Ocean City: Day at the Beach

Walking over to the beach.  It was actually hot today!  In the 80s!  

They played in the sand for hours...

Little boy footprint

The boys went in and out of the water all afternoon

Ocean City 2012!!

Shoes

Forget sandcastles... They made a sand city :)

Sam digging the moat

Ocean City: Playground and Getting Wet

Playing at the park across the street from our condo

Hanging from the trees at the park 

We were "just going to stick our feet in for a minute."  

Swimming with Dad :)

We've arrived!

at Ocean City, MD!  Not our typical get-away-in-the-mountains kind of vacation.  :)  But we're looking forward to great weather, lots of geocaching, and possibly days at Rehoboth Beach and Assateague Island.  We had a great trip here with no car trouble!! Check back for photos and other updates throughout the week. 

Never thought I would do this...

I dreaded each and every time I had to do the mile run test in school.  Every year I barely passed.  Maybe some years I didn't pass.  I didn't really care.  I just tried to survive the dumb thing!  My lungs would never keep up, and I just dreaded any time I had to run. 

One year in middle school, my dear friend Rachel, who was a pretty good runner, blew her chance at getting a good time and ran with me so I would pass the test.  We ran the 1/4 mile track at the school, and she encouraged me all the way, setting marks to run to, and then we would take a walking break.  I felt like death at the end of that!  I don't even remember if I passed the required time or not, but what she did has always stuck with me. 

Today I did something I never thought I would do.  I ran a mile without stopping!  Granted, I was practically doing the old man shuffle on a "dreadmill," completing the mile in 11:54.  But I did it, and didn't feel like death at the end.  :)

Catching up...

Some highlights from the last few days...

• Last Friday we had a fabulous double date night with Dan's brother and his wife at The Melting Pot in Station Square.  They hadn't been there before, so it was fun helping them order and watching them try and enjoy the food.  Kid-free, quality time like that with them is rare. 
• Dan, the boys, and I enjoyed a performance of Charlotte's Web on Sunday.  Phil and Claire had given us tickets for Christmas, which we thought was a great idea.  We were walking into the play, and Sam was holding my hand when he said, "What if someone is already the spider?"  We had tried to explain what a play is, but he clearly didn't understand.  HE wanted to be the spider.  When I told him that someone already is the spider and we were just going to be watching, he stopped walking and tried to go back to the car.  When I scooped him up, he was crying.  Poor kid! He was so disappointed.  He got over it, though, and both boys enjoyed the show. 
• I had a great dentist appointment today.  For several months, I've had problems with painful and sensitive teeth.  Sensodyne toothpaste has helped immensely.  But lately, I've still had pain even with Sensodyne.  I finally made an appointment to get it all taken care of.  Since I am a new patient, I had to get full xrays, cleaning and exam before I could get the pain taken care of.  I was amazed that the xrays showed no major problems!  I only have root surface sensitivity.  I was really shocked.  I thought I was going to need a root canal or something serious (which equals expensive!).  So happy about that!  So they gave the sensitive areas a fluoride treatment that will last a few months.  I also got a prescription strength sensitivity toothpaste to help the problem.  Now I'll be able to eat sweets again!  Wait... maybe that's not a good thing.  Hahaha!
• My cousin's wife is in the hospital in labor RIGHT NOW!  After they lost baby Joshua during a miscarriage last year, and we are all so excited to welcome their baby, Rebecca, into our family!  All prenatal tests show that she has spina bifida and will need surgery shortly after birth.  We're praying for a healthy delivery and sucessful surgery.  We're hoping to get to meet her later in the week or next week.

• My Houghton College sweatshirt came in the mail today!!  It's a Christmas gift from my mom.  I originally got it for Christmas but decided to exchange the size.  So the right size finally came!!! Any day you get a new hoodie is a good day, let alone a sweatshirt that boldly proclaims the name of the greatest college ever.  :)