beginning because P and Caroline met me on Sunday so we could spend the next few days there as a family. I packed up my stuff, which was significantly less without all the Fritos, and met them at another condo.
Naturally, Caroline wanted to get to the beach right away. I put my suit back on and spent the next few hours digging an enormous hole in the sand while she alternated between supervising (barking orders) and filling it with water so she could make a home for her fish.
And then she headed out to play in the waves with P, ordering me to make sure her fish had plenty of water because she clearly doesn’t have a good understanding of sand and the way water tends to just get absorbed and how her mother would rather read InStyle than make repeated trips to the ocean with a plastic bucket.
Over the next few days I dug more holes in the sand and we built sandcastles and she and P fished out in the surf while I tried not to think about sharks.
She also discovered the fun of digging for sand dollars.
It was the perfect way to end the summer.
We came home tired and a little sunburned and with sand on every single item we brought with us. And I spent the next couple of days shaking out suitcases and washing swimsuits and thinking about dunking my entire face in a vat of Retin A to get rid of all the sun spots I’ve acquired this summer.
But there was still more fun to be had.
P and Caroline ended up driving back down to the coast to fish with one of his friends on Thursday and Friday. Which meant I had time to get a pedicure and watch forty-two episodes of Parenthood on Netflix.
Meanwhile, Caroline got her first black drum.
And ate her first meal at The Boiling Pot.
It was a win for us all.
They got home late Friday night and Caroline was so tired I had to carry her into the house. But she mustered up enough energy to go with P to the Hunters’ Extravaganza on Saturday afternoon. Where she rode a mechanical bull for twenty-seven seconds.
And had her picture taken with a large sasquatch holding beef jerky.
It’s really everything I ever imagined for my daughter. Back when I was in fourth grade and watched Urban Cowboy too many times and thought mechanical bull-riding was an actual occupation.
And spent my spare time memorizing lyrics from Diet Pepsi commercials.
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I love the picture of Caroline and P at The Boiling Pot. Such sweet summer memories.
And also? That was a lot of chips.
First of all, y’all threw down a Tortilla Chip gauntlet that MUST be answered, so for the good of mankind and peace on earth I present:
http://tinyurl.com/juliostchips
And yes, I have placed my order for several bags based on your heads-up!
‘…there is no such things as too many chips’
- Big Mamma.
I cannot believe she is in the 4th grade now, since I still vividly remember when she went to Kindergarten. 4th was a big one around here as it was the year that certain changes, ahem, happened throughout that school year. To all of the girls, including my Kati.
4th grade? Seriously?
I was totally unprepared for that. So please, be warned.
Sigh.
Now, I am off to continuously “Time Passages” and a little “Sunrise, Sunset”. thankyouverymuch
Happy Back to School! tomorrow….
Awesome photos!She is so cute!
And that sounds like a wonderful time!
http://www.devilinspired.co.uk/23-steampunk-dresses
Great way to end the summer.
I can sympathize with your packing habits. I tend to compulsively overpack…I just can’t help myself. Looks like P and Caroline made some really special memories together!
That was THE BEST way to end summer!
And the chips picture. . .oh my, that cracked me up !
Happy First day of school!
What a great way to end the summer! Love those photos of C and P fishing.
I also remember my 4th grade year….. interest in boys, girlfriend drama, pimples…… 4th grade is only the beginning. But it was also the year I met my best friend and here it is, over 40 years later and we are still best friends. C will have an awesome 4th grade year.
Sounds like you had the most wonderful last week or so!! Lots of momma time, lots of family time…perfect!
Hope Caroline enjoys her first day back to school! (And you too!)
What’s the secret to digging up sand dollars? I’ve never found one!
What an awesome way to say goodbye to summer and usher in a new school year. Fourth grade is one of the best years.
Sounds like a perfect end to the summer. The beach looks spectacular.
We have a similar club with my cosigns, but we head to Chicago for a week-ned when we each turn 50. Bigger number…but also great fun.
Sounds like a great trip with your friends! We all need those once in a while.
Caroline is very blessed to have a daddy who takes her on trips and spends time with her!
Good luck with 4th grade this year!
This has nothing to do with your post today but I just wanted to give a big thank you for suggesting the book Unglued. I am 25, getting married, stressful job, and family drama all rolled into all of that, and this book was exactly what I needed to help me destress and not take out my work anger or family anger on my wonderful, always supporting fiance! So, THANK YOU!
This made me pine for the beach. I’ve helped dig many a sand pit, but refrained from the Sisyphean task of filling it with water, preferring to let the young’uns find out the hard way that sand is not a reliable vessel. It’s fun to watch them try to keep water in it though! In fact it’s fun to watch kids do ANYthing at the beach. Carefree living and, as you proved, great photo op!
Kudos to you and P for making sure that Caroline is often protected from the sun with the long sleeved sun shirts and hats! Knowing that my husband got the damaging sunburns in his childhood that later took his life due to melanoma, I notice when people protect their children from future harm. I wish everyone was that conscious of the dangers.
I will spend the rest of my day trying to remember the Pepsi jingle, and am sure when I do, I’ll be wishing I hadn’t tried. But I DO wish I could taste the Julios!
You are hilarious. But those chips? They made me crack-up. I am a fan of chips, but I think I eat that many in a year, not a weekend. lol. One day I need to come to Texas and eat your chips. We don’t have those in NY.
~FringeGirl
I love the daddy-daughter relationship between P and Caroline…my girl has a fabulous dad who invests lots of time and love in her life too, and I know they will both be strong, confident women who know how a man is supposed to treat them because of it.
And also, I’m now desperate to go to the beach.
I saw that Bud Light Lime-a-Rita!!
I run a liquor store so I know allll about that!
you can get julio’s in louisiana! they’re my fav!!
We start school the day after labor day. It makes me cry. My baby is in 5th grade this year. :/
My second oldest just had a baby and my oldest just announced they are expecting. So exciting. But–YIKES! When did this happen??? I still feel 29.
sounds perfect
We love the Boiling Pot! What a great place to eat!! Also, love the necessity of chips and a good dip at any function women attend. I have been a chip and dip fan since my first sleep over 30 years ago. Is anything better than a good tortilla chip?! Well actually, the twisted barbecue fritos are close! Glad you enjoyed time with friends!!!! Hope you enjoy getting back into the routine of school.
Sounds like a fun way to wrap up the summer! Hope she has a great year in the 4th grade. Fourth was SUCH a memorable year…it was the only year I was truly a little bit of a troublemaker.
Poor Mrs. Burke. One of my fondest memories was being sent outside to untangle the intricate mass of knots we’d created with our shoelaces. I distinctly remember working very hard to make sure that massive knot binding our shoes together would NEVER come untied again!
Oh, and I do hope there was plenty of dip to go with all those chips! That would have been tragic to have all those Frito scoops with nothin’ to scoop!
Girrrrrrrrrrl, I love some Julio’s but they are CHOCK FULL of MSG!!! Why must they do that to us?!
This post is a riot! Thanks for the laughs!!!!!!