Reality Check: The Beach Version

So after the initial excitement of family beach week, one would hope that the week had had it's quotas of OMG moments. The next couple days of beach week passed by in a blur of SPF 30, which library book should I read?, carrying squirmy beach towel wrapped burrito babies back to the house, and rapid fire rounds of Pictionary around the table after dinner.

Then yesterday, we were lying on the beach when my uncle, looking up at the sky, said “Hey look at those weird clouds…they look more like smoke.” Sure enough, it turns out about 3,000 acres of land to the north of us, including a bunch of houses, 2 golf courses and some forest areas, ended up burning in 3 massive wildfires that burned from about noon until early this morning.

Standing on the walkway from our house to the beach we could see the flames licking up in the air behind all the high rise hotels up in Myrtle.
(We’re south, closer to Murrells Inlet)

My friend, who lives down here, was visiting for dinner and as we’re watching the news she’s all, "Hmm, that's near my house... weird." Sure enough she goes home after dinner and there’s a sign on her apartment door that says something along the lines of “well you don’t have to leave, but you probably should.” (Funny, I remember the same quote being said towards the end of most of the frat parties I attended in college.) The fires were about a 1/2 a mile in the woods behind her apartment, so about midnight last night she and her 5 lb Yorkie returned and bunked up with me. It was a rather sleepless night as the little pup was all :::Timmy down the well::: whine whine whine all night.

I woke up at 5 with her this morning so she could go back and check her apartment – fortunately it’s still there and I think the fires are finally out. No word on how they get started, and I'm sad for all the people who have lost homes or businesses in the blazes.

What a week. I’m about to go have my fourth cup of coffee and there’s a 3 yo hovering over my shoulder going “CAN I SEE THE PINK PHONE AGAIN???” and a the 2 yo is hollering from the other room “COME FIND ME MEGGY COME FIND ME.”

I should take vacations more often. They make me miss the relative calmness of the life I was just declaring INSANELY CHAOTIC a week ago. NTS: Children, head injuries and natural disasters most DEFINITELY trump balancing working, wife-ing, running, softball, blogging and wine drinking.

Dear Self, You Have It Easy. Love, Your Life.