30A Beach Trip 2019 - Day 4

I may have said that Day 3 was my favorite day of the whole trip, but Day 4 was right on up there with Day 3!  It was so good! 

We knew that there was a really good chance that Day 4 would be our last chance to spend the day at the beach because there was lots of rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, so we were up early to get the day started!  We didn’t want to waste a single second of the sunshine! 

Since Charlie’s Donut Truck in Alys Beach is an outdoor thing to do, we decided to head there for breakfast.  We threw on our swim suits and coverups and made the two minute drive… once the kids are a little older and are more proficient bicycle riders, we’ll probably end up riding bikes everywhere instead of driving since everything is so close.

Charlie’s was jumping, as always, and we all picked out some flavors to try and we headed to a picnic table in the square.  While Brian was paying, I heard someone call my name, and lo and behold, it was my friend’s sister-in-law and her baby taking a morning walk!  The world is such a small place, y’all!  I hugged her neck and chatted with her for a sec, and then joined B and the kids at a table to eat.

Olivia wanted to play at the splash pad in the square, so when we were done eating, she went out to play.  Jacob wasn’t interested in playing because he didn’t want to sit in the car all wet (even though it was only a two minute drive back – LOL) so he hung out with us while she played.  We let her play for a few minutes, and then we headed back to the car because we were all itching to get to the beach! 

Everything is just so picturesque in 30A – pretty much every corner is a photo-op – so I did have B snap a quick pic of me in my cute lil’ beach cover-up that I got at Walmart last summer for, like, $8!  It’s amazing that I literally rolled out of bed and got ready in, like, 10 minutes, and I love this picture of myself.  Everything is just better and easier at the beach!  Haha.

We made it down to the beach a little after 9 and it started out a bit cloudy.  We could tell that the rain was getting closer because some seaweed was starting to form in the ocean, too.  The Gulf water is typically crystal clear with an emerald tint and there’s usually not a stitch of seaweed in it, so that was different!

Because of the whole debacle the previous day with those ladies setting up in front of us, we set up our stuff right at the edge of the sand, so there would be no possible place for them to get in front of us unless they were in the water.  Lol.  

I got a good bit of reading done that day and B did a good bit of sunscreening that day since he had burned the tops of his feet to a crisp the previous day.  Just look at how much sunscreen he put on his feet that day.  LOLOLOLOL.

The kids and B also worked on an epic sand castle… their biggest one to date!  At first, they made the whole thing out of sand.

And then they eventually added a bunch of sprigs of seaweed and decorated it with the beach toys, too.  They were so proud of themselves and they kept asking me to take pictures of them with it every time they would make another change.  Side note – doesn’t Jacob look adorable in a baseball cap?  I wish he would wear them more often.

We went up to the condo for another quick lunch of sandwiches and fruit, and the whole time we were up there, I kept looking out the window and stalking our spot on the beach to make sure those ladies hadn’t tried to sabotage us.  Lol.  They did end up going down there again and they sat up just to the left of us, right in front of some other people’s chairs.  Sigh.  Better them than me this time.  I would have lost my mind.  Lol.

After lunch we headed back down to the beach and stayed there the rest of the afternoon.  It ended up being pretty sunny all day, so it was nice to get in another sunny day instead of clouds.

We finally headed back up to the condo around 4ish and got ready for the evening ahead.  We knew this could possibly be our last night to do something outdoors, so we decided to head to Seaside for the evening.

We stopped in the parking lot for pictures on the way out because we had the cutest little fence separating our condo from the house next door, and it made for the perfect little backdrop for pictures.  Another couple who was staying in our condo saw that we were taking pictures, and they offered to get one of our whole family.  Wasn’t that so sweet?  I love it when that happens!

We also snapped a few more after the couple left.  

When B and I ask Jacob or Olivia to snap a few pictures of us, they always hold the button down and snap, like, a hundred, so B and I always run to them to grab the camera as they're still snapping away.  That always results in pictures like this one.  Lol.

We made the 10 minute drive to Seaside and found a place to park, and then we walked around for a bit taking in all of the sights and sounds.  If you’ve never been to Seaside, then you should make it a point to go some day.  It’s perhaps one of the cutest little beach towns I’ve ever been to, and we love it so much!  There’s a huge green in the middle surrounded by shops and restaurants on three sides, and food trucks and the ocean on the other.  It’s such a unique little place and I just can’t say enough good things about it!

We decided to try Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar for dinner, and they seated us on the back deck.  The benches on the deck were covered in big, plush pillows and the ceiling was covered in string lights so it was beach perfection, y’all.  I could have stayed there all night.

B and I ordered a couple of cocktails, a Moscow Mule for him and a Tropical Lemonade for me (Vodka, Lemonade, Cranberry Juice, and Orange Curacao) and we got some cheesy bread as a starter before our pizzas came out… which were divine by the way.  The kids colored the evening away and we all talked about our trip so far.  It was just the most peaceful dinner in one of my favorite places and I was feeling particularly grateful that evening.

When our bellies were full, we all headed down to the beach to watch the sun set and to take some family pictures.  We take family pictures every year while we’re there because the back drop just can’t be beat.  We usually bring the tripod down with us to get our group shots, but we had left it in the car that evening, so I offered to take some group shots of another family in exchange for their services to take a group shot of us.  It was already getting pretty dark by the time we got down there, so the lighting wasn't ideal, but they still came out beautifully. 

I also couldn’t resist getting some pictures of our lovies together.  Gosh, I just love them both so much! 

We headed back up from the beach to wash our feet off after that, and then it was time to do some shopping!  Side note, see that cute little restaurant area behind Brian and the kids in the picture below?  That’s just where we had eaten dinner… soooo stinking cute and cozy! 

Our next stop was The Seaside Style to get some Seaside sweatshirts for the kids and me.  I’ve been wanting one for forever plus I also hadn’t brought anything warm on our trip, and I needed something snuggly to wear in the condo.  Good thing I did, too, since the next few days were rainy, windy, and a bit chilly for June.  We also let the kids pick out some souvenirs.  Jacob chose a tube of sea creatures and Olivia chose some glittery lip gloss.  Lol.  Not very souvenir-ish but it was her choice!

We walked over to Dawson’s Yogurt and Fudgeworks next, for frozen yogurt.  When you get different flavors besides vanilla or chocolate, they put the flavoring all along the edges of the yogurt and it looks SO COOL.  I can’t really explain what it looks like and I have no clue how they do it, but it’s really neat!  Messy, too.  Haha. 

We carried our frozen yogurt out to the green to listen to the band that was playing, and we stayed there for the rest of the evening.  Before we knew it, it was 10:30 PM back home, so we called it a night and made the walk back to the car (which we almost couldn’t find – LOL) and then we made the short drive back to the condo to hit the hay.

If you’ve missed any of my recaps you can see them below!

By the Numbers

30A Beach Trip 2019 - Days 1 & 2

30A Beach Trip 2019 - Day 3

I’ll be back with another beach recap hopefully on Thursday if time permits and I can get my act together and get it up!  In the meantime, stick around for What's Up Wednesday tomorrow!