Beach Vacation 2011

Our summer started out on a wonderful note: one playing the tune of crashing waves, sand crunching underfoot, and a fantastic gulf breeze.  My mom rode with us down I-10 to Navarre Beach where we met my brother Drew, his wife Amelia, their son Asher, and my brother Neal met us later in the week.  Looking back, almost two months removed, the highlights for me are laughing with my family, eating great food, playing in the sand and the waves, and enjoying my girls making memories that I pray stick with them.

I'm happy that we all kind of take on the same rhythm when we get to the beach.  Our days start early because there are four children age five and under in the condo, so there's usually a nice morning full of two rounds of coffee, breakfast, and then a morning crew beach run.  We set up the tents and take out the beach toys and try to get a couple of hours in the sand before noon-lunch-nap-rest time hits.  This year mom usually stayed in with Camille because she needed her morning nap and when I came up to fix lunch and put the other girls to rest, she had her chance to head down.  The afternoon brought something different each day because I was juggling Camille (who needed another nap before dinnertime) with Charlotte (who took some extended mid-day naps due to the copious amount of fun she was having out on the beach), and Caroline who almost never actually napped.  We did all make it back down to the beach at some point in the afternoon before it was time start planning who was cooking and what we were eating.  And I'll have you know that all of the beach conferencing on food and recipes did the trick, because we ate very well while we were there without ever going out to eat.  

If I had to choose one word for the vacation, it would be joyous.  I love spending time at the beach.  I love being with my immediate family out of the hustle of daily life of work, school, and daycare.  I love being with my mom, brothers, sister-in-law, and nephew.  I love seeing all of my people together, having fun, living, and laughing.  It was truly a gift.