Less Is Fabulous.

I grew up on the beaches of Lake Erie. Beach volleyball, beach bonfires, beach bike rides and (gasp!) even beach fishing were among my activities. I bought economy size baby oil, not because I had a baby, but because it produced a killer tan. Yet, I’ve never considered myself a beach person. Maybe because in my mind “beach people” were only in the cast of Baywatch. I’ve since learned that’s not true, and that I could definitely enjoy life as a beach person…

Day 1:
It’s spring break. I’m not a wild college girl or a Clark County School District student. So what am I doing in Oceanside, California on a Wednesday night at 11 p.m., chilled out on a balcony, beach towel wrapped around my legs, ocean 40 yards away, overlooking the lush grounds of North Coast Village with a salty sea breeze blowing through my turned-curly-upon-arrival hair? Did I mention I’m sipping Corona? My biggest concern…should I run north or south on the beach at sunrise? Life is exceptionally exceptional at the moment.

I had no intention of blogging about my little three-night California adventure with my friend and her 8-year-old daughter. Wasn’t even going to throw my laptop in my duffel. Flies in the face of minimalist packing. Turns out, my traveling companions hit the hay early and I couldn’t resist packing my computer. What’s a lonely girl with a Mac and an imagination to do but blog about it?

So here I sit, reflecting on the past 12 hours and anticipating my date with Shamu tomorrow. Here’s what’s struck me since arriving in my next-door-neighbor state…

• When a 5-hour car ride flies by and your throat hurts, you know you have yourself a great friend.
• Why do I want to wash off my makeup the minute I get to California?
• It’s okay to be as excited as a 5-year-old on Christmas Eve when you get to your oceanfront condo. You can even jump up and down a little.
• Sometimes you just have to eat three huge slices of pizza (and wash them down with bread sticks).
• Walking in the waves under the moon…in a category of amazingness unto itself.

Day 2:

Something about California just makes you relax your shoulders and want to get blond highlights. It also makes you want to write exclusively in bullet points…

• Getting up before sunrise, running six miles in the surf and throwing rocks in the waves…nirvana.
• Shopping at Pappy’s market and checking out with Pauly is as fun as it sounds.
• Did I miss my calling as a killer whale trainer? Shumu rocks.
• Why is cooking dinner in a beach condo kitchen so much more fun than cooking in my own?
• When your 8-year-old travel mate asks you to perform (that is, type as fast as you can with no errors) again and again…and she giggles hysterically…you know you’re officially buddies.

Day 3:
I could get used to this. Life is just easier and breezier by the ocean. Paragraphs are so overrated…dude.

• Makeup, shmakeup.
• Surfers really are cool. So are bait shop owners.
• When you run past cadets and they scream “Good morning, ma’am…” you know it’s going to be a good day. (I know they’re trained like dogs to say that to every “ma’am.” Indulge me, would you!)
• It’s hard not to collect rocks.
• The best days require no car.
• Remember when Monica’s hair went wild in Barbados? That really happens.

• Best bud Donna drove up from San Diego for coffee. Friend Marji drove over from Vista to chat on the balcony. Getting visitors on vacation is excellent.
• While my travel mate made a grocery run, I nervously watched her daughter at the ocean. She began burying herself in sand. I highly encouraged it and readily assisted to keep her in one place. It only seems wrong now.
• I wouldn’t mind starring in a Corona commercial.
• It’s after 11 and I’m on the balcony…should I sleep here? If I crack the screen door I’ll still be able to hear the ocean when I lay down on the couch. Good night…

Day 4:

• Humidity, I will miss you…you made 24 miles of  beach running feel effortless.
• I haven’t seen any in Oceanside, but I’m pretty sure the cows in California really are happy.
• When you start thinking about the emotional state of cows, you know it’s’ time to pack your beach bag and head home…

Something about this vacation changed me a little bit.

For the better.

I’ll be back.