if it's the beaches

This past Tuesday the weather was predicted to be warmer than it typically is this time of year, Scott was home for the day, so planning a beach trip accordingly just made sense. We packed a bag and headed east with our sweet girl and her favorite stuffed pal in tow. 

When we arrived we were so bummed as the wind was whipping. The past few times we made day trips, they had to be cut short due to wicked sandy wind storms. For the record, there is nothing pleasant about sand in the eye. Fortunately though, the wind did die down a bit and it was tolerable. We decided to overlook the wind and go on with our day as planned. We spotted spring blooms on the beach dunes, a definite first for us. They were so pretty, and such a different look for the rather generic dunes we see all summer long. 

We pretty much had the beach to ourselves and were able to run free up and down the shore. Logan loved having this freedom of being able to hunt for treasures without strict limits. Along with with lots of shells and beach stones, we found a few dead crabs near the waters edge. They soon became the obsession. Logan had so many questions regarding how they got there, where they would end up, could we take them home, etc. She picked one up for me to snap a photo of to send off to Grammy, and it began moving in her hand. I unintentionally screamed, startling her. Our attempt to 'wow' Grammy resulted in us being wow'd when the dead crab began moving in her little hand. Awful or awesome parenting? We still can't decide. 

Naturally we forgot sunscreen, so I had to make a stop to grab some.  We did however remember our beach pails and shovels, which provided to be great entertainment for both Logan and Scott. They played for quite a while, only torturing me slightly as I tried to catch a tan. 

I did catch some pretty great moments on my iPhone of Logan running wild and free with sandy hands and dancing feet that moved to the rhythm of the sea. It made my heart so happy seeing her loving good on mother earth. I melt watching, knowing those feelings all too well. Some of my best memories are ones from beach trips with family, and still to this day, the beach is a place that provides me with so much comfort and peace. I hope Logan carries with her those very same feelings into adulthood. I can only hope that she never looses the desire to pick up random items, intrigued and excited. And that she continues to see the beauty in everything, like those broken shell souvenirs she gathered up, typically unwanted and usually tossed back into the ocean.

Later on in the afternoon, we headed down a town over to grab our favorite boardwalk pizza. It was even better than we anticipated, and just what we needed to fill our bellies for the drive home. 

It's such a beautiful day when all of those little imperfections complied together make it more than perfect. We are already talking about another visit.