Going topless at Virgina Beach is frowned upon, apparently...

I've been hesitant to post again mostly because I'm not getting much feed back... Y'all have been telling me for YEARS to make a blog or write a book. Its a pretty humbling thing to put your 'stuff' out there. You wait, you wonder, you second guess. To my faithful friends and family THANK YOU for your feed back !! Last night Randy of all people all but begged me to post something else. "But you LIVE with me, you know all my stories, you finish my sentences, I'm just a wife and Mom and I'm oh so boring." He said "Oh but I've forgotten them and you are funny, well written, inspiring, and people deserve to hear this stuff whether they comment you or not, its FUNNY. You have almost have 600 views 'someone' or 'someone(s)' is reading this." SO for my Randy here's another few short stories about "Those things I do." =) Its a sunny day in September of 1990 Virgina Beach Virgina. I am on my honey moon. Randy and I purchased a boogie board. While he was out catching waves I was content to video him and catch me some rays. At some point he convinced me to give it a try. Two problems with this 1.) I DON'T swim. 2.) I HATE HATE HATE getting my face wet. But being the supportive, happy go lucky, wanting to make my hew groom happy, wife that I was I said I'd give it a try. And I was hooked. It was a BLAST, I didn't have the skill he did and I looked like a fish out of water on that board that I clung to for dear life, but I didn't care it was fun ! My BFF at the time (Chris) had loaned me her bikini. At some point in the day I went and changed out of my one piece and into this cute neon pink, orange, and black 2 piece. Yes, once upon a time I was not old, and fat, and didn't even know what cellulite was ! lol Randy stayed in the room and I headed back out, with my new friend the boogie board. After catching a particularly large wave, upon washing onto the shore, I excitedly looked up at our hotel window to see if Randy had seen, but of course he had not. I laid there for a few minutes propped up just looking around and basking in my new found talent. After a minute or 2 a little girl walked by me and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off me. I thought it was weird but I just smiled. Next thing I know her mom walked over in a huff and yanked her away from me, giving me a nasty look. "Sheeesh whats her problem" I wondered. I decided it was time to stand up. As I did so to my utter horror I realized my bikini top had worked its way down to my WAIST and there were my 'girls' just hanging out for alllll the world to see. I had been lying there propped up on my elbows for MINUTES and no one bothered to tell me. THEN all the stares I had been getting made sense. I thought people were just impressed with my 'Mad Boogie Board Skills' NOPE they were staring at my girls in all their glory... Again I say "Only Me" !! I pulled my top up, RAN to get my towel, then RAN to our hotel room and dissolved into tears as I told Randy my sob story. To his credit he didn't laugh... at first ! Haha Fast forward same trip to a couple days later. Against my better judgment Randy convinced me to walk out much farther into the water than I was comfortable with. There we stood letting wave after wave lift us and make us feel as if we were floating. It was SO cool, there were even dolphins swimming aruond us. By the time I realized how far out we had drifted it was too late. We both looked up in time to see a tsunami type wave heading right at us picking up size and speed by the second. I was terrified to say the least. Randy the ever present voice of reason (seriously hes THE BEST person to have around in a crisis.) told me he loved me and said "Its gonna be OK heres what we are gonna do." You see HE could have easily swam up to the shore and avoided the wave but as I said earlier I DO NOT SWIM. I HONESTLY before God thought I was going to die. I can not stress the size of this wave getting bigger and stronger as it made its way towards us. This is a good time to mention that it was HURRICANE season, and someone had DIED in the ocean just the day before... Did I mention I cant swim ? Any way back to what happened. I just kept murmuring "I love you, I'm so sorry, I dont want to die..." Randy said "Look at me Tiffany, you ARE going to be OK and heres what WE are going to do." He showed me how to lock arms with him using both our hands to grip each others forearms. Then he said and I'll NEVER forget this "That wave IS coming and we ARE going to get hit and I KNOW you are afraid BUT I.WILL.NOT.LET.YOU.GO.NO.MATTER.WHAT." Keep in mind this all happened in probably less than a minute. I told him something like but YOU can swim for it... He shut me up saying again that I would be OK and he'll be holding me the entire time. So there we stood in the deep blue ocean watching this tidal wave of impending doom... When it was almost upon us he said "Ready ? Now take a DEEP breath, and remember I'm not letting go no matter what." I didn't have time to reply. Then next thing I knew I was on the bottom of the ocean floor. I was being pulled by the under current. "So THIS is what its like to die" I thought and I also thought about the poor soul that had just drown the very same way days before. As I was being thrown about feeling scrapes and cuts forming on my belly and legs the most MIRACULOUS thing happened. I felt Randy ON TOP of me. For a brief second I thought he thought he was being funny. I cant explain it, such confidence and faith I had in him that he was in fact going to save me that I thought he on purpose landed on me. Next thing I know I'm being lifted straight out of the water. Upon finding my footing you'd think I threw my arms around Randy and thanked him properly for saving me. Sadly that's NOT what I did. I YELLED at him for playing a joke on me and laying on top of me when clearly I was terrified and thought I was gonna die. He was like "WHAT ?? I just saved your life that wave THREW me on top of you !!" I dissolved into a hot mess of tears again, profusely apologized, and spend the rest of the day reflecting on what 'almost' happened... So to my Hero Randy, I hope you enjoyed this and THANK YOU again for saving my life, for putting MY needs, my very LIFE, before your own. THANK YOU for never letting go, both then, and the many times on this our Journey of 21 years of marriage, when letting go would have been So.Much.Easier... And THANK YOU for saving my life not once but TWICE. More on that story some other day. I hope you enjoyed this and I'll bet you too have a 'hero' in your life to be eternally grateful to/for. If so please share with me I'd love to hear YOUR story of survival ! =) Here's a hint about my next blog... "On Sharks, Praying, and almost dying, AGAIN"