Seaside Beach Vacation Rewind...Part I

Were home and back from the beach...isn't it super depressing when you come home from vacation? Not only have you left the sun and sand, but yet you have to unpack and return to normal life. But only until next time, right?
We had an incredible time in Seaside last week- incredible weather, quality family time, and celebrating one of my friends' marry the man of her dreams. Here is a recap of our beachside fun:
Saturday:
-hit the road early in the AM to avoid the masses and believe it or not, CC's first roadtrip was a success, as she slept most of the way {thank you!}...had a few bouts of fussiness, but overall we were happy with how well she did
-partook in some much deserved Pickles for lunch and then strolled around the Arts Quest festival
-indulged on Angelina's pizza and sipped on some cocktails before calling it an early night

Sunday {Mother's Day}:
-pure perfection! Mom and I were treated to massages and pedicures and spent the afternoon relaxing then headed to Great Southern for our first of MANY seafood dinners

 Ryan and Rachel came in early for the week, too so we
got to spend some great quality time with the Grays!

 Mom and I headed to our spa day!

 Dinner at Great Southern

 Mimi and Pappy! Best vacation duo ever

 The famous Grits A Ya Ya...amazing!

Monday:
-hit the beach early for primetime fun in the sun... spent all day lounging under the umbrella, walking the shore, and making sure little bit was having a good time. {she mostly sat under the sunbrella and then would nap while Mimi held her-spoiled rotten!}
-had the boys cook dinner and called it a night, but not before taking a little walk to our favorite gelato eatery

Tuesday:
-put in more hours at the beach and then drove to Panama City to let Gran and Papa keep Caroline while the four of us went out to dinner...her great grandparents only hung out with us so they could get their hands on their sweet baby!

I'll be back soon with a recap from the second half of our trip so stay tuned!!

Fashionable Friday...Beachtime Babe

Seriously, is there anything cuter in this world than baby clothes? You all know I've gone way overboard on Caroline's little fashionable frocks and her beach attire is no different...after all, we have to have a fashion show each and every day! I promise to take LOADS of pictures and share them very very soon.

Here is a little snapshot of some of her beachtime essentials we've added to the collection for this summer:

beachtime baby by trixietat on polyvore.com

Fashionable Friday...Beachtime Staples

I am finally back doing what I love most...shopping! I had a few of you out there asking what's going in my suitcase for our upcoming beach travel adventure and I put together a little lookboard via Polyvore to show off some of my necessities:

beachtime by trixietat featuring flat sandals

LOFT boat neck top, $35

Old Navy tunic
J.Crew short shorts, $45
Victoria s Secret bandeau bikini, $9.99
Steve Madden flat sandals, $72
Tory Burch canvas tote, £215
Ray-Ban wayfarer sunglasses, $200
Aveeno face moisturizer, $2.40

I've been stocking up these past few weeks with all kinds of fun new items..mostly bathing suits and cover-ups since I'm planning on spending a good amount of time taking in the sun {with plenty of sunscreen of course!}. I also shopped at some of my favorite local places for some fun sundresses and a few more dressy options for Julie's wedding festivities.
This is going to be one AMAZING trip!
What are some items on your packing list when you head off to the beach with family and/or friends for a summertime getaway?

Fabulous Florida Vacation

As promised, I wanted to recap this past week's shindigs before I lost my mind and failed to remember the fun details...I'm telling you, pregnancy brain has taken over!
We left Nashville bright and early last Thursday. Jeff was so sweet to drive the entire way so Lauren and I {mostly me} could get a little shut eye before we got to the beach. As soon as we checked in, we plumped our happy selves in the sand for the rest of the afternoon to take in some perfect weather! That night, we ventured to Old Florida Fish House for a big dinner and then fun at the bar...this lady had a double gingerale--fancy, huh?

Prime time relaxation

 Boys doing their thing in the water

 Gorgeous sunset!

The next day, we spent ALL day at the beach...a little roasting that had to be done so we could officially enter fall with some "color"--I think we overdid it just a tad bit though. Then it was off to Great Southern in Seaside for a late dinner...my favorite meal of the trip! The shrimp n' grits yaya was TO DIE FOR and the key kime pie--WOW! Afterwards, we headed to our favorite outdoor party place--Bud N' Alleys and even ran into some old college friends...such a small world! A fun night and I was so proud of myself staying out the wee hours of 1AM.

Yes, the hair is straight...needed a little change for the evening.
Jeff said it was like he had a new woman for the night-HA!

 Justin, Whitney, and Lauren at Great Southern for dinner

 Ashley and Andy Davis...love them!

 Best calamari ever!!

 Check out that virgin strawberry daiquiri...woo hoo!

 Lauren and her birthday boy--OLD MAN!

 Out at Bud 'N Alleys for the late night!

 Shenanigans ;)

Saturday, we spent 1/2 the day at the beach and the other 1/2 tuning in for all the football we could handle. A sad day for any VOL fan, but I was glad to see us come back--we'll get them next year just you wait! For the final night with our friends, we went to Shades and then dropped the partiers off at the bar before Jeff and I called it an early night...this lady was just plain exhausted!

I turned the camer wrong...oops! Yummy cookie cake

 Steamed Old Bay shrimp and blackened grouper from the fish market!

Sunday morning, we grabbed breakfast and then drove to Destin to meet up with Mom and Dad, who had arrived the day before. We took it easy, resting, relaxing, and reading while rotating on who would play with Jeff to keep him entertained. That night, we ate dinner at The Crab Trap, another favorite of mine, then stayed up late playing cards.
Monday and Tuesday's lineup was more of the same...fun, food, and sun! Mom and I hit up the outlets and scored some great finds and then met up with the boys for dinner to celebrate my Dad's birthday at Old Bay Steamer--our go to local seafood dive. Amazing!

Lunchtime at The Back Porch

 Mom and Dad

Crab Trap...so  much seafood and perfect weather, too

 I'm 28 and ordered a Shirley Temple!! And yes, it was GOOD

Dinner at Osaka...like I said, I was having so much seafood I needed a break

 My little camera ham posing for the monthly calendar--hehe

 Ahhh...life on the beach is the best

All in all, we had a great time for our last beach vacation of the year...we feel so fortunate to have such great friends and family to spend our free time with and cannot wait to do more of it very soon--next stops, Hilton Head for Thanksgiving and NYC the week before Christmas.