So how was the trip to the beach? It was great! I'm quite glad that I went.
The trip up was uneventful, without even a stop by the Border Patrol checkpoints. I guess three white people in a beat up truck don't arouse much suspicion. In any event, we made our reserved motel in good time, having to give them 1/2 an hour to get it ready before we could actually occupy it.
I was the one put in charge of finding the motel because I had that terrible experience with the aptly nicknamed "Roach Hotel" during the trip C and I took to the Ren Fair just before the wedding. Their reasoning was that, having had such a bad experience, I would be more likely to do research and make sure that I wouldn't have that kind of an experience again. Well, they were right! We stayed at a Quality Inn just off of one of the major interstates, and even the outside looked presentable. When we got up to the room, we were astounded at the level of luxury that less than a hundred dollars had gotten us. The beds were so comfortable, and so were the pillows! We ended up lazing around on the beds for a couple of hours after bringing up our things, but we finally roused ourselves enough to put on bathing suits and gather our beach supplies.
Although we started late, and many shops were closed (it took FOREVER to find parking!), we walked up and down one of the streets by the beach that is brimming with quaint little shops and tourist traps. M had allotted each of us a "budget" for souvenirs, and he proceeded to spend money on all of us, himself included. As I said, I'm shallow and I love free stuff, soooo... I was all over that. (Lest you think I'm a gold-digger, I assure you that the good ol' guilt factor was still well in place, and I was hesitant to accept his gifts, but it was clear that he wanted to, so... I let him.) One thing that was purchased for me was a dress that I tried on in a whim in one of the cute clothing stores. We were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over some fancy party dresses, and there was a particularly stunning lacy number with a keyhole back that I just had to try on, just to see what it looked like. As I was pulling it from the rack, M wandered over with a strappy black maxi dress and I took that in with me, too. I tried on the black one first and walked out to stares and intakes of breath. Though it was expensive, I thought about it that night and went back for it the next day, changing into it then and there and wearing it the entire rest of the day and the trip home. It's very comfortable! Though it is a maxi dress with lots of material, the top is quite strappy and a bit daring, showing some cleavage and having no back to speak of. Needless to say, C likes it. On our way home from dropping M off, he asked me, "So... is this going to be your new 'sexy black dress'?" I just laughed. (Wearing something "sexy" like that in public is a big step for me... I'm not used to owning my attractiveness like that. It used to terrify me, and it's still scary, but it's something that I want to do for myself. This was a good step in that direction.)
After shopping for several hours and stopping to eat, we wandered down to the beach. I separated from the others after a few minutes, because I knew that I was there to grieve D. That was the big reason that I went on the trip to the beach, and I'm glad that I did, because it was cathartic and peaceful at the same time. I had my time, I reflected, I cried, and I accepted just a little bit more. Then I went back up to my towel and did some deep breathing while watching the waves. I can still see the dusky sky and the rolling, crashing water when I close my eyes. I hope I carry those moments with me for a long time.
We had thought about dressing up fancy and going out to some sushi place or something, but by the time we piled into the truck for the ride back to the motel I was too exhausted. I didn't want to be a damper on anyone else's plans, but it turned out that the others were tired too, and content to just hang out in the room, which we did. I fell asleep really quickly, which was a blessing. I was worried that I'd have more of those sleep problems I've been having lately. I did wake up at 5, wide awake, but managed to fall asleep again around six until M's alarm went off at 8:30.
After breakfast and getting our things all together, we checked out and hit up the shops again to visit an antique store we saw the day before that had been closed. We really wanted to go in, and I think we were all glad that we did, as all of us walked away with some treasure. The prices were really good! I bought a silver and opal necklace that reminds me of the ocean. I wasn't going to get anything, but we ended up going back because M forgot his hat in the store, and when we walked back in I knew that it was my last chance and I took it.
We walked the pier and had lunch in a little restaurant at the end, above the water. It was neat to look out the wind and see the waves rolling by beneath you. I hadn't realized we would be in the sun that much, and I didn't even think about it being midday sun, so I didn't wear sunscreen the second day and got a little crisped on the shoulders. After eating lunch, we walked back to the truck and headed home, making record time. Unfortunately, M's truck broke (brakes failed) just as she pulled off of a major street toward my house, but it was close enough that she was able to use the emergency brake to get us to my house. The two M's ended up hanging out for a few more hours than they thought they would, but it was all good. Even when I'm tired and have a headache and am annoyed with the world, those two fall into the least annoying category, much as C does.
Again, I'm glad I went, and I'm looking forward to the next beach trip. Fibro didn't even play much of a part on the trip, as I was afraid it would. I almost felt like a normal person walking the beach! You know, except for the walker and frequent need to eat/take meds...
The trip up was uneventful, without even a stop by the Border Patrol checkpoints. I guess three white people in a beat up truck don't arouse much suspicion. In any event, we made our reserved motel in good time, having to give them 1/2 an hour to get it ready before we could actually occupy it.
I was the one put in charge of finding the motel because I had that terrible experience with the aptly nicknamed "Roach Hotel" during the trip C and I took to the Ren Fair just before the wedding. Their reasoning was that, having had such a bad experience, I would be more likely to do research and make sure that I wouldn't have that kind of an experience again. Well, they were right! We stayed at a Quality Inn just off of one of the major interstates, and even the outside looked presentable. When we got up to the room, we were astounded at the level of luxury that less than a hundred dollars had gotten us. The beds were so comfortable, and so were the pillows! We ended up lazing around on the beds for a couple of hours after bringing up our things, but we finally roused ourselves enough to put on bathing suits and gather our beach supplies.
Although we started late, and many shops were closed (it took FOREVER to find parking!), we walked up and down one of the streets by the beach that is brimming with quaint little shops and tourist traps. M had allotted each of us a "budget" for souvenirs, and he proceeded to spend money on all of us, himself included. As I said, I'm shallow and I love free stuff, soooo... I was all over that. (Lest you think I'm a gold-digger, I assure you that the good ol' guilt factor was still well in place, and I was hesitant to accept his gifts, but it was clear that he wanted to, so... I let him.) One thing that was purchased for me was a dress that I tried on in a whim in one of the cute clothing stores. We were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over some fancy party dresses, and there was a particularly stunning lacy number with a keyhole back that I just had to try on, just to see what it looked like. As I was pulling it from the rack, M wandered over with a strappy black maxi dress and I took that in with me, too. I tried on the black one first and walked out to stares and intakes of breath. Though it was expensive, I thought about it that night and went back for it the next day, changing into it then and there and wearing it the entire rest of the day and the trip home. It's very comfortable! Though it is a maxi dress with lots of material, the top is quite strappy and a bit daring, showing some cleavage and having no back to speak of. Needless to say, C likes it. On our way home from dropping M off, he asked me, "So... is this going to be your new 'sexy black dress'?" I just laughed. (Wearing something "sexy" like that in public is a big step for me... I'm not used to owning my attractiveness like that. It used to terrify me, and it's still scary, but it's something that I want to do for myself. This was a good step in that direction.)
After shopping for several hours and stopping to eat, we wandered down to the beach. I separated from the others after a few minutes, because I knew that I was there to grieve D. That was the big reason that I went on the trip to the beach, and I'm glad that I did, because it was cathartic and peaceful at the same time. I had my time, I reflected, I cried, and I accepted just a little bit more. Then I went back up to my towel and did some deep breathing while watching the waves. I can still see the dusky sky and the rolling, crashing water when I close my eyes. I hope I carry those moments with me for a long time.
We had thought about dressing up fancy and going out to some sushi place or something, but by the time we piled into the truck for the ride back to the motel I was too exhausted. I didn't want to be a damper on anyone else's plans, but it turned out that the others were tired too, and content to just hang out in the room, which we did. I fell asleep really quickly, which was a blessing. I was worried that I'd have more of those sleep problems I've been having lately. I did wake up at 5, wide awake, but managed to fall asleep again around six until M's alarm went off at 8:30.
After breakfast and getting our things all together, we checked out and hit up the shops again to visit an antique store we saw the day before that had been closed. We really wanted to go in, and I think we were all glad that we did, as all of us walked away with some treasure. The prices were really good! I bought a silver and opal necklace that reminds me of the ocean. I wasn't going to get anything, but we ended up going back because M forgot his hat in the store, and when we walked back in I knew that it was my last chance and I took it.
We walked the pier and had lunch in a little restaurant at the end, above the water. It was neat to look out the wind and see the waves rolling by beneath you. I hadn't realized we would be in the sun that much, and I didn't even think about it being midday sun, so I didn't wear sunscreen the second day and got a little crisped on the shoulders. After eating lunch, we walked back to the truck and headed home, making record time. Unfortunately, M's truck broke (brakes failed) just as she pulled off of a major street toward my house, but it was close enough that she was able to use the emergency brake to get us to my house. The two M's ended up hanging out for a few more hours than they thought they would, but it was all good. Even when I'm tired and have a headache and am annoyed with the world, those two fall into the least annoying category, much as C does.
Again, I'm glad I went, and I'm looking forward to the next beach trip. Fibro didn't even play much of a part on the trip, as I was afraid it would. I almost felt like a normal person walking the beach! You know, except for the walker and frequent need to eat/take meds...
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