99 problems but a BEACH ain’t one! 12.08.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, Andy and I took a vacation to the beach! It was incredible! We technically haven’t been on a relaxing vacay since our honeymoon….FIVE years ago. It’s hard for us to get away sometimes cause we immerse ourselves in so much. We are extremely lucky that our day-to-day lives aren’t ones we feel like we have to escape from, but it’s always nice to unplug and unwind.
We stayed at our friend’s parent’s beach house…and there were 18 of us at first, during that 4th weekend! It was an absolute blast! By Tuesday, there were only 9 of us left, but the fun raged on. Hopefully this will become a new ritual with our friends, cause who can pass up a beach trip every year?! By the end of the week, we were excited to come home and see our meow faces and get back to slangin’ records.
On the weeks leading up to the trip I debated taking my “good camera” but decided against it. I thought it would be fun to capture the trip with my instax (and phone) so here’s a smorgasbord of shots!
These are our “FUCK YES BEACH TIME” faces! We left after the store on Saturday, and got to Destin around 9pm…it was such a nice drive!
Our street corner! When we got into Destin, everyone was out eating, so we went by the house to drop off our stuff. Soon after, everyone came back and we all headed down to the beach. It was awesome putting my toes in the sand. It’s amazing how soothing sand between the toes can feel. ::sigh::
DAY ONE
We spent most of the day at the beach bobbing in the ocean drinking beer. It was so fantastic. The water was crystal clear and the waves were fun, but not too rough. After soaking up the sun, we went to one of the best restaurants of the trip, Dewey’s. We came back to the house and made pina coladas and relaxed on the beach more.
DAY TWO
We started the day with a delicious breakfast at the Donut Hole before going to the beach for a while…before the seaweed took over. Once the crabs (that lived in the seaweed) started getting too close for comfort, we moved the party poolside. For dinner we went to Pompano Joe’s…which is on the beach, and within walking distance to the house. After the delicious meal, we enjoyed hours of fireworks that stretched along the beach for miles!
DAY THREE
By this time, our group was cut in half. I felt bad for the peeps that had to head back to Huntsville, but it was nice to have a bit more room in the house. We decided to trek over to Seaside (about 20 minutes away) to do some sight-seeing and such. I love Seaside! Normally I’m not one for the cookie-cutter look, but I can dig it when it’s a beach town made to look that way. After Seaside, we freshened up at the house before walking to dinner at a not-so-great restaurant…the only bad food of the trip.
DAY FOUR
The day started with a trip to the beach, but upon discovering there were even more crabs and seaweed in the water, we decided to hit up some thrift and antique stores. Andy found a Bang & Olfusen record player for only $20, so that was by far the best thrift score for us in a while. After spending the day “shopping” we lounged by the pool until the evening. Half of the group went to a seafood market to get stuff for the big shrimp broil, but Andy and I took the time to stroll along the beach at sunset, just the two of us. It was a much needed couple of hours, and definitely the most relaxing part of the trip (aside from bobbing in the ocean the entire first day).
(this pretty much summed up the trip!)
beach mullet (so gross)!
DAY FIVE
Our initial plan was going to be wake up super early, go to the beach for a few hours, shower, grab lunch, head home. However, after discovering the water was pretty much a GIANT floating island of seaweed, we decided to just head home super early. We left around 7am, before anyone had woken up…seemed easier that way. It was a pleasant drive home and we arrived in Huntsville mid-afternoon. That night I had a part in a Crash Boom Bang play that was a BENefit show for our friend Ben, who had broken his hand playing drums with the Pine Hill Haints. We raised enough money for part of his surgery and such. It was super fun coming home from vacation and there being something exciting to do that night!