Beachy keen

Nicholas and I just returned from a little weekend getaway to the beach, as an early anniversary treat. We drove south, him driving, me knitting, and 4 hours later, arrived at our Airbnb, just a 5 minute walk from the beach.

Our condo was all things beachy and a tiny bit kitschy in the best way: painted pastel-hues, and coastal maps and giant fishing lures on the wall.

Friday night, tired from driving, we walked down to the beach in our clothes, to dip our toes in and plan for Saturday.

We grabbed dinner at a cute cafe and headed back to the condo to shower and have a low-key night in.

Saturday, we made breakfast. I googled how to make drip coffee and we drank it out of mugs that said things like "crabby before coffee" and "take me where the sea meets the shore."

We got ready, applied sunscreen, packed sandwiches, towels, sunglasses, and the rest of the beach bag and water bottles. I wore a hat I never wear and packed two cover ups (which weren't enough coverage, turns out, eeek) and walked to the beach.

It was windy and warm and delightful. He took a nap on the beach, I read Real Simple and knit a grand total of one row on my cardigan. We would head into the water to cool off regularly, and try to ride the waves. Always together, blinking the salt water out of our eyes.

When we had enough sun + sand + salt + wind, we went back to the condo to shower and take a nap. The sun just wears me out, (you too?)

That night, we had clam chowder, crab cakes, and grilled shrimp at a waterside restaurant, and stopped by the grocery store to buy a pint of Häagen-Dazs mint chip ice cream to share.

We snuggled, watched Downton Abbey together (our third time through it) and went to bed before 10pm (we never do that!)

My other favorite little memories that I want to savor for a long time:

• He makes all the little stuff fun, even buying eggs at a gas station. I mean, you gotta check 'em for cracks.
• feeling salty and sweaty and sunkissed burnt
• doing our favorite, ordinary things like drinking coffee/knitting/being together, in a special place
• listening to the Fantasia 2000 soundtrack, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, and the Interstellar soundtrack on the drive back to Austin
• good talks about where we've been, where we are, where we're going―the kind of talks where you think, parts of life are hard, but I've got this life buddy to do it all with, one I can laugh with, cry with, and come home to everyday.

Thank goodness for the beach and short and sweet weekend getaways. It was a wonderful weekend of feeling salty, wind-whipped, and really, really loved. There's no one I'd rather share my life with than you, Nicholas.

P.S.―1/4 cup filtered water + 10 drops lavender essential oil + 10 drops peppermint essential oil = a good post-sun spray. Soothing and nice-smelling. Take our word for it.