Just what I needed

The past couple of days have been wonderful; just what I needed. After I wrote my last post, I took a deep breath and shut off the computer. My computer keyboard has almost become fused to fingers, and I hoped there would be enough activities in the next few days to keep mind occupied so I wouldn't go into "computer withdrawals". If I had a story idea, I would actually have to write it down on paper with a pen. Oh the torture of it!

My mind was more than occupied after I click off the computer. My mind was so full of things needed to be done, I'm sure there was a neon "no vacancy" sign flashing over my head as I raced around my house. Hmm, let's see, I pondered. Was I going to water the ivy and put out the cat, or was I supposed to water the cat and put out the ivy? Silly, I know; but when I'm extremely rushed, I turn into a real airhead sometime. Lucky for the kitty, I took a minute to focus on what I was doing and put him outside where he found his supply of food and water.

It's only a two hour trip to Corpus Christi, and I spent half of the time talking with John as he drove and the children slept in the back seat. It was refreshing to have a conversation without being interrupted. The rest of the time I spent gazing at the countryside and allowing my imagination to run wild. I love to explore, and imagined m riding my horse through the dense patches of woods. In my mind's eye, I would pause and dismount once in a while by a creek in the middle of the woods, allowing my horse to rest and graze while I sat under a giant oak and read a book in a patch of late afternoon sunshine.

In what seemed a short while, we arrived in Corpus, and I felt my excitement growing. Though I've been in the area several times, Corpus has a special place in my heart; it's the area in which I was born and lived in for a short while. My heart sang with happiness as I gazed upon the majestic buildings and the sparkling waters of the bay. In a sense, I was home.

We stayed in the Omni Bayfront on the ninth floor and had a gorgeous view of the bay. In the waning hours of daylight, I stood on the balcony and watched as two sailboats skimmed silently across the ba and out of my view. A brave seagull lit on the railing a few feet away from me, and flew away, squawking in disgust when he found I had no tasty tidbits for him. Everything seemed perfect until John announced the dinner plans.

"I thought we'd drive into Rockport and have dinner there." I was excited. As I mentioned in the last blog, I love going to Rockport. It's only a few minutes from Corpus; a pleasant trip. Judging from the look on John's face, I knew there was a catch.

"I have a feeling there's a 'but' or an 'and' that goes with your last statement," I said flatly.

John nodded his head. I've invited ----------to come along with us. I need you to ride in the back seat with the boys."

I felt my excitement deflate like a leaky balloon. Oh joy, I thought rather childishly, not only do I not have my family by myself, I get to share it with a stranger. ---------- was not really a total stranger; he worked with John, and John was the chief investigator,---------'s supervisor. I decided to act my age, and have a great time that night regardless.

We went to The Big Fisherman and ate the most wonderful seafood I've ever had in my life. Everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. There was a large crowd there, but since the restaurant sat 200 people, everything was spacious and the noise was minimal.

I'm a firm believer everything happens for a reason, and it soon became obvious there was a reason for ---------- to be there. During the course of the meal, ---------- told me John bragged on me on the time. He bragged on my musical successes in high school, and on my current writing successes.

I had always thought my past and present successes were of little interest to my hubby. I felt a lump for in my throat as --------- told me everything John had said about me. I stared at John, and from the look in his eyes, I could tell ----------was telling me the truth. I always knew John loved me, but until this point, never knew he loved me as deeply as I loved him. It was an eye-opener.

The next day, while John was in class, the boys and I walked 2 miles up Shoreline Drive. Along the way we visited the memorial to Selena, and later the Corpus Christi art gallery. We were "too pooped to pop" by the time we returned, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel.

I'm an early-riser, and early the next morning I stood on the balcony and watched the sun rise over the bay. After the sun rose, I saw something magical in the bay. I wiped my eyes in disbelief. No way! surely I'm imagining this, I thought. I stared harder. There it was again. First a fin emerged out of the water, then the sleek back of a dolphin. Amazing. My excitement grew as I saw more dolphins emerge. A whole pod! It was obvious they were feeding off the fish scraps thrown off the docked boats. What a perfect way to end the vacation.

I have pictures I'll post later on.