Scheduled Relaxation

The life of a Realtor is an interesting one.  It definitely offers a level of flexibility that many other jobs don't.  At the same time, you are also at the mercy of others to a degree.  For example, when someone you've been working with for a while contacts you letting you know they have a house (or houses) they want to see on a particular day, you do what you can to make that happen.

I've often been asked if I take off Saturday or Sunday and to a degree I do.  I don't schedule anything for Saturday evening so I can go to church with the rest of my family.  I also try not to do anything on Sunday, but sometimes I will have someone who is only available to see homes on Sundays because of their work or travel schedule.  So, I'm kind of on call (with a little notice to schedule seeing the houses).

So when I heard about a surf camp for kids at a nearby beach that's being offered on Sunday afternoons I jumped at it.  I figured it would be a great family trip but also just a way to force me to take a break from technology.  And with the exception of taking some pictures and videos of my kids surfing, it was just that.

Sunday the kids and I spent about 2 hours at the beach and we had a great time.  I admit it, the kids probably had more fun than I did.  After all, how can you not have fun learning how to surf (and doing it too)!

One of son's first attempts

One of daughter's last attempts for the day

Getting Used to Disappointment

"Get used to disappointment"... that's a line from one of my favorite movies.  Today I discovered an excellent way for me to get over disappointment.

You see, I have been in contact with someone since the end of September.  They were buying an existing business in the area and therefore wanted to find a house nearby.  I've been trying to reach them for a couple months figuring I was always catching them while they were at work and they were so busy they couldn't return my calls.  So, today I packed up the kids and we went to their new business.  It just so happens to be a gift shop / deli so the kids and I went there for a late lunch.

Much to my disappointment, I figured out the real reason they had not been in touch with me.  Apparently they just moved into their new house on Jan 1.  So what's a girl to do?  Suck it up.  Eat the food I'd ordered.  And take the kids to the beach.

OK, so I'd already planned to do the beach and checking in on my "client" on the same trip.  What I discovered though is that sitting on the beach, digging holes and tunnels in the sand with my kids, watching the sea gulls, and collecting shells makes all the cares and concerns about a "lost sale" float away with the tide. 

A New Day

A couple days ago, I complained about all the things that had been going wrong with the camper recently.  Well, thinks have brightened up significantly since then.  The camper is no longer giving us grief and the weather has cooperated in such a way that we've been able to enjoy the island.

When we sold our stuff in preparation for moving (to Australia or to the Southern US), Jon and I decided to sell our bikes.  We had used them maybe 2 or 3 times since we'd bought them and we didn't want to store them.  The last couple days we've regretted that decision a bit.  You see, Sanibel Island is a bike friendly location.  There are 27 miles of bike trails on the island and they take you all over.  So we decided to rent a couple bikes for us.  Although our daughter can ride a bike, her endurance and control are not as good as we'd like for the trips we want to make, so we also rented a pull-behind trailer for our her.  It has made the last couple days SO much more enjoyable.  Yesterday, we were able to go down to the beach and collect a few shells.  As we were about to leave we saw 2 dolphins swimming not too far off the beach.

Last night, I was able to ride alone for 30 minutes or so and it was just what I needed.  It had been so long since I'd gotten in any really good exercise and it felt GREAT!  Not only that, but it was nice to have some alone time (no fixed address means no babysitters, which means no dates or much alone time for Mommy).  My only complaint is that the seats on rental bikes are AWFUL!   My bum is a bit sore from yesterday, but that did not stop me from taking the kids down to the beach again this morning.  Gotta take advantage of being here while I can.

I can certainly see why people love living here.  I could get used to this.  I just wish I could afford it.

Beach Time!

My family (Karrie's) has always liked the beach.  I remember growing up as a child, sharing beach houses in North Carolina with family friends.  I remember taking one of my high school friends to the beach and having a BLAST in the surf!

Luckily, I ended up marrying someone who also loves being near the water.  I think it's safe to say we like different things about the beach, but at least we are both happy there.  I enjoy the sound of the ocean lapping on the sand and the peace that brings.  I like the sound of kids having fun.  I think it's safe to say the thing Jon enjoys the most is the warmth.  Don't get me wrong, he also enjoys the peace and quiet of the waves too, but he REALLY enjoys warm.

Three years ago, Jon and I went on an anniversary cruise and we both had an opportunity to use a Flow Rider.  I tried "surfing" once and ended up falling not-so-gracefully and decided belly boarding was more my style.  Jon on the other hand, really enjoyed trying to surf.  He even stayed up for a little while. 

As soon as we knew we were going to sty in Florida for a few weeks, we started getting the kids beach toys.  In fact, some of the kid's Christmas gifts were beach toys.  Today, was the first time they got to use them... today we went to Cocoa Beach. 

For those of you who have never been to Florida, the entire drive down 95 from the time you hit Florida, the billboards let you know that Cocoa Beach is the surfing capital of Florida.  Jon has wanted to surf for years, so we did a little research and found out that Cocoa Beach is actually a really good place to learn to surf.  So.... today we rented a surf board for the afternoon so Jon could try to surf. 

He had a great time!  He stood on his second try and he even had a few long runs.  While he was surfing the kids and I were playing in the sand and the surf.  Unfortunately, there were some jelly fish in the water and my daughter got stung pretty good (it left her with what looked like a blister for a couple hours), but it did not deter her from going in the water (she was hyper-vigilant about jelly fish though).

Guess what?  I went surfing too.  Guess what else?  I stood up and had a half-descent run too!  I think it's safe to say the whole family had a GREAT time at the beach today.

With all that fun, we were not without some injuries... my daughter had the jelly fish sting, Karrie ended up with a nasty sand burn (or was it a cut from a shell?), and Jon jammed his toe so badly we had to call it a day a bit earlier than we had hoped.

We are currently trying to decide where we want to live.  The debate is between Texas and Florida.  I am rooting for Florida.  My hope is that surfing will help lean Jon in the same direction.  Oh, and I think we both found something else we enjoy about the beach that we agree upon.  We are both totally stoked to do that again.