By Way of the Beach

EEEEEEEeeekkkkk....

2 more sleeps!

About 10 more bags to pack.

Maybe 3 more errands to run?

Then we are blowing this pop stand and hitting the BEACH!!!!!!!!!!

As I said last year, we had a uber fun time in Port Aransas. I pretty much mentally planned right then and there that we would be returning this year! To me its funny, even though time marches on and you feel like sometimes it marches a cadence you can't keep pace with, when you are looking forward to something so fiercely, even a double step in time is easy to march with!! That's exactly how I feel... I am owning this week's march by way of the getting to go to the beach!! Only 2 days and counting till we pull out of town and start looking for seagulls!!

If you don't already know me, let me shed some light on how I prep for a trip:

I begin by setting the mood around the house and within my mind... how do I do that, you say? Well by changing decor and moving stuff around and pumping up my Ipod tunes while I am at it!! I also come up with craft ideas while trying to fall asleep and then begin to knock them out like 2 weeks prior to our trips (case in point)!! My husband usually doesn't realize I have hit this stage in my vaca prep until he bumps into a newly placed chair or table (because it wasn't there when he went to bed) or when he looks up to see yet another newly placed candle where the clock used to be (he likes it... I know he does)!!! I also ramp up my reading and sock pile books/magazines for said trip... so far since June I have read 5 books and have 2 1/2 waiting in the wings!!! And lastly the obsessive list making begins, like multiple lists with multiple columns...

Yeah, I know it's a bit much... but hey, it's me and I love it!! The boys and I talk about our past trip and plan to recreate the fun we had and then some. There will be castles built and cannonballs announced while bottles are lifted in a silent node to the precious moments being shared. We will laugh, get sunburnt, laugh some more and then wake up each morning ready to do it all again!! Vacation can either be a bear or a bear hug... you get to choose. At one point in my life, as I am sure a lot of others can agree, trips with our kids in tow were a beating! That's just a given.... But if you can get past the packing, tired head, whinning, and excessive planning and prep that goes into it, you'll see that with the right amount of attention, packing readiness and mindset vacations can be an epic sliver of time that is a gift  given to everyone involved!!! Now... remind me to read that when we hit about hour 3-5 in the car ride this week!!  That being said, here is the rearranging and readiness I dove into this past week to ramp up the excitement for our soon to be beach getaway:

 {newly thrifted find, my new bluefriend}

{Last year's last minute diy beach sign reappeared and my mantle was sprinkled with past beach finds}

Here are some beach tips I learned from last year: 

{PSA... my tips are for Texas beaches, cause they are not like most beaches}

**bring a rake and/or shovel with you... seaweed is just part of the beach life around the Gulf.

**Canopy's are worth the money!! The Texas heat is unforgiving... coverage is a refuge and is a must.

**Pack extra sunscreen, aloe, lotion, and talcum powder. Extra sunscreen for reapplication throughout the day, aloe and lotion for after the shower, and the powder too for after the shower (for those places you never knew sand could find)! Trust me... A chaffed kid makes for a grumpy kid (and parent)!!!

**Don't pack a heavy lunch for the beach, but pack tons of water, gatorade or flavored water! Kids/adults will be hot and wet and distracted... a full meal really doesn't bowed well in that environment, and believe me kids won't want to leave the beach to go eat! Rather than fight and argue over eating, pack hardy snacks that are quick and easy... cheese sticks, crackers, lunch meat, fruit, and drinks to stay hydrated! 

**Use cheap plastic plates and utensils instead of paper. It's windy and liter on a beach is good for no one!! Plastic dinnerware can be used and then packed away, rinsed/washed and reused. Plus they are sturdier to eat off of! I find mine on sale at Target or the Dollar store.

**Take tons of pics and put them in a photo book ASAP... you will thank me later, year after year after year!!!!

Vacations are yours for the making! You can be happy or stressed. Soak up every minute or begrudgingly get thru every minute... its up to you!! We choose happy! We decide to lavish in the time we get together! That's us.... I can't wait!!! 

Here's to memories on the horizon!!!! 

#PortA2013 #teamlewis

Follow all our adventures on Instagram... abbeylewis :)))