meganarratives: the beach be awesome

Last weekend I attended a conference in Corpus Christi. Dave and I decided that it would be easier for me to go by myself while he and my mom watched the kids. Packing two small children into a very small car and driving a few hours to spend three nights in a crowded hotel room seemed like a daunting task. At first, it sounded like bliss for a stay at home mom. A weekend by myself in a nice hotel room with no one to share my drink with, no one to share my food with, and no one to share the bathroom with. But, as I started to think about it I realized that also meant I would have no one to share any fun with. I knew it wasn't going to happen the weekend before when I couldn't fall asleep one night because I was crying into my pillow just thinking about it. I was positive they would forget me while I was gone. I have never spent a night away from my kids!

So Thursday morning, we loaded up the car and embarked on what was supposed to be a three hour journey. We soon learned that the major freeway to Corpus Christi was closed and we were sent on a detour that more than doubled the time we spent in the car! There were tears and promises of candy and the beach and there was even, at one point, vomit but we finally made it to the hotel!

We stopped at a gas station along the way that had this little tiny toilet that Kate did NOT want to pose next to.

We stayed in a fun hotel that was more like a teeny tiny apartment. There was a bedroom that was separate from our living area which was nice for putting Sam to bed on time. There was also a free hot breakfast every morning and drinks and snacks in the evening.

Please, no paparazzi during breakfast.

My favorite part of our accommodations was a Diet Coke fountain machine in the lobby that I could access at any time. Kate and Sam's favorite part was the pool.

I spent most of Friday in classes so Dave was on full time daddy duty for the day. What to do with two bored kids? Chuck E. Cheese of course!

Sleeping in the hotel room was definitely a challenge and we ended up playing musical beds every night. Our main objective was to keep Kate and Sam separated so they didn't wake each other up. Sam still woke up a few times every night. I think he just knew he was in an unfamiliar place. Dave and I took turns helping him get back to sleep while Kate took up an entire queen sized bed. Dave finally ended up on the uncomfortable sofa bed in the living room after his sleep talking woke Sam up the first night. It was crazy but we each managed to get at least a few hours of sleep a night.

On Saturday, I was done with meetings by lunchtime so we decided to make our way to the beach. Getting two kids ready for the beach is exhausting! By the time I got them in their swimsuits and sufficiently screened from the sun, about and hour had passed so we knew we had to hurry. First though, we drove through Whataburger for lunch and a big giant drink to share. As soon as we got to the parking lot, I put the drink on top of the car to help Kate out of her car seat. In hindsight, I realize that was a bad idea. At the time I knew it was a bad idea. As soon as I shut the car door, our drink rolled off the car and exploded onto the pavement.

I think it was at this point that I looked up and saw dark rain clouds. I should have just stopped right then. I should have just called it a day and put the kids back in the car and drove to the hotel pool and said it was just as good as the beach. But I was facing a motherhood dilemma. All weekend we had been talking about the beach to Katelyn. We had mentioned the beach no less than a thousand times. It was our light at the end of the tunnel during the ill fated car trip. It was the carrot we had used to ensure good behavior. We had promised and Kate had spent the morning saying things like, "The beach be awesome," and "The beach be the best ever."

So, to be true to my word, I looked at Dave and said, "Let's do this." We hurried along to the beach and found an unoccupied umbrella and threw our stuff down as I yelled like a madwoman for everybody to, quick, put our feet in the water.

The downpour started as soon as our feet hit the surf.

Kate was a good sport. She didn't cry or even complain but I just couldn't take it. I think I was more disappointed than she was. So the next morning, we tried hitting the beach again before we left to drive home.

It was perfect. We ventured over to the beach early that morning and got to enjoy our own private seaside because everyone else was still sleeping in. Kate loved the beach. To her, it was every bit as awesome as she said it would be.