If you know me, I hate it when things don’t go as planned. If my heart is set on something, I want exactly that. Well, I’ve been getting a lot of training on things not working out the way I want this year, that’s for sure. LOL! But, that’s a good thing because I’m definitely learning that God’s plans are always better than mine. It’s very humbling, and a piece of a humble pie is needed every now and then.
The closer we were getting to Craig’s 40th, the more depressing things seemed. Craig and I were supposed to go to Disney alone together like the way we celebrated my 40th two years ago. (Yes, I’m a cougar.) We had already booked it, but had to get our money back a couple months after the shut down happened. We didn’t feel comfortable in traveling anywhere unless we could camp to avoid hotels and any rental properties. So, we decided to go camping somewhere in Florida. We researched for hours and hours to find the right spot. Each spot we chose had its pros and cons and we just didn’t know if we wanted to travel for that long period of time in the car with the kids. So, we just kept going back and forth on so many different ideas that we had. The more we talked about it, the more I just felt like nothing was going to work out. Then, we decided to scratch camping. First, it was way too hot, and if you follow us on our Instastories, you know that our AC has been broken for 8 weeks. So yeah, we’ve had enough heat this summer! Yeah, I know… unbelievable, right? The more I thought about it, the more I just wanted to stay in a nice place… ON THE BEACH! Like, really ON the beach. So, I talked Craig into getting a place to stay at our fav beach and just relax and rejuvenate. He was up for it only if we got a private home and disinfect it like crazy. Ha! I said, “DEAL!”
This made me remember a women’s retreat that I went to Oct of last year with a few ladies in Panama City Beach, FL. It was the best beach experience I’ve ever had! The immaculate home that we stayed in was literally ON the beach, and omg… the view was just WOW! Ever since then, I remember wanting that same experience for my family.
Our ladies’ group stayed in this house in Panama City last fall, and it was B-E-A-UUUUUU-tiful! Go to Holiday Beach Rentals for the details of this home.
Photo Credit - Jody Gray - Miss these ladies so much….
Photo Credit - Jody Gray - So wish we could do this again…
So, when we decided to go, I was determined to find one for us. It being 2020 though, that didn’t seem like it was going to happen. I tried and tried and scrolled and scrolled, but it was either way too expensive or it wasn’t quite on the beach. You see, I didn’t want to walk at all. I wanted the house literally on the shore. As I was about to give up, Craig went onto VRBO, and he found one! What made it better was that it was on Santa Rosa Beach, FL, which is our FAVORITE beach on 30A. We booked it right away, and it was exciting because it was only a few days away! Our kids and my mom went nuts when we told them that we were going on VACATION! They literally jumped up and down, and couldn’t wait. Because our girls are “attending” an online school, one of the perks is to be able to get ahead of their school work. So, they got as much as they could get done so that we didn't have to spend too much time “doing school” there. Our son is homeschooled right now, so we are very flexible with him.
Ya’ll… I’m just not saying this… this vacation was seriously the BEST we’ve had as a family (with my mom included) EVER! We had such a great, relaxing time and made many, many precious memories together. I was so especially happy that we were able to celebrate Craig’s 40th this way and that my mom was able to enjoy it all too.
We surprised Craig during SUNRISE on our last day here which was his actual birthday.
Ok, so that’s enough about our story of how we got there. Now, let’s talk about the tips and recommendations! I know that many of you have been interested in getting these details from our Instastories, so here they are!
WHERE WE STAYED:
Santa Rosa Beach and here’s the link to the actual beach house we stayed via VRBO. It’s BEAUTIFUL! You just can’t beat the view and the convenience of it being a beachfront home. It’s pretty neat when you can just sit out on the deck and watch your kids play on the beach as if it was your own backyard. With these private homes, the beach is private too, so if you’re someone who needs privacy or want to seriously practice social distancing, this is FOR YOU!
The second one from the right was ours! Hope to check out another one next time!
MEAL PLAN:
We took 75% of everything we needed for our meals. The rest, we got it from the nearby Publix (10 min away!) there the night we arrived so that we didn’t have to worry about any other errands for the rest of the week. The goal was to relax, so we tried our best to accomplish that!
Before corona, I never cooked on vacation. We ate out for every meal… but, since corona, we have yet gone to a restaurant, and we are still not comfortable doing so. Therefore, my mom and I literally sat down and planned out the meal plan for the week at the beach. You can just imagine how much cooking has been going on in our home… Below is a pic of all the notes that we took. We didn’t miss one thing because each meal was planned and we took every ingredient including spices needed for each meal. We actually had so much fun doing this together that since then, we’ve been doing it at home too! Planning meals really saves so much money and TIME! Knowing WHAT to cook is half of the battle, so yes, it’s so worth planning it all out.
Being a Korean/American/Canadian family, we eat a lot of Korean food, so I’m sorry if you can’t read some things…
Don’t worry… Elli is happy. LOL
WHAT TO BRING:
With six people in one van, we had a lot to pack for a week of vacation especially because we had to pack for the food. So, to eliminate taking some things, make sure you look at what these homes already offer and don’t take it! For example, they listed sand toys, life jackets, beach umbrellas, lawn chairs, etc… that we could use, so yeah, we didn’t take it. I didn't know how decent those items were going to be, but I had to trust it because there was just no more room! Everything they listed were in GREAT condition, so whew! What I do before any trip, is just google “What to take on ____________”. So, for this trip, I googled “What to take on a beach trip” and checked things off from there. They usually list more than you need, so if you have all of those, you’re good to go!
So glad this house had a paddle board among other “beach” things that we could use!
SEASIDE:
One place that is a MUST visit in that area is “Seaside”. If you love shopping and eating, just go there and have fun…. Even architecture sight seeing is pretty amazing there too. The buildings are so beautifully and uniquely designed. It’s just overall a great hang out, family friendly place. (Sorry I don’t have any photos from here! Was having too much fun…)
CRAB CATCHING:
OK, so the most fun thing we did was believe it or not, crab catching! This is something we didn’t plan, but ended up doing each night and it was surprisingly super fun. We were just taking a walk the first night and started noticing all the small sand crabs! The kids went nuts over them and started running around like crazy around the beach and caught at least a dozen that night.
Next day, we noticed a small net as one of the things that we could use at the house, so the second night, we went prepared! We went a little bit later (not on purpose) and noticed that we were finding bigger crabs! It’s a good thing that Craig brought head lamps for the kids…
On the third night, Craig and I snuck out after our kids went to bed (my mom stayed with them) for a walk on the beach, and that was about 11:30pm, and ya’ll… there were EVEN bigger crabs. Crabs that you want to eat! They were everywhere on the shore. By this third night, we have learned that the later you go out, the bigger the crabs get! So, on the fourth and final night of our stay, we let the kids stay up really late, and went out and caught about 15 of them. Two of them were blue crabs! Craig watched a couple of videos on youtube on how to ‘clean’ them up, and my mom and he went to town! The rest of us are not too into seafood, and Elli and I are allergic to shell fish, so we just watched them indulge. So yeah, get a couple of nets, and go ‘fishing’ late at night for some adventure!
The progression of our crab sizes from each night… the later you go out there, the bigger they become. LOL
We only ate the biggest ones on the last night. Random tip, but Elli got stung by a jellyfish this night (OUCH!), so I could tell that that’s what she had by the way she was reacting like Monica on the episode of “Friends” where she gets stung. Have you guys seen that episode? Glad watching that show taught me something. LOL! Well anyway, unlike the show however, you don’t have to urinate on it. You just pour vinegar on it! The house had a huge container of it specifically for jellyfish stings and it worked like a charm!
Too bad Elli and I have shellfish allergies… Sigh… But, Daddy and Grandma went to town!
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Ok, so we went first week of Sept, so it was still pretty hot! But, even so… it wasn’t too bad at all and the weather really stayed clear the entire week for us. No rain in sight the whole time! So, if you go when it’s super hot, go out first thing in the morning. We all woke up pretty early every morning and watched the sunrise and walked the beach, had breakfast and stayed out there until lunch. After lunch, our kids did their school work, took a nap and then around 4pm, we all went out again until dinner time, then played in the water and watched the sunset and played until it was crab catching time.
There are many things that we don’t like about online schooling, and of course, meeting friends everyday is the biggest thing. However, this is the best we can make school for now and there are wonderful things about online schooling too, and one of the biggest perk is that you can just pick up and go anywhere, anytime! They’re able to get ahead with work as well, so when we are going to places, they know to get ahead so we don’t have to worry about too much work while we are traveling. They’re seeing the benefits and adjusting to this lifestyle more and more everyday. So thankful for flexible kids! (And, who wouldn’t want to do homework with a view like that?! haha)
RELAX!
I don’t know about you, but the only way I know to relax is if all the work is done. For me, I just can’t have fun unless my responsibilities are done. So before heading here, I got my work done so I didn’t have to worry about anything except replying to emails and messages on social media, and I did that only when I could once a day.
They just couldn’t stop playing….
Yes girl… relax and be free!
What fresh air can do to the human soul… thank you, Lord, for this time!
BEACH FAMILY PORTRAITS TIME!
I mean, what photographer family doesn’t take photos on their beach trip? What would we be good for? haha Yes, we of course did and you should too! Take advantage of that beautiful scenery, invest in a local photographer and get them done. Do we recommend anyone? Heck yeah! Please contact Pure7 Studios and tell them we sent ya! They will take good care of you…
Professional portraits of your family is so worth it! I encourage you to make it happen… I cry every time we get ours done although…. we use tripods and do it ourselves and get frustrated at times… LOL!
For more of our family portraits, please tap here.
Stuck on what to wear? Don’t worry… I got you there too. I do need to update it with our most recent family portraits, but the tips are still the same, so just tap here.
Well, hope you guys found this resourceful for your upcoming trip to Santa Rosa Beach! We look forward to sharing more of our adventures here. Thank you for reading, and we will see you on our instastories @craigobrist. Til then… BOOM BABY!
With much love,
Craig + Unchong