WATER you doing now that Summer is here?

Sea what I did there?

After what seemed like an extraordinarily long and cold winter here in Pennsylvania, summer has finally arrived and is in full swing.  Our vegetable garden is just exploding with color & deliciousness.  Baby birds have turned into birdie teenagers and are leaving the nest.  The delightful melody of the ice cream truck can be heard in the distance every night at dusk.  There are few things I enjoy more than sitting on my balcony, listening to music and just taking in every sight, sound and smell summer has to offer.  

On any given day, I drink a lot of water. I mean A LOT of water.  I am not exaggerating by saying I drink nearly a gallon a day.  Well, now I have an excuse to drink even MORE water.  I gave myself a little gift last week and purchased a water dispenser with a fruit infuser.  It holds 2 gallons, looks like a gigantic mason jar, and makes me want to go back for glass after glass. Over the weekend I made lemon blueberry infused water and drank half of it in one day.  

Yesterday I added some mint to the recipe so I am looking forward to that refreshment when I arrive home later today.  By infusing fruit into plain tap water, it elevates an otherwise boring drink into something tropical and indulgent.  You can find a dispenser on Amazon here but I was able to snag the exact same one for $12.99 at Christmas Tree Shops.  I highly recommend getting one, especially if you have trouble getting little ones (or big ones!) to drink enough water.

On another watery note,  Monday the 16th was World Sea Turtle day.  A few years ago when my husband and I went to Sanibel for our anniversary, we were lucky enough to witness a baby sea turtle making its way to the sea.  We kept our distance so as not to interrupt or distract him, and just watched in awe as he scuffled through the sand.  I remember thinking "I hope he makes it" referring to all of his natural predators, but at the time didn't consider the host of threats us humans impose on these breathtaking marine creatures. 

Of the seven species of sea turtle, six of them nest here in the United States, and all of them are listed as endangered or threatened.  (Source: Oceana.org) Sea turtle nesting season has begun, and it is of utmost importance to do what we can to minimize our impact on these beautiful creatures.  Oceana compiled a list of things you can do to help protect sea turtles; visit their post here. 

Oceana works to protect sea turtles around the world. Be sure to stop by Oceana.org to learn more about their efforts.



Well my dears, that's all for now.  Thank you for stopping by for a visit!

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.

Hi there.

I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Jen, and I have a problem.  

I'm addicted to the beach.

I'm obsessed with all things beach related.  My home is covered floor to ceiling in beach decor, pictures, shells, and naturally some flamingos (much to my husband's displeasure).  I'm in a constant rotation of either being at the beach, daydreaming about the beach, or planning the next beach trip.  This obsession started many years ago, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly when. 

When I was three, my mom and I went to visit my grandmother at her timeshare at The Caribe on Sanibel Island, Florida.  It was so many years ago, but I still have faint memories of feeding seagulls (which you aren't supposed to do- oops), building sand castles, swimming in the pool, and finding a stuffed flamingo that was just so perfect.  We have some videos on Beta Max that I really need to get transferred onto DVD to relive my meet-cute with an island I hope to someday call home.

A few years later, we went back. We stayed at the Caribe again, looked for seashells, ate amazing food, and spent almost every moment laughing.  I always assumed we would be back again in a few years.

Life happened.  Family, school, friends, medical diagnoses.  Boyfriends, moving, first car, graduation, jobs.  First apartment, the Jersey shore, the loss of my grandmother, dark places.

Then I met someone.  Someone who brought a warmth into my life that I hadn't felt in a long time.  He shared my love of the outdoors- camping, fishing, and most importantly the beach. He always knew how to make me laugh and we always had such fun together.

Our wedding was beach-themed.  All the tables were named after beaches or islands. Sanibel, Captiva, Cape Henlopen, Cape May, and a few others.  Our colors were light blue and tan, like the water and the sand.  I wore crystal starfish pins in my hair, the programs I designed were embellished with seashells, and the place card holders were made of hand-drilled shells.  We loved being outside so much, we chose an outdoor ceremony and reception.  And in keeping with the beach theme, our wedding day was the day Hurricane Irene rolled up the East Coast.  It rained, sometimes even poured, and the wind blew in force. People cancelled or went home early.  But one thing remained- we said our vows and committed ourselves to each other in the most memorable way possible.

We couldn't afford a honeymoon then, but on our one year anniversary we were able to go travel to Sanibel.  I was so excited to show my husband why this was my favorite place on Earth.  I was so happy to see that in my absence, not much had changed.  Sure there were some differences- restaurants had come and gone (So long, McTs), condos had popped up, and businesses had changed.  But there was still the feeling of being on a quaint island paradise.

On the second day of our "honeymoon", Tropical Storm Isaac hit.  Sanibel was spared for the most part but for high winds, rain, and the craziest surf I had ever seen.  There was no beach left- it was completely covered by the Gulf of Mexico.  Sea turtle nests were washed away, restaurants boarded up and closed, and guests left the island.  We ate breakfast in the hotel's restaurant in near darkness because they had boarded up the windows.  I was disappointed that we couldn't do so much of what I wanted to do, but I looked on the bright side: it meant we had to come back.

Since that time, my husband and I travel to Sanibel about 3 times a year.  We always joke that it would be cheaper if we just moved there.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a beachfront condo, but we are nowhere even near ready for that financially.  So we've been exploring our options- looking at apartments nearby, and constantly scanning the listings for Periwinkle Park, the only trailer park on the island.  Someday, hopefully in the near future, I will be writing from the comfort of my screened-in patio, listening to the palm trees sway and watching my husband pick mangoes from our tree on a balmy June afternoon.

In the meantime, however, I'd like to share my beach with you.  I'm just getting started, but I hope this will be a place you can come for a mental vacation.  Pictures, recipes, decor, crafts... the possibilities are endless.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Three year old me with my mom and grandmother at McT's, Sanibel.