Newport Beachhouse 2014

The beaches at Newport are some of my faves. The plush, seaweed-free sand reminds me a bit of Cocoa Beach in Florida. And we loved Florida. But Southern California is where my heart and home is. This was the twins' first trip to the beach and Jake would walk himself out to the waves every morning, his blonde ragamuffin hair flopping in the ocean breeze. He was determined to catch a seagull. And the minute we'd step back inside the beach house he'd demand, "I want. to go. to the beach!" It was a memorable vacation with my little family and parents and siblings and some friends. And even though I almost DIED, I still thought it was a great, relaxing fun-filled week. 

So, to the "I almost DIED" story: The first night we were there, a lifeguard died. He was smashed against the rock jetty while trying to save a swimmer who had gotten yanked into the wicked intense under-toe/rip-tide/current/whatever/doesn't matter. Flash forward a few days into the trip. I'm swimming with my sisters in the ocean, having a good time, thinking I've placed myself WELL away from the lifeguard's safety flag boundary. And then just like that, a huge wave comes and pulls me out fast. I come up and see myself being pulled far away from my sisters fast. I look to my left and holy crap I'm being pulled towards the rocks. I knew I was in trouble instantly and remembered all too well the lifeguard that had just died a few days earlier. So I yell, "Brittany, HELP! And start swimming hard, but it does no good. I'm going nowhere...except backwards and towards the rocks. And then the lifeguards there. I could have kissed him. But instead he got an involuntary flashing from me. The current was literally pulling my bathing suit top off. I was so relived I didn't have time to be embarrassed. He coached me calmly how to swim back to shore--which really wasn't far. It was the most exhausting and terrifying two minutes of my life. I get back to my family and they say, "Having fun?" They had no idea I had almost DIED. Needless to say, I was done swimming that day.

And so that was my brush with death. And no Anne of Green Gables, it was most definitely not romantic. Sheesh.

And though that experience it still scarily vivid in my memory, I will always love the beach. Every day since Jake demands at least once, "I want. to go. to the beach!"