Once a year we celebrate our Diamond Beach staff in a special all-day event that offers their families time to share in the everyday joy of the cascading pool, lazy river, swim-up bar, gazebos filled with grilled food, just to name a few.  This was the most amazing party yet (of course I say that every year:)  Our very own realtor extraordinaire Marty Terry, a gifted jewelry designer, creates her special prizes to give away to the ladies on staff.  Our HOA president’s better half Rita Fuglaar (the other Rita:) shops till she drops, filling the prize table with tv’s, mega-speakers, gas grills, and too many other gifts to mention.  Her BFF Kelly Persaud assists, and documents with great pics of all of us having more fun than the law allows.

Unfortunately Benito did not win the tv again this year, which we all heard about several times over.  He did win quite a few gift cards though, as did many other party goers.  Our special guest, Jaws the Lifeguard, made a special entrance offering opportunities for selfies and “shark dancing”.  The party planners outdid themselves this year, can’t wait to see what next year brings.

In every culture there is a special summertime celebration where it is traditional for families to gather and compare stories, promotions, achievements, and baby pictures.  For our rather large blended family consisting of Polks & Pilands, that tradition usually occurs sometime in July.  Dad & Carol rent a large country bbq and concert hall for the occasion so the kids can ride their scooters on the dance floor, and the larger ones can share a table of digital games.

This year was particularly memorable, with several new babies added to the group.  Amanda and Sean proudly presented their now walking Kellan, who tried to break a leg on the scooter.  Of course, Matt and Ika brought their Bo, who quietly read his “cloth” Swedish book.  He’ll be more cerebral like his mom I guess.  The newest member, just 5 months old, Sunni, showed off her gerber-baby cheeks to everyone.  The best news is that all of the cousins love their time together, and never want to leave.  After several hours of running shoeless over a dance floor that may be less than immaculate by our standards at home, the dirty feet had to be wiped down before the shoes went back on:)

Then there were the “older” grandkids, Joey’s Paisley & Tobyn.  They are entering their junior and senior years in high school.  Where does the time go?  Paisley is showing a great deal of talent in art and photography.  She is teaching several art classes at the gallery where her mom works.  In fact, she is leaning toward teaching art as a career path after college.  I encouraged her, advising that after many years of substitute teaching, art or music would be the only subjects I would support her teaching at this point.  At least these are two classes the kids really enjoy participating in.  Tobyn is very involved in ROTC and has already researched all the colleges that would allow him to attend with a full ride ~ of course he would be expected to spend some time in service after.  He’s definitely ready.  Can’t believe what amazing young adults these two have become, before my very eyes.

What a wonderful family tradition Dad & Carol have gifted us with.  As I look back over the years, it is difficult to imagine this all started almost 40 years ago.  One thing is for sure, we never want to let this tradition die.  No matter how far apart we live, it is certainly worth the trip for this amazing gathering.

Enjoying the Clear Lake Kroger’s “Local Author Signing” program, Ika and Bo surprised me with a visit to support Farmor’s book.  The very accommodating manager placed me between the flowers and Starbucks.  Couldn’t ask for a better location to Fika with Ika.  The Swede’s have a tradition of sharing coffee, pastry and a little gossip, usually around 3 in the afternoon.  This is a favorite tradition for our family now.  Buy some Starbuck’s stock guys, it should be going up:)

Bo and Ika are my good luck charms, along with Captain Matt’s model WWII vintage propeller driven airliner.  As soon as they showed up, so did many interested bookworms.  We had a great visit, met many new interesting neighbors, and best of all sold a few books:)  Apparently people in Clear Lake are avid readers, and quite interested in Russian history; particularly if it involves anything about Anastasia!  I was so encouraged by the day, I have begun the sequel “Part II: The Chronicles of Captain Vadim Alevsky; Coming to America”.  Look for it on amazon in the fall (I hope:)

It’s been a blessing to watch Shannon blossom over the years, from a quiet and unassuming young girl into the leader of the Georgia Tech swim & dive team.  Her athletic prowess as a diver was a sight to behold; and a true blessing to her parents Dan and Nancy Lumbra, as she provided her own college education with a four year scholarship.  Of course Dan and Nancy will quickly point out that for Shannon to arrive at that pinnacle of diving success, there were more than a few private lessons and much family travel to the diving events over the years.  Through it all, quietly waiting in the background, was her friend and ally, Ben Barclay.  Ben had his own path to follow, as he joined the ranks of the chosen few, graduating from West Point, and continuing on for a Masters at MIT.

Impressive as these credentials are, they are not the characteristics that make Ben & Shannon so special to all who know them.   Their underlying faith and strength of character attracts friends and family to gladly travel long distances for the privilege of sharing the joy of this blessed union.  Although more than a few tears were shed during the ceremony, that didn’t slow us up as we moved to the dance floor.  Shannon’s sister Meagan shared stories of Shannon running from the phone, unlike most teens who race their family to reach it first.  Ben’s best man divulged that his secret for keeping a perfectly uncreased pillow in his dorm room, was to sleep on a brown towel instead.  Of course, two brown towels were provided as a parting wedding gift, so Shannon can keep her pillow perfect as well:)

New family relationships were formed, as I had the pleasure of sitting with my cuz, Joanna Domeracki and her hubby John, just returning from Ireland.  They had some interesting stories about researching and developing new business there as they prepare for the next Halloween.  John has created a costume business in Austin, the UK, and parts unknown.  Who knew?  Cousin Dottie and Bob from New Braunfels showed us all up on the dance floor.  Best of all, Betsy left husband Roger home to puppy sit, so I had a travel companion to share lots family memories of our Mamou.  Having time on the round trip from Houston, I found out that Betsy can out talk me!  Some would disagree, but I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.  Seriously!!

The island’s Humane Society has so many awesome programs to make the lives of our adoptable pets enriched and happy.  It’s no wonder that precious few of these amazing animals remain at the shelter for long.  Since they have to be housed in an enclosed area for safety, it’s so important that they have plenty of social time with humans so they feel loved and important every day.  My favorite program is “reading to our adoptables”.  The local middle schoolers, who have kept their grades up and show a great attitude, are allowed to join in a field trip to visit our precious ones.  They bring their favorite children’s books to share.  The dogs and cats both love it.  Even though the larger ones are kept in their kennels, they know the kids are loving on them:)

We also have an outdoor garden, where the smaller dogs (especially the island’s prolific chihuahuas:) can be held and petted.  This was a favorite memory for the students and the pups.  When it was time to head out for lunch, most of the students were reluctant to leave.  They stated emphatically that they were not hungry, just needed more pet time.

The locals know about it, but few lucky tourists do.  Offats Bayou has the clearest, deepest, cleanest water this side of Florida.  More importantly, it’s a safely enclosed lagoon for us kayakers; if you get into trouble, surely you can swim in if all else fails:)  There is always something going on at the pyramids, and today was no different.  The big tent was filled with party goers enjoying the warm sunshine while serenaded by a lively cajun band, loud enough to be enjoyed by kayakers and a nearby raft-up of power boats.

While heading east toward Pier 13, I was forced to make way for a 2-masted schooner filled with lots of smiling, waving sailors.  Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.

Pier 13 Marina is a boat show in itself, with 3-story offshore yachts being the order of the day.  Even the seagulls and pelicans were sitting on posts, taking it all in.  At the end of the “kayak about” I came across the most emergency-ready spot on the bayou, with heli-pad ready to launch; and if that didn’t work, there was the submarine ready to dive.  It’s always something on Offats Bayou.

This was the weekend that was to be the gray, overcast, and stormy April showers kind.  Lots of family prayers went up for this outdoor wedding in the sunken Oleander Garden of the historic Galvez Hotel.  They were answered with a smile from above:)  Complete with Ruddy, the Nova Scotia Troller, bearing the rings; and the tiniest of flower girls being carried to the altar.  It was a memorable event filled with love, laughter and lots of family hugs.  Caitlin was stunning in a wedding dress that can only be described as perfectly fashioned just for her.  The groom, Brady Koch, was movie-star handsome, as were his nine groomsmen.  To top it all off, the mike was fought over through the night, as we heard stories of Brady diving in shark-infested Sabine Pass waters to retrieve an anchor for the potential father-in-law; and helping his friend capture the gargantuan speckled trout, only to save the large treble hook embedded in his hand instead:)  The band was New Orleans quality, of course.  I could go on for hours, as did the celebration, but I have another story to share.

This alone would have made this a weekend for the memory books; however, the next day was the perfect follow-up.  Inna and Dan, my neighbor Helen King’s son and daughter-in-law, were celebrating the upcoming birth of their second child, Lumi.  The sun shone, in spite of the forecast, the sky was robin blue with a gentle ocean breeze to keep the temperature comfortable all day.  The toddlers came to play in the Diamond Beach 3-tiered pool, complete with several waterfalls.

Ika and Matt brought my grandson Bo down to meet everyone, now that he has passed his 3-month birthday.  Yes, there were other baby’s there too, but I forgot to take their picture:)  While the kids played in the hot tub mostly (it was still a bit chilly in the pool), the adults enjoyed the most elaborate array of food I’ve seen.  Helen outdid herself, as it rivaled any San Luis buffet I’ve ever seen.  Of course we had to work for our dinner, as each of us designed an outfit for Lumi with our most creative art work on onsie’s and t’s.  It was so much fun, I’m sure we all overstayed until we were lobster-red.  First sun of the summer does it every time.  To make the weekend complete for me, my sisters Paige and Ruthie, with their significant others, stayed to share in the fun. As the sun set over the balcony, everyone gave a final hug and headed home to prepare for the inevitable Monday.  We have to do this again soon!

So the tradition begins.  Diamond Beach held its first annual easter egg free-for-all (with the help of the two DB Rita’s – Fuglaar and yours truly:)  So much fun deciding what to stuff in all those plastic eggs that will tempt the toddlers to teens.  Rita Fuglaar came up with the idea of a prize table, with winning tickets inside the eggs.  It was a hit for all ages!  Can’t believe how quickly the 2 year olds figured out they could exchange that flimsy little paper ticket for the prize of their choice.  And I thought only the teens would get it:)

The turnout was surprising, as was the excellent blue-sky weather. The many palm trees offered perfect hiding places among the palm fronds and large bark.  We opened the hunt to all spending their Easter at Diamond Beach.   To prevent the younguns from getting bowled over by the bigguns, we had separate hunting areas.  As it developed, the older kids wiped out their hunting grounds pretty quickly, and seemed to enjoy assisting the toddlers in their search. It was heartwarming to watch the excitement of the hunt, without a cross word or scratched knee among them.

Next year we have an even better plan.  Forget the candy-filled eggs; they were tossed aside in search of the prized ticket-filled ones.  To get an even better idea of what we need to prepare for, there will be a sign up sheet in the lobby as folks check in.  I, for one, can’t wait!