Beach Trip 2016

After a nice breakfast in Charleston at Hominy Grill we hit the road for Amelia Island, FL. We arrived just after lunch and just in time for naptime! It worked out great because we unloaded Charlie's things, got him settled and down for a nap and then Bryan and I could unpack the rest of the car and get everything settled while Charlie snoozed.

Charlie was not so sure about  the sand and water at first. He quickly warmed up to the sand and was able to play in it, but the water was still iffy, even by the end of the trip.

We had a great time and, as always, it was sad to go home. Here are a few pictures:

The boys 10 minutes after arriving at the condo. Already relaxing. 

I love downtown Fernandina Beach. So fun to see another generation running down the streets. 

We (Bryan and I) hadn't been sleeping well. It was nice to watch the sunrise. 

We had every single meal at the condo on the balcony. We should really eat more meals outside. 

Not a fan. 

Pushing the button. 

Beach Trip 2015

The week before Labor Day we went to the beach. As a family of 3! Going into this trip I had no idea what to expect. Would we enjoy it at all with a 7 month old around? A friend had told us while we were pregnant that taking a baby to the beach is miserable. We didn't listen, obviously, and scheduled our trip to overlap with my parents and brother. Our thoughts were that if it was terrible at least we'd have a few days with extra hands around to help out. 

We left on a Wednesday, planning to break up the trip. We wanted to get as far as Atlanta if possible. 

We broke up the trip more than we would have without the baby. You don't normally stop for tummy time as adults.  We did make it quite far and stopped for the night in Statesboro, GA. 

The next morning we only had 2.5 hours to go! We made it in time for lunch. 

We put Charlie down for a nap after lunch and Bryan and I headed for the beach. Mom brought Charlie out for the first time. 

NUDE PICTURE WARNING!!!!

Charlie had been struggling with some diaper rash for a few days at this point so we thought it was the perfect time to air it out. 

That night, Thursday, Mom sent Bryan, Trey and I out to dinner. We ate at Brett's which always has the best view. 

My aunt Julie and cousin James came and spent Friday evening and most of Saturday with us. 

The tents were crowded. 

One morning it was rainy so we made games with Charlie's toys. Dad won. His winnings were the fruit from our sangria pitcher. 

How cute is this kid?

The best family picture we got this trip. 

We set Charlie up in this inflatable boat. It was perfect for him. He'd sit and play with toys (or empty water bottles). When he got fidgity we'd fill it with water so he could splash around. No sand in the eyes for this little one! 

My parents left on Monday and so we had four days to ourselves. 

Charlie's favorite part of the trip was spending time in the pool. He loved it. 

Overall I think this baby had a pretty fantastic trip to the beach. 

We spent nearly two days getting home. Traveling with small child forces many stops. But we embraced it on the way back and enjoyed seeing more of the small cities we always pass through. 

We stopped for a diaper change in front of the house where my grandfather grew up. 

Friday night we stayed at the Crash Pad in Chattanooga, TN. Bryan had won a free night's stay at a race a few months back, so we cashed in. 

On Saturday we stopped at the Unclaimed Baggage place in Scottsboro, AL, and for ice cream in Florence, AL. We also had a fantastic lunch at Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur. 

I'm a little sad our vacation is behind us, but we had a great time and I am so thankful that we were able to get away. 

Beach Trip!

Bryan and I were able to get away for six days at Amelia Island, Florida last week. It was getting super hot in Memphis and I was ready to cool off with a sea breeze.

Word of warning: this post will be lengthy and picture heavy. 

We drove down all day Saturday. We weren't sure when we left if we wanted to make it all the way or stop over halfway. But once we got through Macon, GA we still had energy and decided to push on.  It was so nice to wake up Sunday morning to this view.





We started our day with coffee and a walk on the beach.

Afterwards we headed out to breakfast and to do our grocery shopping.



We always make a stop at Atlantic Seafood for all our local seafood needs. The guy behind the counter was super helpful and suggested this Pompano for us. He even invited us in the back room to watch him fillet it.



Once we got back to the condo the weather had changed. There was a hurricane off the east coast and it effected us for the next three days. Crazy wind for most of the time and mostly cloudy Sunday afternoon.



We did some shopping Monday and Tuesday since it was too windy to be at the beach.



We were walking on the docks at the marina looking for wildlife when Bryan spotted this little guy. A river otter living under the dock near Atlantic Seafood. Turns out there is a family, a mother and three babies, who live there. They were adorable to watch.



There were many walks on the beach.





Wednesday the wind finally died down enough for us to put the tent up. Bryan used sand buckets to reinforce the tent from blowing away.

My aunt had taken my mom and other aunt to Big Talbot Island State Park not far away a couple weeks before we went. Seeing their pictures and hearing the description we wanted to go and check it out for ourselves.



Big Talbot Island is one island south of Amelia. In the picture above you can see Amelia on the horizon. The tide is causing the bluff of Big Talbot to wash away, creating a graveyard of trees. It was fascinating to walk along the beach among them. It felt other worldly.



But to get to the beach you have to walk a 1/3 mile trail. It was beautiful... until we saw the spiders. Which there were lots of. Big ones. Not far from our heads.





Bryan armed himself with a stick to protect us.



Finally we made it down to the beach.









We happened upon a young osprey bird who let us getting pretty close to him. He'd just taken a dive before perching here.





To avoid the spiders we decided to try climbing the bluff to get back to our car. Bryan got a lot of sand in his shoes.

We spent Thursday and Friday morning on the beach.







Bryan made a little fort in the front of our tent.



We had a great trip. The last beach trip as a couple. Next year I guess we'll have a little one in tow.

Where we ate:
- Cafe Karibo
- Timoti's
- 29 South

What I made:
- Baked pomano, served with roasted potatoes and asparagus
- She Crab Soup
- Sauteed shirmp with lemon garlic butter sauce over pasta

Where we went:
- Downtown Fernandina Beach
- Atlantic Seafood - for fresh seafood
- The Plantation Shop
- Big Talbot Island State Park
- The Ritz Carlton - for drinks on their patio at dusk