Beach Blessed

Living in a beach town is the coolest! Why wouldn't it be? The beach is right down the road, accessible 24/7/365! It's not everybody's cup of tea but for me, it's heaven on earth! I can blissfully sit and admire the waves for hours, watching for shells to wash up and splashing my feet in the water. Before my back injury, you'd find me way out in the water, bopping in the current and fearlessly taking on even the biggest of waves. I really believe that being in water is my natural habitat. Living here is truly a blessing!

I've had the heart of a mermaid ever since my first encounter with the sea. My dad had a Knights of Columbus convention in Virginia Beach and we made a mini -vacation out of it. We stayed in this beautiful old and historic hotel from the 1920's, The Cavalier. While Dad was in meetings, Mom took the three of us to the beach. It was May; too chilly for swimming, but we enjoyed romping along the water's edge. I was young, maybe five, but I remember standing there, watching the water rush in and out along my feet. If you've ever done this, you know it can make you dizzy. My head started spinning and I toppled over, just in time for a mega wave to smack me in the head. My poor mom was terrified and she rushed to pick me up. I went right back to the water unscathed, laughing the entire time! The funny thing was, I was more frightened by the swimming pool than of the ocean. The sound of the waves was so inviting that I never was afraid to dive through them and swim further out. 

Source: www.cavalierhotel.com

This time of year is almost magical here. As the temperature rises, so does the activity level. Suddenly, people emerge on their golf carts, flowers and trees burst into bloom and tourists return. Businesses closed for winter reopen and everything comes back to life overnight! Even though it's still cool, it's the perfect time for walking and sitting on the beach. I really enjoy seeing all of the dogs that play on the surf! I've always wanted a beach -loving dog. So far, Chloe likes to walk on the beach and splash around a little, very little. Fenway is terrified of the waves and will wiggle out of his harness and run for the car (once was enough for him)! The "babies" haven't had much exposure. I know that Shannon took Punkin one morning, but she just admired it from afar as it was cold. I don't know if Bella has ever seen the ocean. Jim always said it'd be a nightmare trying to get all the sand out of her hair. I'm sure he was right! Punkin is probably the biggest risk - taker of the bunch so maybe she'll like a return trip in warmer weather. 

Punkin's introduction to the beach

Chloe wave watching

Dunes blooming

Chloe enjoying a morning walk along the shore

It's a good thing we have rainy days, or I'd never get anything done inside our house! We've been doing a big reorganization of everything from holiday decorations to knick knacks and there's still a lot to accomplish. Maybe I'll share some of that soon!

Have a wonderful day and thank you so much for dropping by!

Hugs, Leena

Seas The Day!

Life is a crazy thing! It's totally unpredictable and defies definition. What is "a normal life" to one person, can mean something far and away different to another. It's like the old "E Ticket" rides at Disney; the most thrilling, daring ones, not meant for the faint of heart.  It's an incredible adventure highlighted with ups and downs, and even sideways and spins! Mine is no exception, especially since Jim's passing. What was once every day is now so foreign. What I've often referred to as "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", another Disney feature, is now running at an even more hectic pace. I never know if that door I'm running full speed towards is going to fly open at the last minute, or stay closed, impeding my progress and giving me one heck of a head ache! Life is wonderful, and it's also exhausting. 

This gives us all reason to recharge; to find our happy place and rejuvenate our bodies and souls. For me, that location has always been the beach, which is the main reason we moved here in December of 2015. Listening to the waves, taking in the salty aroma, admiring the ocean's beauty and taking time to slow down and participate in life are all very healing. 

Our weather has warmed back up, so recently my daughter, Shannon, and I dropped the kids off at school and took one of our dogs, Chloe, to the beach. 

We are so fortunate that the shore is less than five minutes from our house, with access points all along Ocean Blvd. My mobility is somewhat limited due to major spine issues, but I have a walker with big wheels made to traverse the sand. I'm still far away from the miles of beach and boardwalk walking I used to do, but it works. I positioned myself right at the water's edge while Shannon and Chloe went for a walk. 

It was quite foggy, lending a soft look to my photos - some almost look black and white! I was happily filming a little video for my Facebook page, when the waves came up beyond my feet! I moved back, they followed. I scooted back some more, and again they charged. What do you know? Low Tide! By the time Shannon got back, I was quite a distance from where I'd started, and so was the water!

What a beautiful morning it was, despite the fog! We collected several of the shells scattered along the sand, got our feet wet (the water was unexpectedly warm), drank our coffee and just took it all in. Big, relaxed, contented sighs.

It didn't release us from our troubles, but it cleared our heads and provided us with a reminder that there are many wonderful, precious parts of the circus we call life and we need to make a point to enjoy them. While it's tempting at times to curl up into a ball and hide, with a bit of effort, we can take ourselves to our happy, healthy and therapeutic place and not just exist, but relearn how to live!

I hope you're doing well. I hope that you have a place that nourishes your mind, heart, soul and body. Take yourself there. You deserve it!

Valentine's Day! We Made It Fun!

Hi and Happy Sunday! I'm so glad that you've stopped by!

As you may know, my darling husband, Jim, passed away July 5, 2017. Since then, I've been trying to figure out how to live this new life, with the assistance of my very helpful youngest daughter and two sweet grand children. One of the things that we decided to do was embrace the holidays! I normally don't decorate for much, other than Christmas and Halloween, but am finding that celebrating other special days in a similar fashion, gives us something to look forward to, something to do, and it's just plain fun!

We recently did a bit of shopping at Hobby Lobby, Dollar Tree and some thrift stores and I wanted to share some of what we bought........

I bought two of these sweet rose hearts. Guess who ate one? PUNKIN!

This is how we decorated with our finds - on our front porch.........

This is actually two pieces - a sign from Hobby Lobby hooked to a wreath from Dollar Tree

LOVE this tin banner from Hobby Lobby! 

Pink and White roses along with red hearts on sticks from Dollar Tree bring new life to empty flower pots!

 

Springy hanging hearts blowing in the wind

As a Beverage/Snack Bar in the kitchen..............

Yummy cookies in an old silver-plated, heart-shaped dish I found at the Salvation Army

Hot chocolate pods in a ceramic berry basket from Hobby Lobby

Dove chocolate hearts and love birds, along with peppermint sticks, occupy a pink filigree bucket from Target

Dollar Tree mailbox holds tea bags; dish towel from Target

Coffee pods are kept in white canisters that belonged to my mom

Mug from our honeymoon - how romantic can you get?

On Valentine's Day, Shannon and the kids gave me an adorable and cuddly sloth, a little vase of the sweetest baby roses and a big heart-shaped box of chocolates! I gave them gifts too.........

My great gifties!

Jar candle I made with glittery red and white pom poms and hand-written chalkboard tag; Jamison's pink elephant; Shannon's owl soap pump

Abigail's pink unicorn, candy and a sign I bought at a thrift store (there were a few other things I failed to get pics of)

As if that all wasn't enough, we had heart-shaped pizza for dinner, heart-shaped cake for dessert and chocolate-covered strawberries!

Heart Pizza!

Heart Cake and Chocolate Strawberries!

I think that we did the holiday justice! LOL! We had a good time and although I had some really difficult moments during the day, overall it was joyous and filled with love! I also like to think that all of the love and celebration goes up to Jim to enjoy too!

So that was our Valentine's Day! We had some red lights for the porch, but they burnt out. Thats ok. We plan to hang green ones now for St Patty's Day and Purple ones for Easter!

Thank you again for being here! Hope all is well with you and yours! Hugs!

Shannon aka Crazy Queen of Hearts LOL!