Yesterday was Saturday

and although we had grand plans of packing up the house for our upcoming move we were still in our PJs at 1. I finally made my way into the shower at 1:30 with my latte in hand (thanks mom!) ready to start the day before we blew it. We left the house at 3 on our way to buy cat food to keep our furry friends from staging a revolution.

We piled three kids into the van ignoring the complaints and whines. "I don't want to go!" they said. "Tough" was the only reply they got. Down the street we went towards petco while the kids quietly munched on granola bars and fruit snacks.

My husband passed the turnout for the shopping center. I looked at him with my eyebrow raised. There isn't anything else out there save the local airport and a few farms. Headed southwest he said, "I need to see the ocean."

So we did. Out to Port Hueneme we went, my husband hoping to catch a glimpse of the big ships in the harbor. No such luck, but we did find a nice beach with a swing set. It was chilly but sunny and we happily swung facing the ocean for a good 20 minutes or so. The kids screamed with glee as daddy pushed them higher and higher until they were so tired they wanted to go home. We walked down the beach in search of funny looking seaweed before heading back to the car and the daily chores we'd abandoned for an hour or so.

Sometimes we forget how close we are to the ocean. It's the reason we live where we do and the reason we put up with the ridiculously high cost of living. Sometimes the housing prices and the price tag on a gallon of milk make your chest feel tight, but the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves reminds you just why you work so hard to stay put. I don't know what it is about the ocean that just seems to make everything right with us. We are connected to it.

When we got home we sat out back and had popsicles marveling that we live somewhere it's warm enough to do this at 5 PM in the middle of winter. The joy on the kids faces as they slurped at their popsicles made me feel...full. Things have changed a lot in the 6 years since my husband and I became parents, and really, they just keep getting better.