A little older and a little more relaxed...

Well, now I'm 26 years old. I remember when 19 seemed sooooo old and sooooooooooooooo cool. Now I'm married and a mom, and it feels weird to feel so young (still) and yet 30 is getting closer!!! I can actually see it now! Scary! :) I'm not supposed to be 30... only my mom was supposed to age, not me!

July 16 was a happy day, as it is supposed to be every year for me. Justin found a wonderful card that I opened when he was long gone for work and I'd just woken up (I'm eating up the sleeping in thing until #2 arrives). We made last minute plans to go to eat with my parents in-law and my brother-in-law, Jordan, at Macarroni Grill, and then two days later, we packed up the car and headed to the BEACH!

We found a house/cottage in a really quiet neighborhood at Garden City Beach to rent for 3 nights. Previously, we weren't going to get to the beach this year with the baby bills that are coming, but Justin needed a little breather from work... and it was a great birthday present for me, too! Izzy is getting to be a great traveler in the car. Last year, we stopped at FATZ Cafe at about the halfway point to the beach to eat lunch, and we did that this year, too. We got stuck in some beach traffic on the way down, but we had smooth sailing on the way home--thankfully.

We really relaxed at the house and the beach. Izzy wasn't too sure of the sand and water at first, but soon she was having tons of fun in the oversized sandbox. ;) She would dig sand, fill buckets, and collect shells all while Daddy and Momma got to relax and read novels! We had tons of fun going in the waves with her, too. She especially liked seeing sandcastles built and then being able to wreck them whenever she wanted. We went to the beach twice a day each day in between Izzy's naps. One afternoon, she picked up the toy bag and started packing it up, and then she [tried to] put on her swimsuit cover up--it was OBVIOUSLY time to go back to the house for a nap. We thought it was sooo funny.

On Monday morning, we went to breakfast with Justin's grandparents, since they live just a few minutes from where we were beachin' it. I don't think we wanted to leave on Tuesday morning, but work was hounding Justin! We weren't gone very long, but he was in high demand Monday and Tuesday morning. As soon as we got home around lunch time on Tuesday, Justin was off to the office and then to a meeting at a plant in town. I am thankful to have a husband who works so hard (esp in a recession) to provide for his growing family!!!