Coussirat Clan: Beach Trip 2010

There's nothing I love more than having an annual trip. And there's no better trip than a trip spent with great friends at a great beach. Sofia has gone on this trip every summer of her short life.

Here she is at six months with Tia Sara,

and again at a year and a half,

and finally this year in all her two and a half years.

I can't tell you how important this trip is to us. It is like a recharge, it is so relaxing and best of all it is spent with some of our dearest friends in the world, Sara and Kevin. They live in Laredo so we try to tack on a trip to Laredo so we can visit there first. In July we rented a car and drove on down.

Their family owns a really cool restaurant, bar and gaming place in Laredo called Hal's Landing and we went to check it out. Sofia loved running around playing every game she could. She even tried miniature bowling.

We visited with Sara's parents and Sofia got to take a dip in the pool.

She then made herself comfortable in front of some Nick Jr.

while we dined and discussed the details of the ashes we'd be spreading over the ocean.

No, I'm not kidding. Here's the very strange side story:

Michael Strickland, the man I work for asked me one day if I was going on my annual beach trip. When I said yes he asked if the water was blue in South Padre. When I again said yes he asked if I would spread some ashes in the blue water for a friend of a friend.
Seriously? Seriously.

I thought there was no way I would ask Sara and Kevin if I could bring a dead guy with us to the beach this year. But when they came for a visit to Houston and we brought up this crazy story I should have known that Kevin would love the idea. He's as odd a sort as Michael Strickland. Did I mention I love odd sorts?

Apparently this man, James, who died left his last request to a dear friend of his that his remains be left in blue water. Since his friend couldn't make that happen for whatever reason, we did. Over that dinner in Laredo, and over the course of the week we came up with several plans on how to make it happen. The plan ranged from the reserved to the absurd (think Viking Funeral). We settled on the guys renting jet skis, taking James out and spreading his ashes as far out in the ocean as they could.

This is the short version of the story. For all the details you must ask Dan about it, preferably over a couple of beers. It really ended up being a very comical story over all, but in the end James was treated with respect and his final wishes were fulfilled. As Kevin spread his remains he very fittingly said, "James, we're just trying our best just as I'm sure you did."

So after a few lovely days in Laredo off to the beach we went!

The beach is the same every year. These are the constants...

Pool time,

and beach time, of course!

No one needed this trip more than Dan.

It had been an emotionally draining couple of months for him and this week-long vacation was a much-needed respite. John was such a wonderful father to him and obviously he quietly taught Dan how to be a wonderful father as well. Sofia and Dan had so much fun together. She's a lucky girl to have such a great daddy.