The beach, it calls my name. I grew up 5 miles away the way the mythical crow flies from the best beach in the US, yet as a teen I was too self-conscious about my body to go to the beach. Plus, my mom was always, “You’ll get sand in your crack!” and “You don’t want to go ALL THE WAY DOWN THERE, do you?” I’m still not sure if she was referring to my crack or the beach.

So what if it was a 30-minute drive around and through traffic lights to get to the beach before the bridge opened during my 11th grade year? Add in the fact that I was super lazy even way back in my rearing years to pack up myself and stuff and lay out in the stupid heat just to get a sand in my crack, I didn’t go to the beach very often when it was out my figurative back door.

Living in Orlando affords us options when it comes to visiting the beaches. We have Cocoa Beach 25 minutes to our east and Tampa Bay/St Pete Beach 2 hours to our west-ish. We went to Cocoa Beach last summer with the girls, and we vowed we would never go there again. Rather than finding sugar-white sand in our cracks, we had to dig out black sand. Black sand and cracks don’t mix. We’re admitted beach snobs with our affinity for white sandy beaches and turquoise water with actual waves as we look down on the dark sand and murky water and 100s of Euromen banana hammocks.

Since having the children reach the age of consenting to what we mold their minds into thinking, I plan to spend several days of our summer vacation on the beach with my girls. It’s my plan to tweak their wee brains into Beach Bunnies who will want to go to the beach with me, but only to beaches that meet our high expectations.

It won’t be hard brainwashing them to think that this is the best way to beach.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beach, destin, florida, kids, Vacation, white sand

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Was here earlier today

(This was taken in March, but I didn’t get out my camera today and there would have been about 30 people in the pic anyway, so you get this one and you’ll like it.)

Am feeling this

(This was taken in May at the Magic Kingdom, but again, I didn’t take my camera out today, so you get a picture of serenity NOW.)

I’m feeling groooooovy.

You?

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beach, destin, Disney World, magic kingdom, sunset

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Cause really, what makes me feel better than showing off my visit to the beach AND meeting an awesometastic blogger?

Tara R lives in the town where I grew up and where my parents still live. So after months of emailing and promising to meet up, we finally did get to meet up. But hello? Have you ever seen a picture of Tara?

Me either.

She’s an amazing photog and blog writer, yet she’s never posted a picture of herself. I’m popping her self-picture posting cherry.

Mr Sir, the girls, and I showed up to the seafood restaurant on the beach right on time for once and hung out in the lobby for ten or so minutes, only to finally decide to sit and wait. Of course, Tara was already there waiting for us and recognized our crazazy family before we saw her. Which was good, because I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE LOOKED LIKE.

Turns out, she’s exactly like you’d expect her to look like and act. Nice, sweet, quiet, friendly, and with a camera in her bag.

How cute is she?!

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beach, blog, destin, Friends, photograph

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Head over to Sarcastic Mom where you can rub up on Lotus with all of the Weekly Winners.

Northerners can completely suckithard this week.

I have a shit-ton more pics, but the internets connection at my mom’s is sucking it hard.

Or maybe it’s my karma for making all the sad, cold northerners jealous.

© Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] for A Whole Lot of Nothing • Your Favorite Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beach, destin, florida, photograph, weekly winners

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