I hopped in the front seat of my Explorer this morning and was met with the overwhelming scent of salty sea air. I have the beach in my backseat..literally. The beach was a little too far of a walk for the little ones (who am I kidding? too far for me!) so we drove back and forth...meaning lots of sandy toes and toys and tots in and out for 4 days. If I had a shop vac I could vacuum the vehicle, empty it in my backyard and have my very own mini-beach.

We had a great vacation, Sunset Beach is a beautiful...and this Florida girl knows a good beach when she sees one! I could go into the water chest deep and still be on pure, solid sand..nothing slimy, rough, sharp or poky under my feet. That's a very big deal to me...I hate (fear) mysteries under my feet in the ocean. I swam more this year than I ever have at the beach, and the water was rough! Knock you down, fill your mouth with salt water, dare to stand up again, rough. Tons of fun for this gulf coast beach goer that rarely meets a good wave.

The house we stayed in was fabulous too. Roomy enough for all nine of us to spread out but cozy enough to feel at home. Speaking of "nine"...did I ever mention we were vacationing with friends, who have 3 kids of their own? You know you've reached a new level of friendship when you take a beach vacation with another family...the make-up is off, the swimsuits are on ...that's trust.
THANKS Brad, Mindy, Maci, Aaron and Andy for inviting us to join you on your summer vacation. We had a wonderful time and made great memories. Really, thank you for the gracious invite...we feel blessed, relaxed, exhausted but energized...everything a makes a great vacation, well, great.