Of beach days and sunburns...

Today we went to Anna Maria Island with our friends as kind of an end of the summer hurrah before we start the school schedule again. This was our first time to this particular beach and it lived up to everything I've heard from people who go there regularly. The water was nice and wavy for boogie boarding and body surfing and the temperature was just right even for me (I like warm water - my body does not like to be shocked by sudden temperature changes).

We had all dutifully applied sunscreen and had an umbrella up for shade, which I sat under for much of our time there. On the way home, however, I noticed that I hadn't done a very good job with the sunscreen on my legs, as the sides (and only the sides) of my upper legs got more and more red, and my face started feeling warmer and warmer, which made me realize I hadn't put any sunscreen on my face at all - oops! So I think to myself, "So I'll tone down the red face with makeup for a few days and it'll be fine. And no one sees that part of my legs, so no big deal." This internal conversation was all before I had actually looked in the mirror.

Now I have had some seriously strange sunburns in the past, like when I was at one of the kids' games outside and sat with my legs crossed and ended up with a diagonal white slash across my thigh between a red knee and red upper thigh. Or the time I tried to put sunscreen on my own back and ended up with a sunburn on my back that had a curious white handprint right above where I was unable to reach any further. But today, I may have outdone myself: I have a sunburn down the outside of both legs and a bright red neck and face, everything else is fine. Do you know how ridiculous that looks? Did I mention that I had been wearing sunglasses the whole time, so I also have white around my eyes where they covered? Should I also tell you that tomorrow, my dear husband and I are going to a field trip at the beach for a good part of the day, which will require me to wear a swimsuit and show off that fine sunburn from today? Oh, yeah, and that it's our anniversary? It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?

So, I'm off to slather aloe after-sun lotion on my face, neck and outer legs again before going to bed. It was a good day and I'm sure someday I'll look back at this and laugh - probably the next time it happens.