Christmas 2009

We spent the week of Christmas in Florida at Topsail Hill State Preserve.

Sunrise on the beach...I thought that the sun rose at around 5:30, so we all trekked down to the water at 5:15 in the freezing morning air...I was mistaken...the sun didn't come up until 6:45! Being the peppy morning person that I am, I wasn't too upset to have awakened 1 1/2 hours too soon; my family was a different story, however. They made several remarks about my inability to judge the timing of the sunrise and the 'cruelty' of getting them up so early. :)

I was given the pink bike from the rental place (it is a well-known fact in my family that I would rather be run over by a herd of goats than wear pink), so I named it Pepto Bismol, Pepto for short, in honor of one of my favorite pastimes(bicycle riding) being fatefully paired with my least favorite color. The seat refused to stay put and kept sliding down to the lowest point possible, making it impossible for this 5'8 person to continue riding down the sidewalk without hopping off to readjust the seat. I must say, though, Pepto proved to be a fairly good bike all around...even if it was pink! :)

We girls decorated picture frames as our Christmas craft this year. Grandma used pretty stickers, Mom decorated with an assortment of interesting shells, Shelby used sand dollars, and I glued crab legs to my picture frames.

Eden Gardens and Estate (state park)---built in 1896.

Lesson from the Sea # 95: A fishing net is a good way to silence an annoying younger sister. :)

500-year old live oak---the oldest tree on the property (Eden Gardens) was 0ver 600 years old!

~Me & the birds~

Feeding the birds at the pier---I had never seen so many pigeons and sea gulls in all my life! They seemed to come out of nowhere whenever food presented itself. Shelby has never been fond of birds, so she screamed and wildly flapped her arms whenever they came too close for comfort. 40 birds circling around her head sent her over the edge. ;) She finally befriended a gentle pigeon that landed on her hand.