Boo and Mr. LBB playing on the beach at Dana Point this morning:
I saw my first lifeguard rescue today. I was relaxing while Mr. LBB and Boo made their sandcastle and I noticed a woman, that had been sitting next to me a few minutes earlier, wading in and waving frantically to someone out the water. It only got my attention because she was wearing jeans and carrying an nice handbag…..so I knew something was up. Looking out past the surfers, I noticed a little head bobbing up and down in the water. My heart started racing…..it was so windy and there were rip current warnings. All I could think was: it would take someone WAY too long to get out to that kid if he got into trouble. Okay, I try not to judge people on their decisions under pressure but the next thing I knew she was asking some 6-year-oldish kid to swim all the way out to bring her son back in. At about the same time, her husband showed up and stripped off his shirt in a panic like he was going to swim out himself……phew…..but then he only made it in to about his knees. I don’t know, maybe he couldn’t swim? Or maybe it was because the water was freezing. I looked back at the lifeguard stand…..thinking maybe I should run and let him know….but was relieved to see him removing his jacket with his binoculars fixed out to sea. A few seconds later he was in the water and a few minutes later he was dragging the kid back to shore.
As soon as I saw that woman wading into the water with her jeans on, I got Mr. LBB’s attention……ready to send HIM out to sea: swim out there! that kid is going to go under! I do that all the time….poor guy….sending him into assist someone. I’m always the first to volunteer…..him.
Watch that (elderly) man…..he looks like he’s about to slip.
Can you help that woman lift that?
Uh oh, that poor girl has a flat tire.
Omg…a hummingbird flew into the window and I think he’s dying! Give him mouth to mouth!
He’s a good sport.
We stayed on the beach for a few hours. It was pretty cold….I actually wore a sweatshirt for most of the time….but was able to get a little vitamin D:
Tonight we are just hanging out. Back in 1998, we started doing this dinner tradition with my in-laws…..usually when we are on vacation. Platters of veggies, cheese, crackers and sushi……that we put out in front of the TV……and we just snack:
It’s been a fun weekend so far except I forgot my deodorant…..so used I Mr. LBB’s….now I smell like an Old Spice commercial.
Now back to my iPad….browsing one of my favorite websites: Passive Aggressive Notes Enjoy 🙂
(The typography militia is still one of my all time favorites.)
Wow! Very scary!! Glad he was okay! And I love you ask your husband to help! I always volunteer mine to help the military wives with the deployed husbands! I am sure he loves it! Hey it gives him something to do!
Have a great weekend!!
Us military wives appreciate the extra help! 🙂
Thank God for lifeguards. I too am a husband-sender I’m quite sure though he loves it when I tell him to take care of others. 😉 Glad you were able to enjoy the beach, a little jealous though, not gonna lie, you can have the sushi to yourself though 😉
My brother & his best friend had to be rescued by a lifeguard before. They just kept getting pulled out further & couldn’t swim agains the tide currents to get back in. Pretty scary stuff. So glad things turned out okay. BTW I’m like you and like to volunteer my husband to help with things all the time 🙂 Such good sports about it!
Nice…you smell like clean man…I do that too!
I make my husband rescue people and animals too. Once I made him pull over on the freeway because I saw a tiny kitten on the side of the road. He got out as cars whizzed by him to help this cat and it turned around and stood on it’s hind legs and hissed like a cat from Pet Cemetery. I swear my husband screamed like a girl, he’s says otherwise. The kitten ran into a little hole and we drove away talking about how stupid we are.
I saw a beach search last summer when we lived near Lake Michigan. We had gone to the beach/pier many times. This particular night it was seemed extra wonderful- the breeze was the perfect temp, the sun glistened on water, the boats were colorful and people just seemed so content and happy as we walked the boardwalk. Then in the midst of that gorgeous setting, the coast guard boats came flying by, squad cars and ambulances roared past us and the beach turned from peace to chaos in an instant. Over the next several minutes, which turned to hours, the tragedy unfolded. A young boy had gone under and was pulled out too far. He was drowning. His dad rushed in and as he saved him he someone was pulled back under and lost his life that night. Being a mom who lived through my own loss I felt that family’s heartache deeply. To know that a 9-yr old boy was saved but now had to live with the grief and loss of his dad was heartbreaking. I remember how strange it seemed as we left that scene and walked past somber faces still eating ice cream cones and corn dogs from the shops on the boardwalk. I still can’t full wrap my mind around how quickly life can change, how harsh even the most ordinary, beautiful backdrops can become tainted by pain and sorrow, and I also wonder how unfair it seems that one person lost his life while the rest of us went home to our families and cozy beds. It was such a powerful, gut-wrenching thing to see do many people join hands and walk in and out of the waves hoping to find a body. It is surreal when death’s grasp grabs hold of someone. I am grateful you didn’t see that at the beach today. I am reminded again to never take a moment of life for granted. I love that you ate such a sensitive person to the needs of others that you are willing to put Mr. LBB on high alert. That’s so sweet of you. 🙂 I love your 1998 dinner tradition too. Sushi is especially good when served casually and with people you love. I hope you all get to continue this culinary tradition for years to come! Have fun soaking up mote vitamin D too. xoxo
I love to see your pretty hair growing back! 🙂
That’s so funny, as soon as I saw her photo I thought the same thing. Look at that hair!
My son just finished lifeguard training last week right there at Strands where you were! Watching him go through the training gave me a whole new appreciation for lifeguards. I hope you had an awesome day! I couldn’t tell if you had your sushi here or at home, but next time you’re in Dana Point you have to try Maki Yaki on PCH. The ambiance isn’t so great, but the sushi is fantastic! (most people around here order it for takeout)
How exciting! I had to be rescued by a lifeguard at that same beach when I was 8 yrs old! LOL That is where I grew up. Beautiful area!
Glad that kid was ok, so scary!! I do the same thing to Tony – I’m always volunteering him to rescue people. He’s a good sport, though. Probably why he’s a good firefighter.
Look at all your hair!! It’s growing so fast!!
PS – I get to see you and Lisa in a couple weeks! I’m stoked!
Hey Ashley, you’re looking great! I’m so happy for you. That’s one scary story but at least it had a happy ending! This weekend in the UK a 25 year old man went to the rescue of two young children, he saved them both but somehow he drowned in the process! So sad. Be careful what you volunteer Mr LBB for!
Glad that your story ended up with a save! Rip tides are nothing to mess around with…I volunteer..my husband, all the time, I think it is because we know they will help 🙂
P.S. Look at all your hair!! You look like you are feeling great.
The old spice comment made me smile…my dad always wore it and after he died…I kept some nearby [for aroma therapy/comfort].
You look great! Glad this story had a happy ending. All to often it is the opposite!
After such an extraordinary rescue of a small child, please don’t think I have no empathy for him or his mother. Howevr, I saw your pic on the beach; I see you are growing back your hair. I am glad; you have been so brave. I even mentioned you to a guy in my office about your illness, but more importanly, your brave attitude and your “Choose Joy” bracelet. He has a lot of issues in his life, seems to not be very happy, but I think “Choose Joy” made him think that life is about our attitudes and how we handle issues depends on our attitude. Keep being strong, even when you feel weak and discouraged. You have so many people in your life, but especially those who are with you each day in person: your family, friends, and co-workers. Keep up the good work and continue to Choose Joy. My prayers and blessings are with you and yours daily.
I was reseraching cisplatin-mode of action, as I am giving a talk on cancer drugs-this is where my research lies and stumbled on to your blog, really had a good read and might even use some of your pictures for my talk, is that okay?
Lola x
Glad the boy was safe!
And, happy to have been introduced to Passive Aggressive Notes… what a totally awesome, funny time suck! I just spent a glorious hour laughing my head off.
That story made my heart go in my throat. I could feel the tears welling up. That kid had a close call for sure.
Ashley,
My spouse does that to me all of the time too. If someone appears to be choking, having an anxiety attack or even clearly doesn’t want help, he say’s “my wife is a nurse, she can help you.” Actually, most of the time I don’t mind, it’s what I’m used to doing. By the way, you look great….so glad to see you out in the sun looking so healthy. xoxo
Oh my what a story! I always offer out my hubby’s help too.
“Look, someone’s pushing their car go help, I get behind you with the hazards on!”
“Help that lady, with all those bags.”
“Your computer died? Mike will fix it.”
and so and so on….
We do those dinners too, we call them Snack-y Dinners. The kids love it.
I love your hair! Just the perfect length to rub (like a boy with a crew cut)!! You won’t be needing the hats and scarves any longer. Thanks for sharing the good story. That had to be so scary for everyone involved.
Yep. Fellow husband volunteer-er here too.
Bet your hubby was extra stoked about snuggling with the “Old Spice Man”…haha.
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have a great week
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(sweden)
I was that kid 35 years ago… I was in knee deep water when a wave hit me and the rip current pulled me out to sea. My Father and Uncle, who were both very strong swimmers and lifeguards in their HS days immediately came after me.
I don’t remember much other than the wave hitting me, not being able to get my head above water and when I finally did, I had moved about a football field away from the beach. My father tells me that I was about 250 yards away from shore by the time they got to me. Scary day that was. I’ll never forget it.
Certainly glad the child is okay but I hope your readers didn’t miss the very best part of that post…passiveagressivenotes.com, seriously funny stuff!
My heart was beating fast just reading your post! I’m so glad it everything was ok.
When I was 15 I had to be rescued by 2 lifeguards because I got caught in a rip current (in San Diego). It took 2 lifeguards because I was panicking and struggling like a crazy gal. It was a church youth group party and when they finally got me to the beach, I puked all over one of the lifeguards while the youth group crowded around and clapped. Still traumatized…
Bahaha, I use Hubs deodorant when I forget. Its weird. lol. I always tell him, “eww, I smell like a boy” and “why is your deodorant so big, it gets all over my arm too!”