everything's sweeter by the sea

 

 

There is snow on the ground and I'm sitting here dreaming of beach days and swimming in the pool.

cloudy night on the beach

This trip was impromptu. We battled traffic the whole way there simply because we didn't take time into consideration.  We didn't mind all that much though. We had a CD book full of all of our favorites we used to listen to when we first started dating.

The water was warmer than the air. We didn't really intend on getting wet, but the ocean had other plans. Hello high tide. The sky was full of clouds, but it was still so very beautiful. 

We collected shells-- one being a crab's shell. The last time Logan held a crab, it began to move in her hand. That photo above may have took some convincing. 

We ate pizza and ice cream and left with full tummies. 
Another successful beach trip.

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.

beach time birthday

Our Jordy boy turned 12. And we couldn't wait to spoil him. We generally choose experiences over "things" so when it came time to decided how we were going to spoil our favorite boy, the option was clear. In the summer months (and even some fall/ winter) we are all about the beach. We could seriously go everyday if given the time and the budget. There is something so freeing about an unplanned beach day. We let the birthday boy make the decisions for the day. He loved having the power (within reason of course.) He's 12 now and feeling like such a man-- he got a henna tatoo as proof. Haha.. He rode rides that a sissy 11 year old wouldn't dare. Between the waves and the rides, he got knocked down,  tossed around, flipped upside-down and backwards. Manly for sure! We played in the sand, collected shells, ate boardwalk fries, drank lemonade, and got ice-cream cones. That same day there were volleyball tournaments and kids sand soccer matches going on down the beach. So there was plenty of entertainment. Logan went on a few rides herself, and was too feeling older than she is. I love seeing her on the same rides that my cousins and I went on in summers past. The first week of August we are going back to this same beach for a week. This trip was just enough to leave us wanting a little bit more. Come on, August. And Happy Birthday Jordan! (:

by the bay

Weekday shore trips during off-season are the best. No traffic, no waiting, and lots of space to play. 

The bay has become our favorite go-to spot lately. The water is calmer, warmer, and more predictible.

We can do everything there that we do at the beach-- plus some.

Like wading in the water with out getting spashed or even worse, knocked down.

Collect rocks and pebbles.

Search for treasures.

Get so sandy you need to be rinsed with buckets of water.

Big cousins are good for that.

Swing on the swings.

Go to and from the water all you want because we literally are sitting right near the water's edge (without worry that when the tide comes in our belongings will get wet.)

Explore the dock and the birds that hang out there.

Then we can still venture over to the beach side and visit the boardwalk for more fun.

And get delicious hot salty fries.

And pose with random statues. So random.

Logan loves to try new things in the arcade. 

I favor the drop-claw crane machines and Scott can be found at the basketball and football games.

This time of year some shops and games are still closed. But their stands provide excellent photo backgrounds. More randomness.

 It's so very close to open season. We checked out the rides that were being tested and checked and made ready for little laughs and screams. We can't wait to go back once everything is open.



**We got a pizza to take home from our favorite pizza shop. We stopped by the beach before we left with hopes to kick around the soccer ball and check out the waves, but it was so windy that the sand was stinging our skin-- second time this happened to us this year. There were also a lot of way too large beetles crawling in the sand that literally sent me running off the beach leaving everything behind. I'm lucky Sco is such a good sport! I'm hoping that was a one time deal and we never see them again. Other than that, I'm totally beach ready!