Hello and happy Wednesday!
Well, we’ve almost been home for two weeks, and I’ve shared about Hayden’s time in Arizona and our pit stop in Tennessee at Dolly’s, and today I’m finally getting to share about our week in Seaside, Florida.
It’s hard to believe, but this is the fifth year we’ve traveled with the same crew and stayed in the same house…and while each year looks different, we’ve mastered some traditions as well.
You won’t be able to tell by this post, but on this trip, I took far less photos than I have on previous ones. The kids are around less (this was the first year they could drive!! We spent a lot of time telling them what time to pick us up from the beach…haha!)…and I guess I can only take so many photos of the pretty water and beautiful sunsets…but I still have lots to share today.
Since we have this week down to a science in regards to planning, ordering groceries, and relying on our strengths and weaknesses, I’m going to do this recap a little differently.
To start, here’s a breakdown of what we did each day:
- Saturday: We all arrived at various times on Saturday. While we were the last to arrive, we were the first in the house, so we got unpacked while others finished up an Hurricane’s, a restaurant we usually go to on the way in. Then, once everyone was at the house, we unpacked the groceries before going to the beach for sunset. The kids went to Seaside Square for the evening, and the adults hung out at home.
- Sunday: I slept until 10…and tracked Hayden has he made his way to Arizona. I was exhausted. Every morning started slowly with some reading and a cup or two of coffee. Then, overall, it was a beach day….and the kids even hung at the beach for a couple of hours which made us happy. We caught sunset, and then dinner was hamburgers and hot dogs we grilled out as well as some sides…followed by s’mores. We spent the rest of the evening at home.
- Monday: We had another beach day which was lovely. That evening, we all headed to Seaside Square for dinner. There are lots of restaurants and food trucks, so everyone just picked what they wanted and met up to eat. The kids were around, but they all found friends who were there and ate with them. We hung out and watched the football game that was on the screens in Seaside before heading back to the house.
- Tuesday: By the third day of vacay, I typically move a little slower, and that’s how Tuesday was. I hung out at the house for quite a while, and Trav and I went to Seaside around 10:30 or so. We walked around, shopped a bit, and I went to my favorite book store…Sundog Books! After that, we had lunch at Daytrader which we’d never been to before. Then, it was beach time, and I stayed there until sunset which was so nice! All the adults listened to Yacht Rock in preparation for the moms and daughters watching the Yacht Rock themed Dancing with the Stars. It was also “Taco Tuesday” at the house, so we had that dinner while watching DWTS.
- Wednesday: Wednesday was mostly spent at the beach because the weather was beautiful, and we only had two days left. A couple dads and some of the kids went open water fishing very early in the morning. That evening was the parents night out where we go out to eat. We tried a new (to us) restaurant…The Bay. We got there right at sunset, and there was live music to enjoy while we waited. Dinner was delish, and that evening some of us stayed up and played cards for a bit.
- Thursday: The forecast for Thursday had called for rain, but everything held off for our last full day. Travis and I took the girls to Seaside, and they got breakfast while we went to Black Bear for coffee and breakfast. Then, I went shopping and also checked back in at Sundog because I was looking for a book that they didn’t have on Tuesday. I did get the book and then a Seaside sweatshirt at another store…so it was a successful trip. When we got back to the house, Travis decided to go to Publix to get a few pub subs, and that was our lunch. I ended up with a slight headache, so I decided to take it easy at the house and finish my book…and I even took a nap. When we packed up to head to the beach for the final sunset of our trip, others were coming back saying how windy it was…and these are the tried and true beach goers! So, it was a bummer to miss the final sunset, but there was no point with the fierce winds (the rain did come the next morning). Thursday night is always eat all the leftovers…and clean out the fridge. We packed up, some finished a puzzle, and the kids ran around with friends and then had s’mores.
- Friday: Friday morning it was time to head home. We were all up around 6:30 and on the road by 7:30 or so. We snapped one last group photo before leaving.
My friend is so talented, and she made us all cups…but each one had a different “mostly likely to…” Once we got settled on Saturday, we divvied up the cups…and mine was…
Most likely to…make it to three beach sunsets! yep! That’s me. Trav got “most likely to sit in the shade” yes!, Hadley had “most likely to go to Pickles,” which she went to at least three times, and even though Hayden wasn’t there, he got “most likely to bike to the beach” which is very much him.
Now on to the picture portion of my recap:
Great Weather:
We had great weather all week! The lows were in the 60’s, and the highs were in the mid-80’s. The only rain chance we had was Thursday, and it got bumped to Friday when we were leaving. I do think it rained most of the weekend after we left.
That being said, the purple flag was flying most days, and it was no lie…marine life (jellyfish!) got one of the kids and one of the adults on two different days.
Has there ever been a more perfect hat for me?!
The beach was only somewhat crowded our first day, but after that, we had our pick of spots!
Sunsets:
I think the only day I didn’t see a the sunset was our last night due to the winds. Three nights we made it to the beach, and then Monday night, we saw the sunset at Seaside, and Wednesday night at the restaurant.
First night sunset…
Sunset in Seaside…
Slow mornings:
Every morning was slow moving which I appreciated. Many of us started our mornings with coffee on the front screened in porch.
Lots of Reading:
On Sunday, I finished a book, and then Monday, I started…
Wednesday, I started…
By Thursday, I started another book, so I call that a success!
Fave Places:
Some of our fave places include the shopping in Seaside as well as Modica Market, Sundog Books, and Black Bear Bread Co.
So many books I read this year were on display…
This Poptart was delish!
Time Spent in the Square:
The teens were up there quite a bit, and I went there three times…once in the evening, and then twice during the day. It was not crowded at all!
The girls rode the golf cart with us one morning, and we grabbed coffee while they shopped.
The post office is always picturesque and is always a fave.
Travis…always working. haha
Purchases:
Hadley was so thoughtful and excited to show me this purchase…a drawing of the post office that she got for me. She was equally excited that she used her money (she’s a working girl!) to buy it.
On my first trip to Sundog Books, I picked up a couple of stickers for my Kindle as well as a word search book. ( I love word searches!)
On my second trip to the book store, they had the book I was looking for…and I spotted these cute matches that I had to have!
Tried New Places:
For lunch, Travis and I tried Daytrader for the first time. The A/C saved us, but the decor was cute too!
He got a burger, and I got a shrimp bowl; both were delish!
We had the parent dinner at The Bay on Wednesday night. We’d never been there before, and the atmosphere was so nice. We were right on the water, there was a live band, and the food was delish.
Evenings at the House:
As everyone knows, I’m a homebody and even more so in the past few years. I feel thankful to feel “at home” in Seaside and at the house we rent because we’ve been there five years in a row. Also, the kids are at the age where they don’t need us as much, we we enjoyed hanging back at the house, playing games, listening to music, roasting s’mores, etc.
On Tuesday, we did listen to Yacht Rock most of afternoon and at sunset because we were going to watch Dancing with the Stars that evening.
Play Nine is always a fun game to play…
It was a group effort, but one puzzle was completed during the week. Two moms stayed up pretty late finishing it on the last night!
Pool time:
We have two pools in the neighborhood we stay in, and I’ve never been to either…that being said, the teens use them quite a bit.
This could be an album cover! lol
Photo Opps:
You know who loves to take a photo?! Teen girls!! They had three nights were they hit up Seaside and the beach for sunset photos…and they turned out so amazing.
They pack a lot of clothes, and then share with each other! LOL
They got good at asking people to take the group photos. haha
…with the occasional selfie!
Hadley loves the beach!
Great Crew:
We missed Hayden, but this crew had a great time together….no fighting, lots of late nights, lots of laughing, running around, beach time, pool time, golf cart rides and more.
Again, it was a great trip and another year filled with memories. Of course, it was different not having Hayden with us, but he was having a great time with his cousins.
We have this vacation pretty much down to a science…even after the initial Publix delivery, we still almost make some kind of daily Publix run, we let the kids do their thing (with restrictions, of course) and they are good about being back to the house by 8:00, we take multiple trips to and from the beach for those who want to go, we know who wants to get oysters a time or two, we know who is likely to sleep in (that’s probably me!), who likes to go on daily walks (Trav and others), who wants to be at the beach as early as possible, and who wants to catch as many sunsets as possible (again, me!)
We still use the Splitwise app to settle up at the end of the trip, and it’s been an easy way to keep track of expenses.
Other Trip Recaps:
What a blessing to have a crew who is easy to travel with and oh so much fun!
While Seaside was mostly spared during Hurricane Isaias, the community was closed Friday-Monday with power outages, debris and some damage. I follow a few 30A accounts, and seeing the photos of washed away boardwalks and uprooted palm trees was a sad sight, but it could have been so much worse.
I’m so glad our favorite little town was spared.
