Vacation: The thing that softens you up so the real world can kick your ass

Vacation was just what it was supposed to be. A relaxing week of no troubles... well maybe a few troubles.
I learned a great lesson in humility on this trip to North Carolina with my boyfriend's family.

The drive down was pretty bumpy. Metaphorical bumps of course.
 We left an hour later than we were supposed to and then one of the vans had trouble. I couldn't tell ya what the actual trouble was I just know we got it fixed and were on our way. Not long after that I had a terrible need to use the restroom. I'll spare you the gory details but I did have say the sentence "Sooo this sandwich is going through me in an awful way." In front of boyfriend's family.
I gotta say I was skeptical, at first, of my ability to go a week without worrying about the chaos waiting for me back home. Until of course that first day on the beach. Cliche as it is there is nothing like the sound of the ocean. The vacation is probably why I took so long getting back to the blog. True relaxation does things to a person. Like make em happy! Who'd have thought?

There's just one problem with the ocean. Those pesky sea creatures. I haven't done much research on jellyfish so I'm probably going to sound ignorant but WHAT THE HELL!?
Why do those things even exist? It doesn't seem as though they manipulate their movements very much so what's the point? Fish at least flop around when washed on the shore Not jellyfish. No those stupid things are like 'Welllllll guess I'll just sit here until some poor bastard steps on me'.

Why do they even need the stinging defense? Why can't they just evolve into creatures that SWIM AWAY? That's what every decent ocean dweller does.

I was terrified to begin with. Sharks are a big fear of mine. Nothing like stepping into a territory that you don't have the equipment for (i.e. fins) and knowing that something out there does have the equipment and some razor sharp teeth to boot.

So when we get to one beach and one family member goes 'Remember this is where the girl got bit by the shark so just keep a look out' I decided to sit that day out.

Which isn't to say I wasted all my time being a big ol' worry wart. There was one glorious day that not a jellyfish was to be seen and I could put sharks from my mind. That day I road waves on my boogie board for three straight hours. I live for thrills.

Skipping ahead to pictures!

Ever been crabbin? Well now, I have. Soooo much fun! You just catch little crabs that do not want to be caught and torment them with your giant stature. You can view a family member getting pinched here.
This was one of the biggest and this one:

Was the smallest little crab ya ever did see.

One day we took a trip to see the sand dunes. For some reason David thinks the sand dunes are heaven on earth. You know what I think they are? A whole lot of hot sand. The beach is fantastic when the sun is shining and your standing in the damp sand right next to the water rolling onto the shore. But you know when you have to leave the damp sand to walk back to your house or car? The sun has just been heating the sand all day so you're fairly certain blisters are bubbling up as you walk.
That's what sand dunes hold. Hot blistery sand. I am fairly confident that after 3 minutes of being stranded in a desert, I'd find a way to kill myself.

Went on a dolphin tour!

Climbed a lighthouse all by myself.

Got up and watched the sunrise. Again by myself. But that's alright because I'm pretty sure I got some good God time that morning.

All in all it was an amazing trip. I relaxed, saw some dolphins, got a freaken tan! It's been a while since I've been able to actually tan. I connected to a little bit more of the faith I had lost.
And did I mention I got a call from marvel studios? You are reading the blog of someone who was an extra in The Avengers and got to lay eyes on the real Joss Whedon. More on that later though.
Anywhoo I came back to my life and discovered that my life has strong right hook. But it's chill. I plan on swinging back just as soon as I stop seeing spots.

Sorry it took so long to update. Things might need to slow down on the blog until I can catch up on school work but I'm not going anywhere.

So what's been hitting you all with the sucker punch lately? How do you plan on fighting back?

Regaining consciousness,
E.M.G.