COUNTDOWN TO TOO MUCH FUN

Monday is history, thank goodness, it was a nasty one. Only 3.5 days till we break away for Gulf Shores. Anyone up for the trip? Come along, we haven't secured a house yet, planning to get a last minute deal OR sleep on the beach! And then when we get back...Gagglefest on the 1st. So happy we are doing this. So many things have taken place since our last reunion. Anna is Mrs. Clark, Caleb is here, Janelle is too! YAY. God is good, Ladies.
Courtney turned 36 yesterday in OZ. This is the 3rd birthday she has had downunder. I bet no one made a strawberry cake to celebrate her day. She may not eat strawberry cake now, but always asked for one while growing up. The boys liked pies better, but Court always wanted strawberry cake with pink icing. Even the year she turned 6 and only wore lavender, (even her glasses) she had to have her pink cake. Yep, she was a girly girl back then, once refusing to wear anything but dresses for a year. Then her pink stage, no clothing that wasn't pink. But by the time she hit 6th grade it was jeans, sweatshirts and Chuck Taylor hightops. Now it is gypsy skirts and sandals. 
OK< I fell into a trance, I guess. It is now March 21 and I'm sitting on my deck watching dolphins jump from the Gulf of Mexico. Not in OC, in Gulf Shores, AL. Three friends and I are here till Friday on Spring Break. Beautiful weather, terrific house and great company What more can I say? This year we have a couple of smallfry companions, Jake a 5 year old and Bella, 20 months  came along with their mommas. They have been a treat.
Our house is so close to the water this year and is a beautiful place. My room is a large 2nd floor master with its own bath and balcony. I've been spending my days on that balcony reading and watching the boats, dolphins and sea birds. It is amazing how the sights and sounds of the coast can lift the weight of the world from my shoulders and blow the cotton floss from my head. I rarely get in the water, but the ocean has such an attraction for me...I've decided I must have been a mermaid in a former life! Or possibly a whale, hehehe. Deb, my sister, has the same draw toward the desert. Maybe our parents picked us up on a cross country trip! The desert frightens me with its endless open horizon, one of the things I love about the coast. Strangely, I feel exposed in the desert and secure at the coast. It must be me, that makes no sense.
I'm happy to hear that OC is having nice warm temps, too. We, as the rest of the country, have suffered a long, gray, cold winter. I hope each of our students gets to be outside enjoying the warmth and expending some pent up energy. We have eight short weeks left of school, with lots of activities going on. I want to finish on a happy note. This is my last year of being a school counselor and I'd love to leave feeling good about the job I've done here. I know I will miss the kids, the staff and working. I'm ready for something else in my life.
Back to work now, doing the dolphin watch till dinner tonight at Tacky Jacks. A new one for us. I'll let you know what's good. Love