I just LOVE the beach! 

Going to the beach each year is one of our favorite things to do! It's all girls and all fun! We hang out, relax and enjoy all the delicious food that the Gulf Coast brings!

This year was so fun because it was the first year in a while that I haven't had the worry of grad school work hanging over my head! 

The weather was PERFECT this year and we had a blast! We beached, we shopped, we ate, and we conquered Gulf Shores! Already planning for next year...

Caitlyn met us around the middle of the week and it was fun having someone there my own age. One of the last nights we were there, we ventured out to FloraBama. I give it a 6 out of 10 because the night that we were there, we were the youngest people by far. I'm sure it we had went during the weekend it would have been different but it wasn't what it's hyped up to be! 

I'm glad we experienced it though and got to see what it's all about. 

What are some of your favorite places and things to see/eat/or do when you are in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area? Please share!

See you next year, Beach! 

#cousinbeachtrip14

The beach has my heart. It's crazy to me that when you are there, the rest of the world disappears and everything is just fine.  We had a death in the family a week before and really wondered if it was going to happen but I'm glad it did and calmed everyone's soul.

This has always been a girls trip and we have so much fun staying up late, laying on the beach and eating at wonderful restaurants every night. Stay tuned for the recap-- It might be a long one! :)

I have you know that these bags are only for 2 people. We may or may not have over-packed! We drove the 5 hours that it took to get to Gulf Shores and checked out our condo for the week. We rested a few and then drove for our first good night of eating! We ate at the Original Oyster House and it was delicious!

The next morning we slept late (duh, it's vacation) and went straight to the beach! We stayed out there in the sand and sun for around 6 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. I put sunscreen on 4 times but my whiteness just couldn't take it.. I was BURNT! When we came back in, I could barely move and my legs were on fire. It got worse and worse to the point that I had to sit on a towel to drive, restaurant chairs killed me and I was miserable! Take it from me, put sunscreen on EVERY hour!

TFIOS was a great book but I must say that very little reading was done on the beach. I was too relaxed and kept falling asleep and people watching! :) (Now I can't wait to see the movie).  If you follow me on Instagram, the pictures of the girls with that sweet boy, Drayden made my day. Drayden had a form of Autism and clung to our crew everyday. He was so sweet and loved to talk!

We went to Lulu's after the beach and Caitlyn came and ate supper with us. Her family was beachin' as well and she came for some girl time! I'm so glad we got to hang out for a while.

                                                 

This lady is my best friend and I'm so thankful that we are able to go on this trip every year. You can tell by the way I'm standing that I was in some severe pain! 

Other places that we ate at for the week were The Hangout, Tacky Jacks, and Five Guys. I think eating at all of the fun, exciting places in one of my favorite parts of going to the beach. We went to the pool almost every night with the girls and walked on the beach the last night and looked for sand crabs and sea shells. On the last night before we go eat, we always take "beach pictures". 

I'm thankful for this family that God gave me and I'm happy that we can share time together and make memories every year in our favorite place! 

Beach- You were good to us! 

Toes in the water.

the waves of the sea help me get back to me. 

I'm rested from the trip and ready to tell you all about it. Instead of doing multiple re-cap days ( i have nothing against that, just not for this trip) I'm going to jumble it all together here for you, ladies. 

We go on this girl's trip with my cousin Linda and her family. It's our 2nd year to go and we have already started talking about next years trip! We love our girl time and being able to do what we love. Swim, eat, and shop.

I was loaded and prepared with many monogrammed pretties this year and couldn't wait to get on the beach. I also had a cooler painted for the trip and ask me how many times we used it. (1 time) It'll come in handy for the future. :)

Mama and I enjoyed laying out on the beach and then when it got so hot that we couldn't stand it, we would head to the pool. That's where Linda, Nikki, and Kristin enjoyed being and we would join them there for the best of both worlds. Our condo was wonderful, even though we really only enjoyed it at night when we came in from eating.

We enjoyed lots of places to eat on the beach and even though I am not a seafood person, I did eat shrimp once! We enjoyed our nights, no doubt!

Tacky Jacks, LuLus', Wolf Bay Lodge and The Hangout were out choices and we made lots of good decisions with what we ate! 

I got to watch the sunrise over the ocean, listen to the waves, meet new people, spend time with my mama and live it up on the beach. What more could this girl ask for?

I'm thankful, oh so thankful for a family who loves to be together and I hope that the beach memories continue throughout my lifetime!

*hint, hint.

Relax.

Hello ladies!

I'm still soaking up the sun, laying out, and enjoying time with my family. 

Can I live here and NOT come back? 

please. say. yes.

I was thinking tonight about how God made EVERYTHING in this beautiful world and how he formed it all and put it exactly where he wanted it. I find that so interesting because God could have just made this world and not planned it intricately. Thank him that he loves details and loves to make his children wonder and thank him!

He's got the whole world in his hands!

p.s. if someone would like to guest post for me, email @ lauren_patton@hotmail.com

// B.E.A.C.H. must haves.

You know those days you wake up and you just know it's going to be a great day? Yeah, that's me today because it's "let's go to the beach" day and I'm too excited. 

I have been looking forward to this trip for a while and a lot of planning and excitement has gone into this trip. Now.. I've packed and we are R.e.a.d.y.. What's some things that I've brought along with me, you ask?

one// Sunglasses- These are so important when you are on the beach and can't see anything because the sun is in your eyes. 

two// PFG Columbia Shirt- Mine isn't monogrammed but a {thrifted} one that I plan to use as a swimsuit cover up. We shall see how that goes.  

three// Beach Bag- Every girl needs a beach bag that is going to be easy to carry and is big enough to carry all the essentials that will be needed while on the beach.

Four// A good book- Anything with a love story and a little mischief will keep me reading! I love Emily Giffin books!

five// Suncreen- I love a good tan as much as the next girl but skin cancer runs in my family so I have to be protected too! 

six//Sand Spike Drink holder- this is one of my fun additions this year. I can't wait to test it out with a yummy Diet coke sitting in there. 

I've got a couple more items that I will share through Instagram.. My button is at the top of my page.. find me and share along in the adventure. 

What are some things that you can't live without on the beach?

Miscellany Monday- Beach Style!

It's a monday. what better day to remember myself at the beach and re-cap on that.

 So, lets go!

Gulf Shores, Alabama. Oh, you were too much fun!

{where we forgot the world's problems}

{my rock/partner in crime}

{cousin fun}

{our group}

{we had so much fun}

{more pics from the iphone}

we had such a great time. There really is nothing like being on the beach.

Source: Uploaded by user via Lauren on Pinterest