Babbling from a Beach Chair

We spent a week at Surfside Beach, SC for the second annual family beach week. Seven adults, one fantastic and precocious soon-to-be five year old and seven days of perfect weather. From my beach chair perched beneath a shady umbrella the following occurred to me in no particular order:

1. You really can go to the beach for a week and not get sunburn. It just requires a lot of sunblock and large hats.

2. If you can't actually disconnect from the office fully, the tension never really leaves your back.

3. I am way too attached to my iPhone for far too many tasks, tidbits and mindless moments.

 4. Devouring books, printed on actual paper, is still one of my absolute favorite things to do. The Lemon Tree and Japanland, both excellent reads.

5. No matter how long you stare at the ocean it won't give you the answer to the questions you're asking, unless you're really ready for the answers.*

6. Being an outsider to the tribe known as mothers becomes a very different experience every year further you go in life.
 
7. Lifeguards don't really guard beach goers, but they do handle beach rentals, check their phones/laptops and work on their tans, a lot.

8. Cheap airline flights are not always worth the cost savings.

*It does however prepare you to hear exactly what you were looking for while sitting in a pew on Sunday morning after you return. 

The Sound of Silence

Taking a moment to quiet the voices in and outside my head by replacing them with the sound of the ocean.

With any luck, I'll have solved the world's problems by week's end.

In case that doesn't happen, I'm working on my tan and sand castle building skills. It seems like the sensible thing to do.

Beach Plan

You would think this is a post about exercising to get ready for the beach. You would be wrong. We're headed to the beach with the whole family in late June and we need to meal plan for the week to keep the trip on the cheap. So, I'm in search of the perfect meal suggestions. Breakfast at home, lunch on the beach and dinner at the house. Nothing particularly glamorous, just easy beach food. Suggestions welcome.

Breakfast Ideas

• Fresh fruit (whole and for smoothies)
• Cereal
• Granola w/ yogurt (and fruit, why not go parfait crazy)

Lunch & Snack Ideas

• Lots of cut veggies
• Welches fruit bites
• Sandwiches, but what type?
• Need more choices that can be consumed on the beach...

Dinner Ideas (largely for the grill)

• Balsamic marinade pork tenderloin with wilted spinach
• Burgers with grilled onions, blue cheese, spinach
• Cauliflower and potato salad
• Hotdogs (duh)
• BBQ Chicken
• Grilled veggies (zucchini, asparagus, peppers)

Sometimes You Need a Vacation

For now that means squeezing three tiny get-away weekends into February. Silence on this blog brought to you by Philadelphia, Glastonbury, and Charlottesville.Writing will resume in March.