Last week I had the good fortune of being in Destin, Florida at one of my friend’s condo (SCORE!). I’ve not been to the beach during October but let me tell you, the timing couldn’t have been better. Besides the fact that I’ve been a little down in the dumps because of some things I’ve been wrestling with personally, I needed that time.
My daily routine was: wake up around 7 or 8. Go to balcony for Bible reading and quiet time. Eat breakfast. Put on swimsuit. Pack cooler with water, crackers, and Oreos. Grab beach chair. Head down to the sand. Plop down in the chair. Read. For hours. Head up to poolside for more reading. Go to condo for late lunch of Boar’s head cajun smoked turkey with brown spicy mustard sandwich. Back to the pool. Or the beach. Read some more. Go in for the evening. Shower. Lounge. Eat. Sleep.
I know, I was too busy to even notice that I was getting sunburned.
So imagine my dismay when I woke up at 2:30 a.m. the morning I was supposed to leave anyway and couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned because the sheets hurt me and I kept feeling all squooshy in my legs. I finally got up about 3:45am to get dressed and when I looked down at my feet to slide my shorts on, I noticed I had no ankles or knees. My legs were stumps.
I didn’t even recognize myself. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. By the time I drove the 5 1/2 hours home that morning, I was in some serious pain. And by Saturday, I was mortified because I realized I was going to a wedding that evening and I’m sure there’s no Fashion Friday advice from BigMama that could have saved me.
I don’t know if it was the sun or the serious amount of Boar’s Head cajun turkey that caused my legs to inflate like a Romper Room inflatable character, but I bet I could make a pretty penny by selling tshirts that said, “I went to the beach and all I got were some lousy stumps”!
Since today is Monday, I have to say, I’m much better. The squooshiness is minimal and the “cankles” I’ve been sporting around town have diminished significantly.
I think the next time I go, I’ll slow down a little more because apparently between frolicking between the pool and the beach, I forgot to reapply sunscreen. Silly me.
Bless your heart! I betcha you had sun poisoning. I had it once, but my legs didn’t swell. Howev-uh, they turned the scariest shade of red/purple in the strangest pattern from about mid-calf down. And itchy? OH. MY. WORD. It felt like pinpricks. Thought I was gonna die.
Glad you’re back! I’ve been missing my friend!
I don’t know if it’s better to offer sympathy or laugh… because I’ve been there before myself. Sunburns are the worst – and I’ve been cursed with the fairest of skin types… so no matter what we do outside – I’m going to get some sort of burn in the process.