We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with what originally was planned to be a two week Hawaiian adventure, became a Pacific Northwest excursion with the surprise addition of E, which then settled to be a beach trip with the surprise addition of COVID. Then, Florida & Georgia couldn’t get their act together so we cancelled that beach trip. The week drew near and I felt disappointed, and then I felt guilty I was disappointed. There’s that cycle again. So the weekend before we made the decision to rebook a long weekend at the beach, we would spend a few hours just the two of us in the morning and then pick up E and head down to the gulf. I felt like a lot of the memories I so desperately wanted had to be thrown out the window, but his first beach trip before he got too big was something I wasn’t willing to sacrifice.
I was nervous about the car ride, E had done several 2 hour car rides but five and a half hours was a whole different animal. Jon and I hiked up in North Georgia that morning and then packed up the car, got E and were on our way. For two hours this babe was great, mainly he slept and I drove, then, we hit Alabama and the tides turned. He didn’t want to sit anymore so I headed to the back with him and coaxed him to calm down with applesauce, and some playtime. We got another 2 hours out of him and then it broke loose, we were crossing into Florida, it was way past his bedtime and I was VERY uncomfortable squished between his carseat and everything we had packed. Probably my least favorite 1.5 hours of his very short life.
But then – we made it and this child immediately passed out.
The next morning I couldn’t wait to get in some Florida flat miles. Unfortunately, the humidity coming from the storms headed in from the tropics was gruesome and while great for endurance training didn’t make for the most comfortable of runs. I settled for a 3.5ish point to point which thankfully ended at the Donut Hole, our family’s very favorite gulf coast breakfast spot.
After the running and the donut that followed we put the babe in his little big boy suit and headed to the sand and waves. It was as magical as my mind had dreamt it up, he put his little feet in the water with uncertainty and then a BIG smile, the sand was fun to kick up, and watching his face scan the horizon at all the new scenery was the childish wonder that I love.
The next day I tried to get out for a “long run” which was the first workout PP I ended up failing. It was a moment of disappointment but also hope. The run was humid and my body felt trashed from time changes and different food, but in that twisted way was an encouragement that I was at the point I was failing workouts again. Now, I don’t like to make a habit of it, but in the world of competitive running it happens.
We spent more beach time as we watched the outer bands of the tropical storm that was making its way towards the gulf started to churn the water and provide a shady covering, and then Jon let me do one of my favorite things. As he watched from our balcony I headed down towards the water as the waves were some of the biggest I had seen in the gulf. Also side note if you are not a strong swimmer I would not have made this choice, but I knew I could get some nice body surfing in – so for the next 30 minutes the waves battered me and threw me into the sand, and it was some of the best moments in this season. If you think that’s weird its okay.
On our last morning I took off with little man for a short one before packing up, we got donut hole to go with plenty of donuts and sat back for the mostly peaceful drive home. While it isn’t the most convenient to travel with a baby we are so glad we did. It gave us a breath, helped me change up training, and it’s helping teach Elijah what it is to adventure and see all this amazing creation around us.
Some of the things that made this trip great:
- A large play mat – I bought a twin size comforter off amazon and he’s off to the races rolling around and interacting with his toys
- A baby beach tent – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SYP4CF4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Multifaceted toys that have chewers, sounds, and multiple colors
- Baby applesauce for car rides HA!
Until next time!
Fueling Her Forward 