Surprise Stay at Seaside

I like it includes pets in population

Florida Summers are always my favorites. I suppose it has to do with the fact that this is where I grew up and an adventure always seems around the corner. That is exactly how this weekend began. I cut up a watermelon and laughed when I saw that Golden picked his piece out which was actually the half I had not cut. In his defense he ate all of it except for the bits he shared with Carlos,the other caveman in my family.I could have stayed in the backyard all day but Mike asked me what I wanted to do on Saturday and seemed ready for an adventure outside of our four walls so I said, "Let's go to the beach at Seaside. And away we went.

The first time we went to Seaside, Golden was in diapers. It is such a fascinating and beautiful oasis of Higway 30A. J.S. Smolian fell in love with it too in 1946 when he bought 80 acres there. He was a man with a dream but never chased it. Instead, his grandson Robert Davis saw the potential and in 1981 Seaside was born. If you think you've never seen Seaside, rent "The Truman Show" Confectioners Sugar Sand beaches, blue waters and a community that still believes in taking the backroads by foot or by bike. The town is lined with white picket fenced homes and cottages. And if you have time to look you will see that no two fences on the same street are alike. No homes have grass in the yards to reduce the use of pesticides and noisy mowers. And they have in the center of town one of the most photographed post offices in the United States.

This is the face of each one of my kids when they first touch sand at the beach

This is the face of my kids after 15 minutes at the beach

Beau is hands down my most dirt and sand loving child

We weren't at Seaside for more than 15 minutes when Mike surprised us by saying, 

"Let's just stay here for the weekend." Packed with nothing more than extra shirts we all screamed "yes" in agreement. Let the adventure continue.

I always get a bit emotional when I see my children interacting. It will pass so quickly.

And Golden could't look more like a man these days. It is good to see him act like a kid here.

Miles of umbrellas

This is what anticipation looks like when you reach the entrance gazebos

The morning view before the crowds.

Seaside even finds a way to make entering the beach seem magical. There are pavilions lining the pathways into the entrances.No one is the same. And in case you need reminding, a bell rings every day to mark the sunset.

The pavilion in the center of town

My favorite pavilion entrance

Every home looked so inviting

And each home has bikes for you to use during your stay

The very popular Seaside post office

Even the restaurants are dreamy

It's like they knew I was coming

Of course, there is a fairy colony that lives in the trees at Ruskin Place. And there is a charter school ranked 3rd in the state of Florida for academic excellence.

Eva seemed thrilled to stop and take photos with me. Here are the food trucks.

In the town is also every sport venue you will need including a playground to get your cars dirty in and pools to cool off in. 

Nico enjoyed it all thoroughly including his first taste of ice cream.

And we came across a wedding going on. I loved the limes in the centerpieces. That's what I do.

The house we stayed in was cray cray in color but the electronics in it kept daddy happy and it had 5 bedrooms. Gigi is really starting to love taking pictures and insisted on being in each one of my shots. So enjoy.

I think Nico was not so impressed with the electronics.

I liked to spend the next morning taking a soak with Eva and having her make me laugh. I got a small prick from a jelly fish on my finger and she said, "Mom, you know who the rich people are because they always tell you, 'Rub a credit card over it' but poor people will tell you to use vinegar." I informed her that we are a vinegar using household.

In all, the weekend was a success. We got to slow down and enjoy one another inside this little microcosm of Heaven. We need to slow down with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the love in our hearts. Thanks, Mike for letting us do that this weekend. 

One last fact, the author Rebecca Wells worked on her book at Seaside. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.  She sums up my thoughts on my family. I leave you with her words:

You know how some people when they're together, they somehow make you feel more hopeful? Make you feel like the world is not the insane place it really is?

That is my family time to me. And for all those who tell me my hands are full, you should see my heart.