Friday, September 12, 2008

Have I mentioned I love the beach?

Yeh, probably a few times. :)

Well, I live in Florida now, but I haven't been enjoying the fact that I live by the ocean! In fact the last time I went to the beach was over a month ago...when I took my mom and her husband the first weekend I moved here. Since then I've been to Md and Va and the hurricanes came here...so I just haven't made it back. But finally today I decided to stop at the beach on my way home from work.

I didn't have a swimsuit so I just set out on a barefoot stroll down the beach. I was enjoying my caramel frapaccino (shoutout to Starbucks), the soft sand between my toes, and the foamy water that occasionally leapt up to my knees. I smiled at little boys trying to emulate their fathers as they attempted to catch more than a wave with their fishing poles. I shook my head as a few runners passed by thinking..."I really should be doing that". And I watched the surfers wishing I was fearless enough to try something that looks so freeing. Basically, I was just enjoying a relaxing afternoon marveling at God's creation and the people enjoying it.

Sidenote: I have a lamp that is glass that was bought 5 years ago with lofty intentions to do something crafty; however, the extent of my creativeness thus far has been the ribbon tied around the shade. I've thought about putting flower petals or potpourri in it before, but I guess I've never been too inspired. Anyway, I recently decided that I should fill it with seashells. Back to current story...

As I meandered farther down the beach I began to head up towards the dunes to do some "shelling". Armed with my (now empty) Starbucks cup, I was planning to search the sand for small shells for my project. But, what I found quickly changed my plans. Because of the recent Atlantic storms, I found myself collecting a myriad of very large shells. I quickly realized this cup was just not going to do. I took off one of my tanks and tied the straps to create a bag. Now more properly equipped, I began to scour the beach for unique shells. Soon my feet were raw from broken shells, my shoulders were turning pink, and my "bag" was becoming very heavy.

I had to tear myself away from the search to head back down to the softer sand and foamy water. I walked back, once again enjoying the ocean, satisfied by my unexpected afternoon adventure and finds. They shells are amazing, but much to large for my original idea. The lamp project will have to wait for another day.

Now I have to come up with a new idea for these beauties. I have a few thoughts, but if you have any seashell crafts let me know!

Check out my finds! It's hard to tell, but the shells are the size of my fist or larger.

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