Ashley, a Lobster?

Ashley had a great set of friends in high school. These kids were extremely bright and well motivated, and consequently, they were competitive with their grades, etc. But more importantly, they had high moral standards and were great role models for each other. What more could a parent ask for?

During spring break of their junior year, I took a group of these girls to Destin, FL. That town then was undiscovered, and we stayed in one of a group of cottages on the beach. There were no malls, no high rises, and not very many places to eat.

The girls got too much sun, of course and named themselves “The Lobsters.” Thus, Mama Shack and the Lobsters began.

We had a great time and even had t-shirts printed with our names on each one. This was the first of many spring breaks for me and our children. We would all pile into someone’s station wagon (I don’t remember minivans back then) and Mama Shack would drive them down.

I became quite close to these friends of Ashley’s and saw them often during the school year as well. They even gave me a surprise birthday party on my 40th.

Out of this group, there were doctors, lawyers, Ph.D’s, CPA’s, teachers, etc. Looking back, it’s amazing that so many fine students were all together in one class, but I’m very grateful that they were the ones she chose for her friends.