Life's a Beach.....

...and then you come home from vacation. That's my least favorite part of it all- the moment you have to come back to reality. But our little trip was everything I wanted, and I'm so glad we made the time to get away for a few days.

On Sunday morning we packed up the car and set off for the 4-ish hour drive to Port Aransas. It's amazing how much stuff you need for 3 days on the beach. Between the canopy, 2 chairs, cooler, bags, etc., there was hardly enough room for Marley and her bed.

Marley in her favorite spot, ready for the trip!

Maddie assumed her usual spot- right on Hunk's lap.
She was so sleepy during the drive, but refused to nap. 

A few pit stops later (for human AND dog breaks), we pulled up to the beach in time to see my adorable niece playing around. She came running to the car, so excited that we could come to "her beach house". That's one lucky girl, I tell you! We spent the afternoon playing with her, and letting the dogs sniff around and enjoy the water. It was good to spend a little time with my sister and her little family, and I'm so glad our trips overlapped for a day.

Sisters on the beach with Georgia supervising

Hunk and Georgia talking about serious things like Princesses.

On Sunday evening, we met back up with my sister and crew for dinner at La Playa. It's one of my favorite Mexican food restaurants on the island. It was just a short walk from our condo, and not too crowded considering that many people left on Sunday. It's a small place, and they only take cash or checks, but I think the food (and drinks) are great! Especially the table-side guacamole. After dinner we headed back to the beach for a bonfire....otherwise known as "Georgia's party". She seriously thinks she's in control of everything, and it's hilarious to watch. We were pretty beat though, so we headed back to the condo to unwind and go to bed.

Speaking of the condo- it was absolutely perfect. We found it on VRBO, and will totally be staying there again. It was reasonably priced, dog friendly, and close to the beach. When we first saw it online, we were really on the fence about it. The pictures just didn't do it justice. But all the reviews were stellar, so we decided to go with it. It was a one-bedroom "house" that was immaculately clean, and really close to everything. Plus, it had a small fenced yard making it easy to manage the dogs. Other than the bed feeling a little soft (and the linens a little thin), everything else about it was great. If you're looking for a small place to rent, consider Huff Cottage for your next stay.

View from the door to the balcony, looking into living area and kitchen

View from front door, into the living area

King bed with a good sized closet, bathroom, and even a washer/dryer

Monday and Tuesday were almost identical in how we spent our days. Sleep in late, eat a little breakfast, walk the dogs and then head to the beach. We made sandwiches and had plenty of food in the cooler for snacking throughout the day. I'm so glad that we got a canopy to set up, as it made the days much more comfortable. I was really careful about how much time I spent in the sun, and came home without a sunburn for once! We ate sandwiches, drank cold beer, walked down the beach and both finished reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened from the unbelievably funny The Bloggess. It was relaxing, quality time together, and that was really all we wanted!

Reading on the beach

Two very happy people

Vacation went by way too fast, but we came back relaxed and rested, and ready to tackle a very short (yet busy) rest of the work week. Looking forward to many more travel adventures in the future!