Little Swimmer

My little fish is all over the pool this summer. Thanks to swim lessons with Miss Miranda and Miss Tiffany, Cole can swim the whole length of the pool - 40 feet!

I love his long eyelashes and cute, little, freckled nose... 

Diving down for dive sticks...

Tijuana Flats: Accept all kinds of people, even those that use mild sauce!

You can find me at Tjuana Flats on Monday or Wednesday when it's military discount days. Or on Tuesday or Thursday because I'm craving it. Or after church on Sunday. Any excuse...I'm there.

I love their black bean enchiladas with red sauce..delish! With a side of their homemade guac...watch out! Their chips are crispy and seasoned...you definitely can't stop at just one.

The best part is that their customer service is over the top. Seriously...they rock.

Cole likes their food also, but what he really likes is that a tattoo comes with the kids meal. He is all about that. And I'm all about it too because it means he is always agreeable to going!

So if you are looking for a fast, friendly meal that will leave you wanting more...check them out asap!

And if you need more reasons, here are just a few items from their manifesto:

• There is no problem a burrito can’t solve
• Crushed ice can take you to your happy place
• Next time, order a chimichanga just because it’s fun to say
• Predictable is too normal, normal is too predictable
• Lighten up or leave
• Get in touch with your inner weirdness
• Accept all kinds of people, even those that use mild sauce
• Embrace the strange & unexplained, if at first you don’t understand it, maybe you never will
• Don’t be a stranger, just be stranger
• A pair of tacos is always a winning hand
• Give heat a chance
• Sometimes cheezy is good
• It only burns for a little while
• We’ll clean up the mess, so get messy
• Try the hot bar even if it’s on a dare
• Don’t stare at the murals too hard, you might get sucked in 

I must confess, I've always struggled to accept that some people choose to use mild sauce. I mean..what's wrong with them?? I'm not calling anyone out, but Dara and Randy Barwick should feel very welcome dining at Tijuana Flats. 

 

And much to my dismay, I've somehow managed to acquire a reflux problem or an ulcer or something. I'm really not supposed to eat anything that tastes good...like hot stuff, tomatoes, onions, or garlic. Lately I have had to order my enchiladas with NO sauce. I seriously hang my head in shame when I order...like I'm one of "those" people. But just as they claim, the folks at Tijana Flats quietly process my order and my shame is only half as bad thanks to their politeness. 

 

I'm off to take my Prilosec...    :)

 

Splish, Splash...Pool Makeover by Bright Blue Pools

I think everyone who grows up in the deep south has fond summer memories that include high temps and cool waters. When I was 4 or 5 I took swimming lessons from Mrs. Platt (?). From that day forward I spent most of my summers begging for pool time. My cousins Lyndra and Gene and I logged many hours of Marco Polo in the pool at Fernside. If you ever swam there you might shiver thinking of the spring water that filled the pool. My earliest memory of a scent/smell is of the strong smell of pine needles around that pool. Years later my friend Sherri, and I pedaled our bikes up to the Barwick pool more times than I can count. Because my birthday is in August, many of my birthday parties were pool parties.

All my life I begged for a pool. Guess when my mama broke down and got one? You got it...not until the thought of grandchildren came along!  ha

Because we move around so much we have purchased seven homes in the 18 years that we have been married. No matter how hard I searched and no matter how much I wanted one, I was never able to find the right house with a pool until we got to number seven. You can imagine how excited I was to  move here last year and have my very own pool...finally!

But our pool had problems. Black algae flourished on the walls, and we spent a small fortune on algaecide which really just made the problem a little less disgusting. Then a crazy storm came along in March and separated the deck and our coping. We did lots of searching for someone to repair our pool and finally settled on Curtis Nelson of Bright Blue Pools (Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre, Mary Esther...basically Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Bay, and Walton Counties).

Our pool was a MESS, but this is what it looks like now:

(Restoring our deck is next so ignore the ugliness of the boards around the pool.)

Curtis and his crew did such a wonderful job. I really can't brag on them enough. They arrived promptly each morning, were professional and worked HARD. Curtis was either working along with them or checking in frequently. They worked hard to be sure we were happy with the results. They truly went above and beyond what we expected.

This is what our steps looked like before...ick.

This is what the coping looked like after the storm...

After they cleaned the pool, they went to work removing the coping...

Then they put new tiles in...

Next they made a "mold" for the new coping...

Pouring the new coping...

This is what it looked like before they coated it with cool decking (I don't think cool decking is exactly what they used, but something like that.)

Check out those clean, new steps and the coping!

Steps before the pool was refilled...

And finally...filling the pool!

Thanks so much Curtis and crew. We appreciate all of your hard work and love our sparkly, new pool!