the bright side: A beautiful little getaway ...

We needed a family getaway. I pray that everyone calls a time-out a couple of times a year in a while to get away as a family. Ethan, Claire and I headed to the Texas Coast and spent a couple of days at Port A. Ethan and I celebrated five remarkable years of marriage and had a great time introducing Claire to the ocean.

We had a great time playing on the beach and swimming the ocean. The water could not have been a more perfect temperature. We also saw a fisherman nearby catch a shark and saw a group of sharks feeding in the distance. Gotta love nature up close! :)

It was Claire's first trip to the beach (well - technically her third trip) and we weren't sure what to expect. She so incredibly easy going and adventurous ... but salt water and sand can understandably be irritating for babies.

So in honor of new experience I'd love to share some things we learned to highlight our trip:

1. Claire loves the ocean. She loved walking into the water, the waves, the saltwater ... everything! She giggled as she road the waves up and down. We couldn't get her to stop drinking the salt water

2. She shares our passion for fresh seafood. So fresh, in fact, I kept finding muscles in her mouth that had washed onto the shore. Gross! (Thus she looks a little irritated in the picture above - I kept telling her not to put the muscles in her mouth).

3. She's a true Texan ... it's HOT ... and she isn't phased by it.

4. Claire loves Hotel rooms. She got the BIGGEST kick out of the hotel room. She laughed constantly and jumped on the bed and for some reason everything that went on in that room was just a little more fun that normal ...

5. She has the potential to be a pretty decent surfer after surviving her first wipe out with a grin. We bought her a neat little float and she was riding the waves all weekend. One wave flipped her float upside down leaving her chubby little legs sticking straight up and her hat float in the water. Scary! However, I will say that all my hard work in teaching her to hold her breath under water has paid off. She came up without a cough or sneeze!

6. And last but certainly not least, it was a great reminder to Ethan and I how important these little getaways are. Any chance to get away from the routine of day-to-day is epic in continuing to build our marriage. Family doesn't work if Mom and Dad aren't connecting and loving each other.

We just wrapped up a wonderful Memorial Day. We slept in a little, had a relaxing morning then met some friends at Sno Beach and headed to a pool party. Thankful for long weekends, my sweet family and wonderful friends.

Here are some beach pictures:

Driving through the Texas Hill Country