Beach pics. Tacky Jack's. Toby the Turtle.

Well, this is our last day with these two sitters.  They will be heading home today.  Strangely, I kinda think my girls are ready to go home.  The condo is a little close quartered, so I guess they need to spread out.  (Not like the entire gulf coast isn't big enough!)

I have been getting to enjoy some pool time with my girlies.  Yes... I had them very strategically wrap around me and cover up ALLLLL of that fluff down there. 

We already miss our Mary Allison, but she is a big ol' 19 years old now, so she needed to go hang out with her peeps at LSU. 

I think my girls are going to miss her as well.

Toby the Turtle comes down to the poolside every day and interacts with the girls.  Ellie has now learned to do the Cupid Shuffle and knows what a conga line is.  These are critical life skills.

Gabbi met a little friend named, ironically, Maddi.  She looked forward to getting down to the pool every day to play with her!

Ellie, on the other hand, just laid out with the teenagers and drank virgin strawberry daiquiris.  Seriously! 

My favorite part of the day is typically the evening.  Well, I like first thing in the morning on the balcony too.  But late in the evening, when the sun is going down, I love to stroll along the coastline.  I like to find tiny shells to use in jewelry.  Strangely, I am only looking for the shells that have a tiny hole in them. 

Hey, Linda Lou and Paula, y'all reading?!  I am ready to make our annual beach jewelry!  Shells have been collected!!  Need a particular color?!

My face might melt off when it is reintroduced to make up!  When away from civilization, I don't really do make up.  Or hair.  Or get dressed.

I don't think I actually mentioned how I "found" Sarah.  Welllll, she waited on me at the crawfish restaurant the week before we came down to the beach.  She was a really sweet little girl, and of course, I checked her out with a few references who I knew would know her socially.  I looked at her Facebook page (see?!  Better be positive and watch what you post!!), and I found out she goes to church where my Poppa was associate pastor. Soooo, I called her and said, "Do you have a friend who might like to go to the beach with us as well?"  After all, crawfish season was coming to an end, so she felt like she could miss work.  I'd never met the helper sitter (Alex) until the day we drove off.  But believe me, I checked her out too! 

And therein lies the difference between Melanie and Todd.  Being a student of strengths, I know mine and Todd's well.  I am much more trusting.  I am quite sure God knew I needed someone with the strength of "deliberative" to balance me.  Deliberatives walk through life as if there are landmines.  They are always cautions and careful.  They are slow to make a decision.  They like to percolate ideas.  Ha.... not ol Mel!

I think Ellie Sue has been pleased with our babysitter choice. 

I found this quote while cruising Instagram, and LOVED it!

I love it.  I totally agree with the above.  JUST do it.  Make it happen.  In that study I am taking online, which I have mentioned several times, I have learned, "suspend the need to know HOW".  If it is important to you, it can be done.  Just believe me on this. 

Nothing profound about the above paint chip.  They are sort of the colors in my condo.  And that's about it.

 

And hey, Robin.  Do you still read my blog?!  Can I bring you some tees and you make them soft for me?!  I felt like I hit the motherload on pinterest with this pin!

We made our usual stop at Tacky Jack's.  The girls took their typical photo by the swordfish too.   Some things we just have to do every single trip.  And this counts as one of those.

Someone mentioned in the photo I posted of me and Todd on Facebook this week that "Todd isn't wearing his shades nor is he making a goofy face.".  True!!  I don't know why the boy won't act right

But I do look forward to his return later this week.  And the arrival of all of our buddies.  Thanks for reading.

MO