I am officially a rolly polly! At somewhere between 20 and 21 weeks pregnant (because honestly every book, dr. appointment and calendar has a different count) I am no longer able to lay down on a surf board and paddle.

I have to admit, I thought I would have been able to squeeze a few more weeks of traditional surfing into my pregnancy but this little munchkin has decided to compete for the largest newborn record. Papa keeps telling our little boy not to grow too big because he will have a hard time winning world titles as an ogre, but it seems our boy is stubborn like mama and insists on growing at record speeds.

Although thrilled that our little man is so healthy and strong, it leaves me having to get pretty creative if I want to continue surfing! My latest attempt in the water was an afternoon of knee paddling.

For you non-surfers out there, knee paddling is exactly what it sounds like. Rather than laying on your belly and paddling for waves, you sit on your knees, bend and scoop the water with both hands. I’ve knee paddled a little bit before my pregnancy but only while paddling out to the line up or back in from a surf session, never when actually trying to get a wave and never for more than about 5 minutes.

Wow- knee paddling is tough! My knees, ankles, tops of my feet, hips, back…ah it is all so sore but so worth the time in the water. It felt so liberating to cut through the glassy, warm water and join friends out in the lineup. I feel so inspired to get back out there and perfect this new technique, I even have my eye on a soft top Costco board that might cut down on the soreness factor!

I may not get out as often as I used to, I may not stay out as long as before, I might not even catch a wave, but the time spent laughing, working my body and sitting quietly in between waves is enough to keep me coming back for more — rolly polly belly and all!

This blog began in hopes of being able to share my love and passion for living by the beach and raising a family by the sea. The entries here are a testament to the marvels that we find at the shore, the power of the beach to enliven, clarify, teach, and renew. When I came across this beautiful poem by Joe Fazio, I knew that I had to share it in this space. Fazio so eloquently puts into words the magic that being near the sea can create and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

The Power of the Beach

As we walked along the beach, crashing waves

thundered in our ears and a light, salted mist,

dampened our lips.

The sun began to set and the voice of the beach, traveled across the ocean waves.

‘I am the beach, and here you shall find peace.

I am the beach, here you shall find love.’

In this domain, my beach, the answers you

search for, could very well be found here.

For at this beach, there is much,

that has been revealed.

The sparkled, white grains of sand, that blanket

this beach, has been a bed of comfort, to many.

Pause, as you come upon this beach, and listen

to the symphony of waves and the chorus of

birds, singing their song, as they glide in the wind.

Feel the power of this beach, as it seems to renew

your inner being. You need not question the beach

and its mystical powers. For as millions before you

have found, the beach…and its magical transference

to one…have existed, since the beginning of time.

Be not troubled, for the beach is close at hand.

You need only to deliver your strife,

to the tranquility of the beach and it shall

be exercised from you.

When you go from this beach… leave with the peace

that you have found here.

-Joe Fazio (brief renderings)

This Moment- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

According to this old wives tale, a simple gold chain with a medallion can tell you whether you are expecting a boy or girl. In theory, if you hold the gold chain over the expectant mother’s palm and the medallion moves in a circular motion, the baby will be a boy and if the medallion moves back and forth in a line, the baby is a boy!

This mama will gladly accept your jewelry donations if you’d like me to put this one to the test!

You knew I couldn’t resist putting last weeks Old Wives Tale to the test didn’t you? In my defense, I didn’t go out and buy Drain’o, the opportunity kind of presented itself while hanging out at my in- laws house (and no I didn’t go rummaging under their sinks!)

As the title of this post suggests, the Drain’o experiment was sadly a bust. I’ll try to limit the details so that you don’t think I’m a sick freak and never visit this site again.

The experiment went a little something like this:

1) Cut the top of a plastic water bottle off to use as my specimen collector

2) Did the deed (umm #1 for clarification purposes) into said plastic water bottle

3) Added the recommended 1 Tablespoon of drain’o to my pee sample

4) Gave a little swirl and waited with much anticipation for something ANYTHING to happen…

…and it never did.

Sadly, the only reaction this experiment yielded was some foamy pee that resembled the head of a beer and some nasty drain’o fumes.

This poem reminds me so much of our special little beachside bench that we’ve spent so many afternoons gazing out at the sea, people watching and just being together. It’s places like this that keep us grounded and connected to one another. It seems that no matter what is going on in our lives, what changes we are anticipating, what we’re working through or celebrating, there is always this bench to come to and just “be”. How lucky we are to have a secret little spot not so hidden amongst the chaos of a busy beach town!

Beach Chairs

Sitting on the beach chairs

watching the setting sun

holding hands and reminiscing

how it all begun

Sitting on the beach chairs

watching the ships out on the sea

holding hands and smiling

together we’re meant to be

Sitting on the beach chairs

watching people walking past

holding hands and knowing

that our love will always last

Sitting on the beach chairs

watching the waves along the shore

holding hands we realize

our love is stronger than before

Sitting on the beach chairs

watching the changing tide

holding hands with happiness

to be by each others side

-Joyce Ebrecht

This Moment- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

According to this old wives tale, urinating into a glass jar and adding a tablespoon of Drain-o can tell you whether you are expecting a boy or a girl. If the mixture turns green you are expecting a girl and if the mixture turns blue you are expecting a boy!

Hubs and I discussed this one in length and feel like there might be something to this old tale. From a chemical standpoint, when carrying a boy versus a girl the hormones in your body vary slightly. Perhaps, these hormones when mixed with Drain-o would produce different colors? I think this might be one of those myths for the guys over at MythBusters to put to the test or maybe if I get really curious…

Nothing starts a Saturday off right better than hubby’s incredible french toast and breakfast on the lanai. As he works the grill, I slice up the fresh fruit and mingle with family as everyone slowly rises and makes their way towards the smell of cinnamon and sizzling egg.

A mixture of local mango, apple banana, strawberries and blueberries top off our perfectly browned french toast which we drown in pure maple syrup. This is the way Saturdays are supposed to start!

As we feast, the days plans begin to unfold. A kayak and picnic? Hike? Surf? No matter what, the day is guaranteed to be full of sunshine and loads of relaxation. This is the stuff Saturdays are made of and made even sweeter with a special meal shared with special people.

This particular Saturday was made even sweeter by a visit from my mama. She flew all the way out from California to join us for our latest ultrasound and to hear her grand babies heartbeat. Although she guessed the baby was a girl, she was still delighted to be a part of such a fun experience as we watched our little grom play peek-a-boo with the ultrasound technician and demonstrate his adorable thumb sucking skills.

After breakfast we laid coma-like around the pool and let our bellies settle. Today was truly a day to relax and spend time together. After resting up we packed lunch and headed out in the kayak for a picnic — my mama’s first EVER experience on a kayak and she did incredible even with a strong headwind and choppy conditions. We stayed close to the shore and cruised towards a secluded little section of beach.

Once we had landed our kayak we scoured the beach for treasures and scored with some interesting shells and sea glass–another first for my beach deprived mama! It was so fun for me to be able to share such a huge part of my life with the woman who spent so much of her life teaching and sharing the world with me. Funny how the tables turn, it seems as our parents get older we become more of the teacher, the encourager to try this, go here, read this…

Once we were sufficiently beached out we made our way back to the house and relaxed a bit more in the warm deep blue pool. Mama sipped on a rum and coke as I evil-eyed her and downed yet another glass of water. I’ve got to get some fancy mocktail recipes so I can join in on the poolside cocktail fun!

It was a simple sweet day full of favorites and memories just the way a weekend in Hawaii should start off. Here’s to hoping you enjoy the rest of this downtime with the ones you love, sharing the things you enjoy most!

Aloha!

You know what that means…we’re having a BOY!