a little beach and a little earthquake

It was the perfect beach day . . . .

The girls have been asking all summer to go to the ocean. I try to make at least one day trip just because we can. I loathe the Parkway, but in the middle of the week, it is not unbearable.

So yesterday, a picture perfect day, we packed up a few bags (probably the least amount of stuff I have ever made a day trip with!) and we headed to Lavallette, NJ to a teacher friend's beach house.

The girls had a blast. It was the first time Jenny really swam in the ocean, and rode her first wave! After her first knock down and sandy head she was timid, but by the afternoon she was swimming with Elizabeth and Greta with no problem! Kirsten did a great job in the water too, laughing and spitting out the "icky" salt water.

A little after 1, Cathy, Liesl and I were talking in our beach chairs watching the girls playing in the sand. All of the sudden, we were swaying! At first we thought the wind and waves had played with our equilibrium, until we realized what was really happening, an earthquake!! It was crazy! It went on long enough that we were able to take notice and really feel what was happening beneath us! Everyone around us noticed, too. Some moms got nervous and called their kids out of the water. I just thought it was so neat we had experienced an earthquake! Of course in just a matter of minutes thanks to technology, we learned that not everybody on the east coast thought it was "so cool."

Obviously, life is better at the beach, even during an earthquake!