We’re at the beach this week in North Carolina with the family.
It seems so obvious and overstated to say it, but I love the beach. I always have. I come by it honestly, born from a beach kind of family, never missing a summer without the sea air.
From an early age my sister and I swam in the ocean and learned to boogie board. We spent hours building sand castles and finding sea shells. Mostly we loved the water. Even now, I spend most of my time here in the ocean; swimming, floating, riding waves. Around these parts, it’s so warm that it’s like taking a very delightful bath. Basically I’m a mermaid, except I’m wearing a momsuit and would never be friends with a crab.
For a long time I thought this was how everyone felt. Who wouldn’t want to sit in the sun all day? Who doesn’t love a little sand in the crotch?
And then I met Austin’s family.
The Baers are not prone to water. They don’t like sand or sitting still or getting wet if they don’t have to. In short, the beach is just a really inconvenient place to sit and sweat.
Luckily Austin didn’t inherit those genes, but his family did make me wonder–Are there more people who don’t like the beach? Is this not heaven on earth to everyone?
This is Waylon’s first time to the beach, and I admit I was worried. I was worried he would eat the sand, fear the water, and develop terrible sunburn. I was worried he would hate something I loved so much because it was an inconvenient place to sweat. I was worried he would be a one year old at the beach.
So far, my genes have taken over and he’s happy as a clam. The first day here he walked straight into the water like an old pro, but I suppose I should wait until the end of the week to make any sort of grand statements.
What about you? Are you a beach bum? Will there be sand in your bathing suit this summer? Where is your heaven on earth?
***
CAN’T WAIT TO HAVE SAND IN MY CROTCH!!
NC for life.
Heaven on earth equals home!
But, there might be sand in my bathing suit this summer. Brad’s trying to get his family to go to the beach for a while. We’ll see if he accomplishes that.
You can do it! Except I have my parents here. That’s a huge help.
Well, I’m weird. I like the beach for the scenery and the occasional dip in the water. But I don’t live for it. I’ve never really been a water person. Heck, the first time I saw the ocean, I was 13 and it was at Virginia Beach in the middle of crowded beach season. The next time I saw the ocean was on my honeymoon in North Carolina when I was 22. I’ve only seen it four times in my 27 years.
However, my favorite place on Earth is Beaufort, North Carolina. Actually the entire southern Outer Banks or the “Crystal Coast” area. We are going back in October for our 5th anniversary and I am beyond ecstatic. If you are near there, I am more than a little envious :)
It’s a beautiful state.
My sister and I agreed today that if we hadn’t grown up in the water, there’s no way I’d set foot in the ocean.
Heaven on earth is THE BEACH
Beach for life!
I love the beach but my husband hates it. Something about chafing.
I’ve heard rumors about chafing. Doesn’t sound pleasant.
Mermaid in a momsuit?? LOL.
Live for the beach but I never get in!
Atlantic ocean southbound? It’s so warm.
Love the beach and jealous of your trip! The only downside for me now is that since about 24 I’ve gotten clear and strict orders from my dermatologist to seek shade. So I’m not a sunbunny anymore, I sit with an umbrella, hat, 100 spf and stay vampire white, but I still love it.
I was just at the derm on Friday. Now I have sutures and strict instructions to wear a bag over my head.
I will be staying out of the sun.
I didn’t realize that it was possible for people not to like the beach until a couple years ago. My co-worker’s husband explained that he didn’t like sun, sand, or water. I still think he’s a freak.
I’m the annoying girl trying to convince everyone to just try it ONE MORE TIME.
I was born on the Florida Panhandle, so I too have sea salt in my blood. My brief stint living in Ohio nearly killed me because the giant polluted Lake is NOT the same as the ocean. I never knew how much I needed it until it was gone.
Now, living a minute’s walk from the beach, I finally feel whole again. And, luckily, like Waylon, Isla June is in love with the sand and the surf. I don’t even mind her dashing into the waves unabashedly. She’ll figure it out.
Happy vacation! Enjoy.
You live a minute’s walk from the beach? I just turned green with envy. You are living the dream. THEE DREAM.
There will not be any sand in my swimming suit this summer and that’s fine with me. But I can enjoy the beach IF it’s not too hot or too windy or too crowded and there are no little ones to keep my eyes glued to because I’m one of those mom’s who thinks there are baby snatchers in every crowd of people and who thinks surely the next big wave will sweep my precious babes out into the deeps never to be seen again. (What a run-on sentence!)
I love the beach BUT I am also that mom! Which is why we’re on a private beach (no crowd) with at least 5 sets of eyes on him at all times. It’s bliss.
My daughter was lost for 5 minutes on a crowded beach when she was 3. It was hell. How am I supposed to let her try out autonomy??
No idea. That’s my nightmare.
So glad you get to vacation every year! Every person needs one.
Like you, I grew up on the beaches of Florida. We would pack up and leave the evening of the last day of school, drive 15 hours straight through, and enjoy 7-10 days of beach bliss.
I could lay on a beach from 10 AM to 5 PM as long as I have plenty of books to keep my occupied. In fact, that is the only time of the year that I actually read!
Enjoy your vacation!
Books on the beach is a slice of heaven.
Waylon looks like a kid in that picture! Not like a little baby. So cute. Still have to catch up on Sister Wives…
The interview was shocking!
I’m the complete opposite of a beach person. I’ve always been miserable at the beach, and that makes me sad. I wish I loved the beach. But instead, my heaven on earth is my sweet Rocky Mountains! I hope Waylon has a blast the whole week. Happy summer vacation!
The mountains are pretty great too.
The frist time I saw the ocean was Sr. Week (or in my case, sr day). I got ROASTED and pooped on by a seagull. My next trip to the beach, I was pooped on again! It took another 2 trips to start enjoying the whole sitting still, sweating while covered in sand thing. It wasn’t until my latest trip (almost 2 years ago) when I really could say “I like the beach.” It took 5 of my favorite people, building a skee ball machine in the sand and ice cream to get me to that point. I think I’m ready to go again!
Enjoy your trip!
PS Does Waylon have his learners permit already? When did he get so grown up looking!?
Waylon does, in fact, have his learner’s permit.
So proud of you for trying over and over again! Major points for determination and an open mind.
I am the most relaxed at the beach and I’m the happiest when our whole family is together for a beach vacation. I like any beach, but I love the beautiful beaches of NC: warm and gorgeous blue water, great sand, less people on the beach, unusual shells, and relaxed rules. Enjoy Waylon’s first beach experience.
It’s been heaven, Pat! NC is heaven. Why don’t I live here?
Even though I don’t particularly like the sand and water I do love going to the beach. Alas, I am also married into the clan that you are and so I haven’t been to the beach nearly as often as I wished I could in the last 30 years. Last week I got to spend a whole week at the beach vacationing with our family – a trip I planned and everyone was gracious enough to go along. I will forever love the sound of the ocean and this time I experienced the joy of a long (one hour) walk on the beach every morning. But the best part was convincing my grandson to even get close the the water, so yes, in order to do that I did get sand in my bathing suit. It was worth every minute of it!
Why does kids love sitting by the edge so much? I sat with Waylon by the edge, too, letting the water rush over us again and again.
So. Much. Sand.
The beach is rad. I love it. BUT… I married a ginger. On our Costa Rican honeymoon he slathered in SPF70, left his shirt on, and sat under an umbrella. It’s less fun to be at the beach with that sort of beach goer. I’ve tried to convince him shade or SPF will do… but alas, he insists on having both.
Poor ginger skin. I get it though, sunburn can be nasty.
Hell no. The three things I despise most in the world – wind, sand, humidity, the beach usually includes all three of those things.
I am a lake rat to the core.
But I am assuming I will have to give my kid that beach experience at some point and I am sure he will love it, in spite of my loath.
hahaha… I love the honesty. Love.
Lake rats are pretty rad too.
Heaven on earth is the beach for me too. Or even a rocky coastline with thundering waves.
I grew up on an Island in Ireland and spent my summers in the bay. Swimming, rock pooling, eating picnics. skinny dipping!, reading-we did it all :) I am never happiest than when I am floating in the sea. I even vowed as a child to never be away from the sea and decided to be a marine biologist to see it through. We have been to “my” bay once this summer, are heading to Croatia for some warmer waters and will hit up the Gower in Wales for our final dip of the summer. I do love to be beside the seaside…
Sounds like pure bliss to me. Thanks for sharing your experience, seaside is really the best. Enjoy Croatia and the Gower in Wales!
I have been to the beach every summer of my life. When I was a kid, we used to drive 3 hours and stay for the day because my parents couldn’t afford to pay for a hotel. Beach is heaven. My husband feels the same way. I married him because his family has a beach house. We told our kids that loving the beach is a non-negotiable part of this family (almost kidding).
p.s. Actually, the family beach house came a few years after we were married, so I did marry him for nobler reasons.
My parents did the same thing! (Drive to the beach just for the day).
Your in-laws have a beach house? Major score.