Seaside

January 2013



Mom, Dad, and I spent the last weekend of January in Florida at Grandma and Grandpa's house. On Friday morning, Mom and I drove to the beach for a few hours. After leaving Missouri with temperatures in the mid to upper 20s, it was a welcome relief to reach Florida where sunshine and 70 degrees awaited. :)



I may be 25, have a college degree, a career, and a car payment, but every time my toes sink into the sand at Seaside and I hear the waves rush ashore, covering my feet in salty ocean water, I am transported in time to the little girl I once was; the eight-year old who ran along the shoreline with one foot in the water and one on the sand, shouting, splashing, and loving life by the sea.

Seaside's motto is, "Where barefeet and sandy floors rule." I couldn't agree more. Life is best spent in flip-flops where the floors are sandy and no one cares, and the screen door slams shut behind happy children headed outdoors to explore.



"Live in the sunshine. Swim the sea. Drink the wild air." -Emerson



Mom grew up here and remembers a time when the dunes were not covered in houses and high-rise buildings; the beach was wild and free. I wish I could have seen it then.



“The sea! the sea! the open sea!, The blue, the fresh, the ever free!” – Bryan W. Procter



While I waded in the water and hunted for seashells, Mom read a book and took a nap. :)

 When I was a child, I struggled with my curly hair; oh, how I wanted straight hair like all the other girls! But as I grew older, I realized God had chosen to give me thick-as-a-lion's-mane, curly hair, and I should thank Him, not complain. The salty sea air and wind coming off the Gulf tosses my curly hair into a wild tangle. It sticks out in all directions. It bounces. It is free. And I love it. :)



View from the balcony where we ate lunch.

An Arnold Palmer (1/2 lemonade & 1/2 iced tea), sunshine on my face, and the ocean = a perfect day.

A crab cake. It was beyond description. I will now take this moment to thank all the crabmen (fishermen? crabbers? I don't really know what they are called). Anyway, to the men who spend their lives and risk their lives to catch crabs, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I once watched an entire afternoon marathon of Deadliest Catch, that's how much I love y'all!

Shrimp & Grits, a Florida tradition.
I love being a born and raised southerner because I get to claim food like this as my cultural heritage. :)

Key Lime Pie--Just another reason to live in the south.

A perfect sea shell!

The ocean is uncertain and unforgiving in storms, but when it is calm, it is the steadiest, most peaceful, comforting place on earth.

I practically grew up here, but I still have to act like a tourist every now and then. :)

Seaside airstream trailers--where delicious food awaits you in little silver boxes with bright, cheerful awnings and cool patio furniture.