Last week was our eighteenth wedding anniversary, and we celebrated with a trip to the beach for a long overdue vacation. The entire plan for the week was to sit on the beach, float in the ocean, and do absolutely nothing.
It was glorious.
The beach in Destin, FL is all white sand and warm, crystal clear water. It was our first trip to the area, and we didn’t really know what to expect, but Southwest had a direct flight and the price was okay-ish, so we went for it.
Our twelfth floor condo had a balcony with a great view of the Gulf, and the resort had a pool and hot tub for when walking the extra hundred feet to the beach was too much effort. Thanks to Idalia, the first couple of days were red-flag days, which means the surf is potentially dangerous, and I could definitely see that when compared to the later part of our trip when the waves were more ripples than real waves.
We spent the mornings in the water, then came inside for lunch and an afternoon nap, then headed back out for more ocean time in the late afternoon/early evening. I took a Kindle with a stack of library books on it, but I didn’t read a single book, other than the audiobook I listened to on the plane. I did, however, watch a ridiculous amount of HGTV, my go-to vacation channel.
HGTV always cracks me up, especially shows like House Hunters, because it’s usually a couple who are like butterfly catchers or basket weavers with inexplicable two million dollar budgets and wildly different requirements. I know the whole thing is staged for max drama, but I love it anyway.
This time, I found a new show, and I’ve now binged most of it. It’s called Farmhouse Fixer, and the host, Jon Knight, is that Jon Knight, which I didn’t realize until after we’d watched more than one episode and we finally caught the intro. He renovates old New England farmhouses, and seems to really, really love his job, then he jets off to perform with New Kids on the Block when it’s showtime. The whole show is adorable and very low-drama, which makes it perfect vacation fare.
Now I’m back in the real world, because I don’t have an extra few million dollars to buy my very own beach front house, and I’m pretty sure I don’t have any eccentric distant relatives who are going to die and leave me a mysterious fortune and/or beach house.
However, if you’re an old, eccentric billionaire who needs someone to leave your fortune to, you know where to find me!
This week, I’m continuing to edit the romantic fantasy. I made it a little over a third of the way through before vacation, so my plan is to re-read that portion to get back up to speed, then knock out the rest hopefully by the end of the month.
But I’m still missing my afternoon nap. :)
sounds like a nice recharge.
Glad you got away from the craziness of the real world.
Good luck with the edits!
Congratulations to you and your husband on your 18th wedding anniversary! Your vacation looks and sounds amazing; so happy you both had a chance to spend time somewhere nice and had a wonderful time!
Can’t wait to hear more about the romantic fantasy when you can share details, as well as get my paws on it when it becomes available. Sending you lots of good luck wishes.
Looks like a beautiful place for a getaway. Happy anniversary!
Feel free to still take that afternoon nap. Or just do nothing ( you know what I mean) for a couple of hours to recharge. Schedule it even set an alarm to remind you to take that break and when to go back to work. My fave thing right now it to just sit in the drive with the car door open after I get home. One of the cats will come sit on my lap and we watch the squirrels play on the trees. I try to be inside before it gets dark. Tho sometimes I call my hubby to tell him to come get me if I am not in by a certain time. That works most of the time.
Aww congrats on the wedding anniversary! Sounds like a glorious vacation, I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves. Looking forward to hearing more about your new work!
HGTV is my zen channel.
I can watch it and let my mind turn off, it’s perfect to watch before bed as it helps me get a good night’s sleep instead of having daily stressors chase me into my slumbering as odd nightmares like vacuums chasing me.
When life is really crazy that’s when I watch Mike Holmes who will always make it right. I’m really enjoying Bargain Block on the channel, I love seeing those mainly abandoned homes reinvigorated and with some amazing designs and themes.