Life's a Beach...or not

I love the beach. The sand, water, smell...everything about it (except the extreme 2nd degree burn I received 6 days ago that still is blistering and in searing pain!). Shelby and I could go to the beach or lake everyday. Some days though the work involved makes me wonder if it's worth it and especially now the $4+/gallon of gas to get there and back is a pain in the a$$.

So, for the past few days we've been toying with the idea of getting a pool. We even went as far as taking a short trip to a local dealer who stocks and installs above- and in-ground pools. Let me tell ya, they are nice...real nice...especially when you're looking at them on a hot day like we were. The low end of the price range wasn't too far out of control, but after 24 hours of consideration we decided that buying a permanent pool isn't for us this year for many reasons.

First of all...$$$. We have other things that kind of money can go towards before a pool. Besides the cost of the pool there's the cost of having it filled, chemicals, electricity, new fence, etc. Next consideration, the time of year. By the time we get the town involved, schedule the install and replace the fence it will be August. That leaves one month to enjoy it. Nah, we'll wait til next spring and if we still want one we'll be able to enjoy it all summer.

Instead we went to WalMart and bought one like this. Not so large that the town will take any interest in it but not so small that we can't all jump in with a few friends and cool off. Shelby is such a water baby I won't be able to ever get her out of it. We will get our money's worth in no time with her alone. Crap, just the lack of "I'm bored"s will be enough to send me into fits of giggles each time I look at it.

I admit, too, that Randy was swayed into the purchase by the promise of a few late-night skinny-dips. I already have a few excuses on hand just in case I decide not to follow through ('water's too cold,' 'too many mosquitos,' 'neighbors might see,' as well as the standard 'too tired' and 'got a headache'). If I don't let him cash in, though, that may kill the idea of a permanent pool next year. Damn. I need a "Plan B."

P.S. I had to edit this because my friend Tara thought this was our actual pool and wondered who these people are. Disclaimer: I do not know these people and this is NOT my backyard. THIS is an ad from the WalMart website. Which is probably copyrighted so now I'll be sued. Thanks, Tara.