beachside.

I am from a smaller beach town on the west coast of Florida. A town whose summer temps rarely rise above 95 degrees and are accompanied by a constant salty breeze. A town whose mornings are greeted by the calls of seagulls, and the evenings are painted by vibrant oranges and purples descending over the ocean. A town that changes very little between my visits, but its familiarity is somehow comforting. A town in which the people love their casual t-shirts and shorts (in the winter, sweatshirts and shorts), and their laid-back "style" reflects their relaxed way of living. A town that always welcomes you home, no matter how long you've been away. And most importantly, a town where my parents live...in the same house I grew up in since I awkwardly entered sixth grade.

I just returned from my two-week vaca to Bradenton, or "B-town" as we affectionately call it. I spent the first week relaxing in the pool, soaking in the rays on the beach, and loving on my parents. The second week, I nannied my little Ethiopian babies! Their family vacationed on our beach, Anna Maria Island, and I got to spend a lot of time with these adorable bundles of energy. Two weeks was an incredibly long time to be away from my husband, and I missed him like crazy! However, I tried to be thankful for the time "off", and enjoyed the blessing of a vacation.

A lot happened in two weeks time... Enjoy the photos I'll use to share some highlights.

Happy Summer!

 Reading all day in the pool. For all of you educators out there, this is a must-read!

 SweetBerries. A local custard shop where I worked in high school to afford gas for my car. This is a requirement upon visiting B-town. Delish.

 A lunch date with my mother-in-"love" followed by an afternoon of fun with my niece. (I love that I am an aunt now!)

I also spent an evening with my husbands family... Can I just say how blessed I am?

 Dinner with my Granny and Paw-Paw. Paw-Paw went to the grocery store and purchased all the ingredients for my homemade vodka pasta recipe. Granny and I prepared the meal, and it was uh-mazing, if I do say so myself. Dinner was followed by my Paw-Paw's mouth-watering coconut cake topped with Granny's blueberry syrup and fresh strawberries. I'm dying at just the thought of it.

 Anna Maria Island...home sweet home. (Couldn't even tell Hurricane Debby just swept through!)

 This fish market doubles as a restaurant located right on the water. Its picnic table, cardboard box, fish fresh out of the water approach has been featured in cuisine magazines and on Food Network. This seafood is unreal, y'all. Let me recommend the blackened grouper. You won't be disappointed.

 Judah and Levi arrive! They are very disappoint Jon (my hubs) is not with me... we call him everyday!

These are the sweetest boys!

 Thanks for my new watch, Mama!

 After roasting on the beach alllllll day, the rents and I went to one of our favorite island spots- Oma's Pizza. It's far from fancy, but the food is great! (I think eating pizza in your bathing suit with sand still stuck in between your toes makes the pizza taste even better.)

 Bradenton Beach sunset...not filtered.

 Sporting my hat Jon bought me on our honeymoon. 

(Sending many pics like this to him to make him jealous.)  :)

 July 3rd fireworks on the beach! 

(Judah sang to my parents and me the entire walk back to the condo. It was precious.)

 Other than my own brothers, I have never seen little boys so entranced by a movie on a daily basis. These boys l.o.v.e. "Cars" and we watched it in between on swimming/jumping into the pool lessons.

 Our favorite...Carrabba's. Love this special time with my parents.

 Judah and Levi had a "picnic" in the living room. As they ate their turkey sandwiches, I looked down and saw they had intertwined their feet. Their game of "footsie" was so sweet!

 Gathering shells for my "summer mantle" decor.  (Pics soon to come...)

 On my last night in Florida, we went to the Bridge Tender restaurant. This restaurant was a new spot for us, but we will definitely be back! Sooooo yummy.

 Our dinner view.

 Fresh off the beach, eating dinner in our suits.

 It was strange/lonely going home without my brothers, and it was extremely hard to be away from Jon for two whole weeks. However, I am thankful for some quality time with my parents and grandparents. This is a sweet season for my parents. We've come an awful long way, and I'm excited for where we are headed.

(And yes, it was nice getting spoiled as if I was an "only child" ...but just for a short time.)