Under da Sea !!

I'm a pretty adventurous person. Just ask anyone who's known me a while and who's gone on any "Lontz Family Outing" with us. (Several people just snickered at their memories of LFOs with us!) When it comes to food, unless it's Thai-hot, I'll try most anything once. When we're traveling~~ bring it on! I love to see new places and do new things. Go rappelling? No problem. Bobsled run? Done it! The same is true at the beach. Over the years, I've had the privilege of trying some activities in the "strange" and "slightly scary" categories of fun. From para-sailing to sting ray hunting (the big ones!), I've been up for it.
.......As long as it didn't take me far from shore.

Yep, even adventurers have their quirks. Mine is a huge fear of being underwater with a breathing apparatus. This is unfortunate b/c the two things Travis has been longing to do with me are scuba and snorkeling. Shudder! The idea of being out in open water, depending on a device to provide breathable air was enough to strike terror in my heart and send me to the fetal position sucking my thumb.

So Travis has been chipping away at my defenses for 18 years or so. But this year, he decided to change tactics and go for more of a compromise to win me over. He chose my favorite spot (Siesta Key) and asked if I would join the family snorkeling at Point-of-Rocks which is unique in many ways. First, you can swim to it from the beach, so no deep water! This also made it crazy cheap, at something like $9 a person. So I mustered up the courage to say yes for the first time.

That's where my courage ended. On the drive out to the equipment rental place today, I started to have raised heart rate, butterfly tummy, and moderate breathing problems. I'm so glad Travis had me persevere. And it's also no surprise to find the word "severe" in "persevere"! I made it through the fitting, the beach lesson by Travis and then we started to swim out to the rocks. Both kids took to it like Merpeople. They were floating, diving, and wishing the fins would be permanently attached. Me? I hyperventilated and had to back float to refocus. It's akin to having a 5 year old pass you the first time you're on a black diamond ski-slope as you're quaking in your boots. I think I used every calming skill I possessed to put that mask back on and try yet again.

But I'm so glad I did! Once I finally got the hang of breathing through my mouth without panicking, the sight that awaited me would lure anyone to conquer their fear! There were entire schools of fish, crabs, and all kinds of intoxicating colors in the plant life. And in order to see better, you had to dive to the bottom. Within 5 minutes of looking, I was diving and LOVING it!! I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I did get a taste of it and want more...someday. I lasted about an hour and then entertained myself at the beach while the other 3 continued to explore. So all in all, it was a good experience. Travis is still saying we'll scuba together one day. Bless his heart. (that's southern-speak for "ain't happenin') But I would like to try snorkeling again. Maybe we'll go to a deep water reef next year.

(Pictured, Point-of-Rocks, Siesta Key, FL)

Florida.....balm for the soul

In the midst of a very stressful time in our lives~ Travis' last semester in school and the complete uncertainty of our future, we were incredibly blessed to spend 10 days in Florida "helping" my favorite cousin. I put helping in quotation marks b/c we're dog and house sitting at the beach! Twist our arms! So we've been hanging out in St. Pete beach and Siesta Key. I was most blessed to take my kids to the Key. It was where my parents and my cousin's family spent several vacations growing up. As you can see from the photo, it's like a paradise! And I wanted to share those memories w/my hubby and kids. I was most blessed when my oldest declared our visit to be the best day ever! :)

It's funny, I was reading a blog post from a friend up north who was in FL at the same time we were. She whined about the humidity and complained about the off season crowds. I was just about to think of her as a wimp, but then I remembered 3 years ago when I had my first dose of real AL humidity. Maybe she's not a wimp; maybe I'm just acclimated! Reason #74 that I'm glad I moved to AL: We've adjusted such that oppressive humidity and can enjoy summer anywhere in the South!! It certainly broadened our options and made is so we've enjoyed being outdoors here in FL 6-7 hours a day. And we've certainly enjoyed our time in AL this summer. It's been 1000% better than the last two summers, hands down!! A very soothing and loving way to end an all so important chapter in our lives.

Lastly for this post, I'm thankful for technology. Travis was able to skype his classes and come with us! Yay! And he can do homework and regular work on line with his laptop. It's amazing what can be accomplished remotely in this day and age. It's also helpful that I have a responsible hubby who can be trusted to finish well even though he's away. And to answer everyone's question of the month, "What's next??" Well, I thank you for your concern and care for asking, but unfortunately, our answer is still, "We don't know." I hope to have good news soon.