last tuesday checked the shellin static in morning like i do every morning saw this big massive shell pile  though to my self love to be sitten on that pile well 2 hrs later my sister call so excited hubs is ok she poked her head in at our mom she was ok frozen chicken in over as mom tells her dont forget water sunscreen ect and she gone i was so excited to go shellin today i just knew today would be the day she would find somthing special  shellin in  tennessee with your sister to the beach and that i did her first pic was the massive shell pile was goin up 15 min later no pic so i started makein dinner hr later shes call momma had another stroke go go as she heading back 90 miles on interstate my hubs heard and i had a car and was leaving in morning oh how you life can change in a min i got to my sis that night she waited up for me as she always does when i drive as she huged me i felt everything is going to be ok that nght i slept inour moms bed never slept so good as the smell of her white shoulders linger on 600 our sister took me to see our mom her sweet smile was such a pleasure to see as i sat their and watch our sister talk to nursees and mom i relize she is her caregiver she has a gentenalness about her and talks to mom where she can understand and knows when to step in and when to let mom talk the moment that will stay with me forever is when i brough up mom a strawbeey milkshake she lit up that sweet smile and that spark in her eye see not olny the beach in in our blood but icecream is too daddy loved it he could go throug a hal gallon in one day mom and my bil had to have 6 half gallondn in frezeer all the time bil valinia mom cherry valana am i worried no because our sister has reminded me that GOD is in controll all the time and GODS got our back and my sister has mine but i have my sisters back so to my sister a big THANK YOU  from my whole being for being momma care giver  and being that gental person for her she trust you and that what matters and to my bil a big THANK YOU  for the love and surport you give our family and for me i will contune to shell on line get updates on my mom but knowing GODS in contrll and knowin if my sister needs me im 2 hrs away in that tranportion in the sky and i will be their GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME

mom and the beach

(Credit:  High Tide Creations Etsy Store)

19 years ago when I moved to Knoxville, Tennessee away from  my hometown of Dunedin Florida, I realized a lot of things that I so much appreciate now.   The one thing I guess that makes me the happiest is my Mom. She has a love for the beach that I never quite understood until I moved away.   When  Mom was not home ya knew where to find her. Mom would be on Dunedin Beach with her empty cup walking on the beach watching the birds & waves letting the glow of the sunset shine on her face.  


 When you appreciate it more is when ya don't have it.   The first time after moving going across the causeway the smell of the beach was in the air that is when I fell in love with the beach.  I got it.   That's why my Mom loves the beach so much.  It's so cool because Kelly, Karen, Chris & I all love the beach and everything about it the way my dad did and the way my mom does.   


Just because I live in Tennessee doesn't mean I cant go to the beach. I go to the beach everyday via Facebook.  Every time my sisters go shelling they make sure  they post  pictures on my Facebook page.   My nephew posts the fish he catches while spearfishng.   My SIL posts the sweetest pic of my brother on the deck fishing with his kids.   This time I didn't get to the beach too much. I wanted to stay with my Mom but I did go once.  You know that white shell with the brown spots - I only found half of a junonia but that was good enough for me ...so I have one more week of vacation.  I'm going to use it to go home to get my shelling on ............

Momma & Me

Brothers & sisters

I found a junonia 1/2
 in the shell line on Boca Grande 

Just another day in paradise!

being that old lady

As a kid I remember my mom packing us into our family car and off to my grand parent's home;  we called them Other mom and Pawpaw. We'd go to their home and it  was always fun to go to her front porch with the swing and the chicken always boiling on the stove. Usually we'd go on a Friday night.  Aunt Dunnie and Aunt Jewell would always be there as we walked through the door.  On this particular Friday night they had company from Tennessee. I were about ten years old. There was two old ladies as I remember sitting at Other Mama's dining room table. She had the table for eight. Aunt Ada was a sweet old lady that had a very gentle spirit and was always dressed.  Then there was Aunt Frank. She had the red lipstick and the white hair in the bun.  I remember getting our hugs from them and  going through and seeing Other mom in the kitchen.  I asked  who are those old ladies?  My Other Mom would gently say "Those are your PawPaw's sisters." Then we would go out the back door and proceed to met up with our cousins and play chicken on the side walk. 


 Well last summer my sister and I  were out to eat with my Aunt Dunnie.  We had a great visit and ate Greek food. After eating lunch at the Greek cafe, we took Aunt Dunnie to her favorite veggie market and then back to her house.  When we were leaving I told my sister "One day,  that's going be us with one of our nieces".  Well as this 53 birthday approaches I realize I'm that old lady aunt now. That we have four generations now.  It's my niece's and mikie's turn to bring the icess fruit roll ups and be the cool aunts and uncle. Me, I'm a great aunt now. My Aunt Dunnie is the great-great aunt and my sister Sanibel Suzanne is a grandma of what 5 or 6 and from the stories I've heard she's a special  grandma. I know Other Mom would be so proud of her and as far as me and my big sister go we are the great aunts that you will see together on the beach together two times a year;  Her in her Capri's and her shark tooth basket and me still in a two- piece because I love the sun. We will be  drinking us some Mickey Dee's sweet tea. My sister and I can still move when it comes to a low tide.  She says "sand bar" and  I say I'm There!  It's HAPPY SHELLIN FOR US.  I'm so blessed to be a daughter, aunt, great-aunt, sister, and sister-in-law so in less than six weeks my big brother and sil from Ohio are driving down I-75 south to come get me. We are taking a road trip to Alabama to little brother and sil's. Then it's on to Englewood, Florida. It's that time of year again to do I-75 south to GET SOME SHELLIN ON.

Living my life in Tennessee but my love will always be sunny skies and white sand

January 2000 on the North Jetty - Nokomis, FL

As i wait for the first real snow i am living my passion for shelling and the beach through my sisters i have the most amazing sisters we all share a love for shelling we got that from our mom as a little girl i can remember all the shells around the house she loved the beach and still does when i moved to Tennessee i really never understood the beach and what us girls had in our blood line til i had to move back so in the morning i would drop my kid off at school and head for Dunedin beach as i drove down the causeway i would get so excited knowing i would be first on the beach so i had my walk everyday i would go to the end back down and back to my car get the kid and head to the house and everyday my mom and my aunt across the street would meet me at my car and look at my mother load which i always found the I would clean and sometimes go back and watch the sunset with momma and the kid when we would do that their is nothing better in life than watching you kid run freely down the beach with bucket in hand looking for that perfect big shell as he leaves his momma and GeGe in the dust. So as i turned on my computer this morning i went shelling my little sister went to Sanibel (i think my mom should have named her Sanibel Suzanne) big sister shared a pic of one on her friends big conchs she found and me I'm going to my shell table in the garage and being creative in my 25 degree weather outside.

Sanibel Suzzanne with a huge whelk on the left &  her prized junonia on the right.

I found a few shells on my vacation back in July 2011.  I shelled beaches from Honeymoon Island to the north down to Sanibel to the south.

working on my first blog

kimmy is back...and GOD IS GOOD....FIRST BLOG COMING SOON....