Dreamin' About The Beach

This is what I look like when I'm dreaming about the beach. Actually, this is what I look like as I drive home from a four day stay at the beach and am already dreaming about the next time I'll be at the beach. Ahh . . . the beach.

Our fourth annual Memorial Day Bethany Beach trip did not disappoint! There is something special about this quick getaway to the beach for our family. It is just what the kids need to help them get through those last two grueling weeks of school. The Hubby and I are also totally due for a major break when this weekend comes around - a break from sports, a break from church jobs, a break from work, a break from fighting children. And so, every year we pack up our shovels, pails and towels and head to Delaware's Eastern Shore.

The sand, surf, and (on a good year) sun always seem to calm all our frazzled nerves. There is no whining at the beach. Our little people dig holes, build castles, collect treasures, discover marine life, jump the waves, fly kites, catch frisbees, eat sandy food and remain generally happy and content until they crash on their pillows each night, exhausted but blissfully happy, their sunkissed faces wearing smiles made with memories.

This year our party included two other families - my brother Chris' Family(back for their second year), and the Knoll Family (close friends from our ward). This combination of families worked out really well, because every child had a buddy their age from another family, which led to harmonious interaction and relatively little fighting (translation: HAPPY PARENTS).

Instead of going on and on about how fabulous the whole trip was (man, it was truly fabulous)I thought I'd just do a quick Top Ten and throw together a slide show so you can actually see the fabulosity for yourselves! So, here goes:

Bethany's Beachy Best TOP TEN 2008

10. Sonic on the drive up. Sonic on the drive down. There is no Sonic in Virginia, so we are giddy with excitement when we make this trip each year and get our Sonic fix. I downed two Strawberry Limeades that were almost as tall as RedDog - just love the huge chunks of berries and whole limes at the bottom. And the pellet ice - so totally chewable! The rest of my crew is crazy for the TOTS!

9. Bear Trap Dunes. Our home away from home for the past four years continues to meet our needs. The kids/dads played tennis on the clay courts at least four times. After our first day on the beach, everyone came home for a swim in the pool and soaking in the jacuzzi. We love this well manicured, well managed village and our house this year was perfect!

8. Great weather. I don't know how we've lucked out the past three years in the weather department! This year we had four sunny days in a row with mid-seventies weather. The sand felt warm, the water felt cold and our screened in porch at Bear Trap was divine!

7. The Wii. My kids are like crack addicts with the Wii. (which is why we don't have one) They had a blast playing with their friends and it was fun to watch and listen to them. It kept them happy and us too!

6. Marine Life. We managed to watch a man catch 4 fish and a horseshoe crab during our first walk on the beach upon arriving Friday. The Hubby was able to let the kids touch and look at the horseshoe crab. The kids also caught sand crabs and clams, teased sea gulls and spotted dolphins during our stay. Hannah even found an intact sand dollar.

5. Sunday. It is always neat for our kids to experience having our own little church service when we go to the beach. Everyone was able to participate in our Sacrament Meeting and we heard some really neat stories about Uncle Chris and Mr. Karl when they were missionaries. We went and visited an historic lighthouse and got to stand with one foot in the state of Delaware and one foot in the state of Maryland at the SAME TIME! We also took a very relaxing walk on the beach as a family.

4. Food. We ate like kings! There was way too much food, but it was all so good.

3. Funnies. So many funny things happened, that I cannot begin to list them here. Needless to say, many of them involved small children saying or doing the hilarious. Laughter was frequent and plentiful. Giggles were a plenty as well.

2. Castle Idol 2008. Never challenge a Carlson to a castle building contest. It was Knolls vs. Carlsons (or former Carlsons) and it was serious business. I spent the better part of 3 hours on my hands and knees in the sand on Monday creating a Taj Mahal of castles with my brother Chris. We picked an unbiased random passerby to vote on the winner. I won't taint the results by posting them here (but we all know who won). :)

1. Game Night. Every Night. I don't think we went to bed before 1:00 AM the entire trip. Each night after the youngsters hit the hay, the cards would come out and so would the smack talk, the M&M's and the serious competitive natures! We did it all - Tripoly, Kingdom, Mormon Bridge, Speed Scrabble, Settlers of Catan, Canasta and a little Texas Hold Em. It was so fun, and now I'm very, very tired.

Enjoy the slide show! Can't wait to get back to the beach.