Jack Johnson In Concert

Dear Jack Johnson,

Thanks for visiting the Queen City last night. You can come back and sing to me anytime. I'll gladly spend my night wasting time and dancing to your laid back melodies.

Thanks for playing at the outdoor theater under the moonlight. It was the perfect mood enhancer to your guitar-bongo-piano beat. We had perfect seats. Up on the hill with a nice place to prop our feet up, have a drink, and relax. Thanks for breaking out the ukulele. I like a funky ukulele piece every now and then. It makes you want to prop your feet up, drink a little more, and relax.

Thanks for showing your softer side by talking about your wife and kids, and for playing Upside Down for the children in the audience. Personally I love Curious George, so I was just as excited about that song as I was about Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology. Plus I was able to video it which made our kids really excited this morning when I showed it to them. I can tell it's going to be playing in the background of a lot of dancing around here.


Thanks for being a peace lover and breaking up the fight that broke out in front of the stage during Banana Pancakes. You're right, it's not a hater song. It's a happy song that should make you want to snuggle up with someone you love. But then again that's really the vibe that most of your songs have. Chill, surfer, beachy love with some be-nice-to-others ethics thrown in for good measure. Speaking of those ethics, thanks for not preaching it from the stage. I hate it when people do that. The slides during intermission were plenty and let me know that we're on the same charity page. Slow food, farm to school, clean ocean. I'm on board.

Thanks for Do You Remember and Angel. We needed one of those look-in-each-others-eyes-and-remember moments. It was lovely. And thanks for showing me that Rodeo Clowns is a really sexy song to dance to. Especially when it starts to drizzle rain and the audience is glistening with wet skin.

This little letter wouldn't be complete without also saying thanks to your friends. G-Love, Zack Gill, you guys are awesome. I knew you guys were good, but I didn't expect to fall in love. So thanks for some new songs on my ipod.

Last night was wonderful. I was downright giddy the whole night. And I'm not a giddy person, so that's saying a lot. Thanks for that. I needed a giddy night. I want to especially thank you for playing Inaudible Melodies and Bubble Toes. I love those songs. They're oldies and I wasn't sure if you'd play them, but I'm so very glad you did. Of course, I kept saying that I loved every song that started playing last night. I don't think you have a single song that I hate. That's pretty amazing.

Really, just thanks for an all around great night that left me crashed in bed dreaming about being carried off to the sea, which is my favorite kind of dream to have.


See you in between dreams,

Megan


PS: Thanks for my cool new regatta hoodie. People who really know me, know that I will wear the life out of it. Plus I get to see boats every time I put it on. My husband is the only person who truly knows why that's so funny. I'm glad he loves me despite my quirky sentimentality.

Sand Buckets and Water Ballet

I could tell you that I took over 500 pictures while we were on vacation. But that would make me sound like a camera-happy crazy person. So instead I'll tell you that I think my family is absolutely adorable when they are being bowled over by waves, building sand castles, and just generally sitting on the beach. And that those moments are well documented.

I just had to share some of that documentation. Check out my hot husband in those jeans and old t-shirt! And that boy, who is looking less and less like a little boy with each trip. (Am I really old enough to have an almost ten year old?) And my girls. My silly, sweet girls who dance in the waves. Well, they're just too much sometimes.

I hope you'll indulge me as I share a few of my favorites. At least I know our moms will be happy with this post. And if your heaven is on a beach some where, like mine is, then you will too.

Sandy Kisses

I hate to wash our clothes after a trip to the beach. I want the smell of the ocean to linger. I hold my husband's shirt close to my nose and breathe in deep. It's the smell of him mixed with salt and sand.

I love the assault on my senses when I'm sitting on the ocean's shore. Waves crashing hard, birds talking overhead, gritty sand between toes, and face filled with breeze and salt and fish. I love the cold water hitting my knees and damp hands holding mine for balance. I love sand castles and purple sea shell bits.

I sleep hard under a beach moon, waves lullaby. My tumultuous spirit finds rest for a moment.


As I'm sorting dirty laundry, shaking out sand, I hesitate before starting the wash. I take one more deep breathe, getting it all. Letting it take root in memory. Savoring the smell of my sweet family, my husband, my boy, my creative one, my little one, covered in salt and sand and tender love.