Settling back into the Columbus Cottage

It feels wonderful this morning to fall back into the routine here in Columbus.  Daniel is off at Post, first of 20 days in Holding Company before Ranger School begins on 24 July.  A phone call just announced that he will be home before 1:00! Tirzah, the little Doll Baby, has slept all the way through the night the past 2 nights!  As any Shear does, she loves being in her very own crib.  We enjoyed a walk through our subdivision this morning, introduced her to a childhood favorite of mine: The Berenstein Bears, and now she is an hour and a half into her morning nap.  I have cozied up with the Word and a delicious bowl of oatmeal. And now, Mozart is playing romantically as I settle down to write a post after days passed.

We had a delightful trip to Cocoa Beach, Florida!. Oh the sweet adventures we had together!  I would love to share some pictures, but sadly, due to my own mistake, our camera was found sitting in a pool of water on our last day at the beach.  Needless to say, our pictures from that trip have floated away.  But, the memories are still bountiful!  Our adventures included:

*Rowing beside dolphins!  What magnificent creatures they are: absolutely stunning.  Daniel and I happened upon a Mother and Baby during feeding time, so we just sat back and watched in awe.

* Giving a back scratch to a manatee!!! Not even kidding!  Grandmom and Granddad have a canal in their back yard, and sure enough during an intense game of Scrabble, I looked up to find a manatee lazily swimming past the house.  Daniel and I waisted not a moment as we ran for the hose (they love fresh water apparently), and lured this Sea Cow to the dock.  He drank from the hose and then he allowed us to touch him and scratch his back and belly!  What an experience!!  He just floated there, not a care in the World.

* Surfing: Daniel is a pro himself and an excellent teacher as well.  He helped me to get up on my first wave! (all due to his perfect timing in pushing me in front of it)

* Discovering that Tirzah is just not ready to be a Beach Babe.  As soon as we put her little toes or hands in the water, cries of discomfort came from her little lips.  Perhaps there was just too much going on for the Little One.  But someday she will love splashing in those waves with her Daddy!