Saturday Sundries

I was going to do a randoms post and tell you about the lady at the supermarket today who had just come from riding her horse- I hope- and had some major ass sweat. I'm sorry I don't go to the supermarket with my ass sweat showing.

Then I was going to talk about the guy in the too tight bike shorts and terribly sweat soaked shirt that attempted to PUSH the exit door open because he was convinced it was the in door. Forget about the giant DO NOT ENTER sticker in bright red!

I was also going to tell you about trying to purchase a bike for the boy. See, he really wanted a bike until he spotted the hot pink Barbie Cadillac Escalade Power Wheels. Then he wanted that. And he refused to exit it. We finally distracted him with a Backyardigans DVD offer.

I was going to share that when I walked into the bathroom today in my tank top I actually scared myself. I looked in the mirror and my eyes were immediately drawn to my shoulder. "What the hell are those horrible pink marks all over my shoulder?!?" Ran through my head. For the two seconds before my brain actually kicked in I thought I had some random rash or The Pox. Turns out it was just my scars from surgery. I guess my brain got fried yesterday too.

And finally I was going to share that my pediatrician is encouraging me to potty train my daughter. Yes, my 1 year old previously preemie daughter. She asks to go potty. She tries to take off her pants and diaper. She knows what she's supposed to do. My three year old isn't even potty trained yet!! Her words, "Just think how nice it would be to get to the end of your Summer and be done with diapers?!" My response, "True, I could use the money to buy the Valium I'll need after a summer of dual potty training." I guess we're potty training!

Well, look at that..I shared all of that and now I can talk about what I was thinking about last night.

I was FREEZING last night. On the way back from the beach we went to the husband's softball game to hang out and watch them play. It wasn't too warm out but it wasn't cold either. I was SO COLD.

We drove home. I was icy.

We arrived home I put on sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt. I was frigid.

It was the sun burn.

Anyone else ever get that? Where you're soooo sun burned that you're actually freezing? I was HOT to the touch...burning, if you will. But I could've wrapped myself in a faux Down blanket and still not get warm enough. This was only the second time I've experienced it. I don't know if there's a medical term for it. Experiencing it last night made me think of the other time it had happened.

I was a Senior in high school. I had become friends with a girl who, if you had asked me freshman year "Who is the least likely person that you think you'll be friends with?" She would've been on the short list. K and I became friends around Junior year and were pretty inseparable. She and I, and a third friend, did everything together. We really were closer than close- almost like sisters. She didn't have any sisters- just 4 brothers. I didn't have any brothers- just 1 sister. We were a good combination. Even sitting here writing this I have only really great memories of my times with K.

ANYWAY, I had gone down the shore with K and her brothers and her mom. We were staying at Her house down the shore- there were family connections between K's family and also we went to school with her step-granddaughter. The house was being prepared for a total remodel but it was GORGEOUS and HUGE! It was GREAT!

We spent our days on the beach and our nights on the boardwalk. Well, K and I decided that we wanted to get some really great color. Unbeknownst to K's mom we bought ourselves a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil.

FYI- NO SPF in Hawaiian Tropic Tanning oil. Actually, it does exactly the opposite of SPF.

We greased ourselves up and headed out to be our beach chairs. We sat and read and talked. We watched the waves and K's brothers play. We even went in the water a bit. And of course we continually greased ourselves with oil.

And then we fell asleep.

It was bad. We didn't realize how bad but it was bad. K's mom finally woke us up so we could head back to the house to shower and have dinner and go out for the evening. I can't pinpoint the exact moment that I realized I had turned myself into a fried chicken but I think it was right around the when spray of water needles from the shower hit my skin.

It was horrible.

K was just as bad. Actually, K was worse. K had fair Irish skin. We were the color of tomatoes mixed with a bit of raspberry. K's brothers thought it was hysterical. K's mom didn't say a word because she knew we had learned our own lessons. And we said nothing...it hurt too much.

We went out that night for some rooftop mini golf. People thought we were the weirdest individuals ever. There was me in my shorts- I didn't have any pants- and my 4 layers of shirts and a hooded sweatshirt (hood on) and a scarf we dug out of the back of K's silver bullet station wagon. Then there was K. Shorts- no pants either- 3 shirts, a sweatshirt and a jacket her brother loaned her. God, we were so cold. We shivered our way through mini golf and the boardwalk. Our teeth chattered as we sat on the porch back at the house and talked well into the night. Our hands shook as we watched movies and played games and joked around.

Everyone laughed at us. We laughed at us. We went back to the beach the next day, with SPF 15. We were cold for a good two days. Our burns grew into fabulous tans. Part of me would say it was well worth the cold but not because of the tan. K and I made great memories that weekend. We had stories to tell for a long time and it was always something we came back to. It was always something her brother would bring up to us when the timing was perfect and we were feeling full of ourselves. It was just a really good time. It still brings a smile to my face to think of us, two stupid idiots red as red can be bundled up and playing rooftop mini golf.

K and I grew apart in college. She was hard to lose, but it was what she needed. She and her family went through a lot. More than I think anyone could imagine. She needed to break from her life here. She was gone from NJ. Still is. We've begun to grow back together a bit. We're in similar places now. She's married with a gorgeous little girl. She's close with her family- all of them. Things are good. We talk regularly more and more often and I cannot wait for the day when we can come back to this story. When we can talk of this time at the shore and begin again on the laughter that brought us so close together.