Guest Blogger // Joy.

Hey y'all! I'm Joy from the Sowell life and I'm so excited to be guest posting for sweet Lauren who I'm kinda jealous of right now. You see, she's got her toes in the water and her hiney in the sand, and I'm sure she's getting a nice little tan by now! But, while she's enjoying her girls beach trip I told her I would keep y'all company for a little while. And I maybe try to get some of y'all Ole Miss fans to convert to be Mississippi State fans. Hey, a girl can try, right?! #hailstate!!

Since Lauren is living it up at the beach, I thought I would give y'all some tips and tricks for your next beach getaway. And tell you about some of my favorite places to eat on the Gulf Coast, too. We went to the beach the last week of May, and I'm craving that salty beach smell all over again!

1) Pack Light — If you’re staying in a condo, remember they have washer and dryers so you can do a load of laundry half way through the week. We even wore most of our outfits twice since we were able to wash them. And since we weren’t eating at the same place every night, no one even knew the difference!

2) Bring Multiple Bathing Suits — This applies for adults and children alike. We headed down to the beach or pool every morning around 9:30, and would come back up for lunch. Who wants to stay in a wet bathing suit in a well air conditioned condo? Not me! So I would trade out for a dry bathing suit in the afternoon. And don’t worry if you fear people are going to see you in the same bathing suits all the time. Trust me, everyone else is doing the same thing!! And at night just wash them out and hang them up to dry and they’ll be good as new for the next day!

3) SUNSCREEN — Don’t forget the SUNSCREEN! No one wants skin cancer so do your part and lather up! My advice to all those whose sole purpose is to just get a tan… start out with SPF 50 or higher for the first day or two to get your skin use to the sun. Trust me, it’s different at the beach. Then once you see you aren’t burning you can back it down a bit. But please remember to still use at least SPF15 every day. Oh, and reapply often.

4) The Early Bird Gets The Worm — It’s true, the early bird does get the worm at the beach and the pool. Head out early to secure the best spots near the water, and the best lounge chairs near the entrance of the pool.

5) The Food, Oh The Food — Going out to eat at the beach is everyone’s favorite nightly adventure. But who wants to stand in long lines waiting to be seated? Not me! Which is why we would head up around 3:30 or 4 every afternoon to get ready for dinner. We were usually walking out the condo at 5 every night headed to our favorite eater of the night. Not only did we beat the crowd, but we got to pick our seats next to a window facing the water. And the best part is you’re back at the condo to take a walk on the beach while watching the sun set!

Now for some of my favorite places to eat!! 

Cotton's

If you're craving a delicious steak, this is one of the places I would highly suggest. We've eaten here every beach trip. It's a must for us. But, you'll want to get there early because it's a small place, but well worth the wait!! We all got the filet with a perfectly baked potato and salad. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Shipp's Harbor House

Without a doubt this was my favorite meal of our trip! To be honest, I cleaned every inch of my plate from the salad, to the main course even down to the dessert. Okay, the dessert didn't end up with a clean plate, but you'll understand why after you see the photo below. It was huge. We all had filets and they were cooked PERFECTLY! We each got a different sauce to top off our filet, and they all were a hit! The desserts... a must, too!

The Original Oyster House

A trip to the Original Oyster House is a stop that everyone must make at the beach. They have a wonderful salad bar, and the service is great. The Mr got Shrimp Au Gratin and it looked and smelled delicious. Of course it was so big that he couldn't eat it all. Definitely a must for your upcoming beach trip! And even if there's a wait... they have great shops beside it make the time go by fast!

                            

I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready to pack our suitcases again and head south!! Until then, I'll just keep living through Lauren's instagram pictures!

If I didn't bore you to tears, and you want to find out more about the Sowell life... you can follow me at any of these social sites! Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Bloglovin

I enjoyed invading your blog, Lauren! Hope your trip is full of relaxation and lots of sun!

                                                               




Joy- Thank you so much for guest blogging. I'm sad that I'm coming home from the beach but I'm thankful that I got to relax for a couple of days! 

and forget it about converting my sweet followers! :) #hottytoddy