Ack! I'm behind on my blogging - Aunt Jax's visit, part three

Ok, I've got to wrap this up because otherwise I'll completely miss blogging about Easter tomorrow and I'll be behind on blogging about my baby boy's last week of being a baby! He turns ONE in just a week.

So anyway, the bottom line is that the coast was a blast. It was exhausting but I am so happy that we decided to do it because we had an insane amount of fun. We spent the next few days hanging out close to home. We went to have hippie pizza in Washington, we drove out to get a look at Mt Hood (it wasn't cooperating but it was still fun), we went to my favorite thrift store, we grocery shopped, and we stayed up way too late. When it was time to take Jax back to the airport on Wednesday, we all felt like it had gone way too fast but I think we really made the most of the time we had to hang out. This visit was different for us - I got to show Jax my world - instead of the world I was thrust into, wandering around like a stranger in a strange land like the last time she came to visit.


Here's a few things I learned:

~ An umbrella stroller starts to sink in wet sand if you don't keep it moving.

~ When it rains at the coast, that really IS part of the charm!

~ Jacquie has gotten much better at trying new food over the years - she tried not only clam chowder but marionberry cobbler while she visited. And she liked my potato soup!

~ Sneaker waves really DO exist - when we waded out for our picture op, we only meant to get wet up to the ankles. Little did we know that our foray into the ocean was perfectly timed to get hit by a sneaker wave that left me wet to the knees and necessitated a change of pants for Jax.

~ My husband cannot be counted on to save me in the event of a tidal wave. When the aforementioned sneaker wave hit us, he screamed like a girl and ran away, abandoning my shoes in the process - and he was already 20 feet further up the beach to begin with!

~ Going to the Seaside Aquarium is an experience. When you purchase a "bag of seal food" for one dollar, you shouldn't feel surprised when they hand you a cardboard "boat" full of cut up fish pieces, complete with slime and googly eyes.

~ Seals splash when they are hungry. Just ask Skippy.

~ Seals also look really cute when they are behind a fence. Keep in mind that on the beach, they will eat your face off without a second thought.

~ The only time you EVER want to hear anyone (especially your own child) say that they have crabs is when they are at the touch tank at an aquarium. Any other time and you'd better get to a doctor, stat.

~ Jacquie and I can't drink like we used to. We didn't even try.

~ We also can't stay up late like we used to, although Lord knows we did try.

~ We are all getting old. How depressing.

~ The Chunk LOVES Burgerville chocolate shakes in his sippy cup. He gets VERY irritated when there is no more which may or may not require you to vacate the premises.

~ My dog pays no attention to the rules when we are away. The dog hair all over Skippy's recliner is a testament to her naughtiness.

~ Queen sized beds have apparently gotten smaller. Because I have absolutely no idea how Skippy and I slept on one before we got our King. The one and only possible solution is that we're all the victims of a cruel and vast conspiracy headed up by mattress companies.

~ Nothing will clear out a Subway faster than discreetly nursing your baby under a jacket. Ok, maybe that was purely coincidental but I felt like I had the plague. Seriously, it was embarassing even if it was all in my head.

~ Jax and I apparently wear the same bra size.

~ If you have an opportunity to visit a cheese factory and eat "squeaky cheese" then by all means, do it.

~ Not everyone is as infatuated with my thrift store as I am.

~ I have an irrational attachment to my minivan after a three hour road trip in it with tired sandy kids.

And last but not least:
~ There is a reason Jacquie is in my life. There is a reason she is in my kids' lives and that she and Skippy are still so close. I would not be the same person without her. We love you babe.