This past weekend we stepped away from the boat and it’s long list of projects to spend some quality time on solid ground with family. Matt’s dad just moved into a house at the Delaware beach (ah, retired life) and we were meeting his sister and her family there to celebrate Christmas. Part III. That’s the beauty of having extended family everywhere. You get to repeat all the fun holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving again. And again.

We were really psyched for the weekend because it involved two things we love very much – family and the beach. On the way down we drove thru Rehoboth, perhaps our favorite of all the DE beaches and discovered a few hidden gems we can’t wait to go back and visit this summer. Like Henlopen City Oyster House, this adorable little spot that serves fresh, local food & brew, with a great low key vibe. We were so tempted to saddle up to their bar, order a pint of a local IPA, and slurp fresh shucked oysters with the locals. Damn Whole30 diet.

Next we wandered over a street and into the local cheesemonger. Oh, you don’t have one of those in your neighborhood either? This is a whole shop dedicated entirely to quality artisanal cheeses. It’s a throwback to the days before our need for convenience spawned the current mega-markets and small specialty shops reigned supreme. This shop was absolutely awesome. Unfortunately, guess what else we can’t have during this month of Whole30? CHEESE. Guess what Matt’s favorite thing in the whole world is (besides me, obviously)? CHEESE. He showed incredible restraint while I chatted it up with the guys behind the counter, and we walked out with a beautiful sampler basket to take to his dad’s house.

We finally tore ourselves away from the temptation of the local brews and gourmet cheeses (mental note to come back this summer and gorge when were off the diet), and made our way down to his dad’s house, where Christmas Part III immediately commenced upon the arrival of Matt’s sister and her family.

These kids are so darn awesome. And adorable. Seriously. We’re not just saying that because we’re related either. Just look at those attentive faces anxiously anticipating what lies in store for them under that colorful wrapping. This is the same look our dogs give us when we’re digging down into their treat jar.

Wait for it….

 

Sadly, all of this only lasted about 30 minuets, as they were shredding paper quicker than Matt’s dad could pass them out. There were a few solid winners in the group though, especially this magic kit that served for hours of after dinner entertainment. Andrew even volunteered to be the Magical Natalie’s assistant. Cutest kids ever. I told you.

The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn – and not because of the kids either. One good thing about eating so healthy is that we’ve had a serious surge of energy lately. This is after the intense two weeks of hating life (and each other sometimes) while we were detoxing from sugar and carbs and caffeine and all of that other crap we’ve been bingeing on for so long. It was a nice change of pace to wake up at sunrise on Sunday with a clear head and a smile on our face ready to attack the day. So we did…

 

After breakfast we said out goodbyes and headed out. The rain from the day before had cleared out and it was a gorgeous sunny morning. We wanted to hit the beach and let the dogs run around for a bit to stretch their legs before the long car ride home. Funny thing is, this was only their second time at the beach. We took them once a few summers ago and they actually got in the water. If I recall, they didn’t like it too much and kept getting pummeled by the waves. We didn’t like it too much either because wet, sandy dogs are not very fun to deal with. Luckily, this trip didn’t involve any swimming. Just a lot of sniffing.

The thing about the ocean that I love the most, is just how small it makes you feel. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day intricacies of life – deadlines, bills, commitments, appointments… the list is always long and always seems to give me a pit in my stomach and a tightness in my chest. But you take one look at the ocean, in all its infinite grandness, and realize how big the world actually is. And after a deep breath of salty sea air, you realize just how unimportant all those other things are in the grand scheme of life.

ocean = happiness

 

To keep the weekend going, we headed from the beach over to my mom’s house for a traditional Sunday dinner with my family. Seriously, no cooking in the world tastes better than your mom’s home cooking.

Clearly, we didn’t get any boat projects done last weekend, but that’s OK… they’ll still be there for us to work on next weekend, that’s for sure! On the bright side, after the epic floor project, everything else seems like a breeze!