Our Saturdays and Sundays are most often not filled with soccer. Tournaments. Packed lunches. Little one running around with his friends while all the “older” siblings play on the field. Last Saturday was no different. With a few hours in between games, I piled the kids in the car and told them we were going to get some ice cream (insert devilish laugh here…I really had an ulterior motive).
What I really wanted to do was get back to this amazing mural wall I just barely glimpsed on the last (and ironically, first) time I drove thru Fairhope. I can’t say enough about how much I love this town, so I’ll just have to have you take my word for it (I could write paragraphs…), but once you go, you’ll know.
Thankfully, it was the perfect day. Temps in the low 70’s, sunshine, crowded sidewalks, flowers at every street corner. Perfect. We walked around for a few blocks and found Mr. Gene’s Beans on De La Mare Avenue. The line snaked out the window. I see why. Fabulous ice cream, super affordable and coffee to keep you shopping for hours.
After the kids got their cones, we JUST HAPPENED to walk past my wall. It’s painted on the side of the hardware store (how cute is that) and takes up half a city block. An obviously appropriate “under the sea” abstract work of primary color goodness. A total feast for the eyes. Not to mention THE perfect backdrop for pretty much every urban kid themed photo shoot I have in my brain at the moment. It’s like my photog mecca. I reached for my “real camera” and OH. MY. GOD. I was an hour and a half away from home and didn’t even have my memory card in. It was sitting in my laptop just where I left it. The kids had lunches, extra clothes, charged tablets, snacks…but I forgot to take ONE thing for me. But it didn’t even matter. The sun was out, I was loving my mint chocolate chip cone and I still had two happy kids. A few quick phone snaps later and I realized I didn’t even care that I left it. I had my kiddos. They were getting along. I was smiling. And life was good.
xo