I miss SPF2 Coppertone suntan OIL.

We’re trying to work out a week at Daytona Beach Ocean Walk Resort again in the next few weeks. Last summer, we stayed there for 5 nights. SO much fun! I posted photos and a kind of review last year. We loved the fact that everything we wanted to do was within walking distance. We parked the van in the garage when we got there and didn’t get back into it until the day we checked out. The beach, two pools with a lazy river, entertainment complex with movies, restaurants, shops and across the street a water park, arcade, laser tag, go carts, mini-golf and the BEST? A SPA at the hotel that accepted the Spa Finder gift certificate I won at a Christmas party, so I even got a massage! GREAT vacation. Bought it on eBay. Seriously. GREAT deal.

I’m a Florida girl. I went to the beach on Saturdays, some when I was in high school, more when I was in college. I remember I parked my car on the beach at New Smyrna once. (It was allowed back then.) Hung out with friends all day. Then the tide came in. Not good. The tires did not budge. Not good. No cell phones back then. Just lots of freaking out about how much trouble I was going to get in and how I was going to get the car home with an engine full of salt water. Thankfully, lots of tanned, good looking guys, drippin in machismo, surrounded my Mustang and pretty much lifted it out of the sand and back a few feet before it was completely water logged or dragged out to sea and turned into an artificial reef. What? I was 16. I thought it could happen.

So I’ve been to the ocean a few times. Mostly the east coast of Florida. Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, Jetty Park, New Smyrna . . . I love the beach. Kinda. Here’s a few things I’ve learned about myself:

I DON’T like swimming in the ocean. I’ve gone in far enough to STAND and catch a wave with a boogie board or a raft, but actually SWIM in the ocean? No. Riptides. Fish touching my legs. The movie Jaws. eek.

I DO like walking, basking, sleeping and reading on the beach. I know I’m not supposed to sleep and bask – skin cancer – I know. I don’t really do it anymore. We all lather up SPF50+ now. But the days of SPF2 Coppertone Suntan OIL? I can still smell it. The deep brown skin and bleached blond hair from a bottle of Sun In spray? Good times. Good times.

I DO like sitting on the beach, building sand castles and sand . . . stuff. Digging trenches. Burying my feet and legs. Digging up sand crabs for bait. Sand fills up in your bathing suit bottom and you have to trudge out to the ocean at least waist deep and do a little dance, hopping nobody has goggles and can hold their breath for a long time.

I DON’T like going to the beach for the DAY. The 60 to 90 minute, sand in my pants, wet bathing suit, sticky skin drive home is miserable. HATE that.

I LOVE going to the beach when we stay overnight. Spending the entire day outside in the sun and sand and getting to take a shower IMMEDIATELY after. Then going out for a bucket of Cajun shrimp and ICE cold beer at Bubba Gumps. Then waking up the next and doing it all over, but with different sea food at the end of the day? Like maybe blackened mahi mahi? Oh, now why did I go there? I’m ready for vacation now.

I LOVE sitting out on the balcony of a hotel at night, listening to the surf and (hopefully, if the moon is right) watching the waves.

I DO like walking on the beach at sunrise and sunset. Breathtaking.

I DO like riding out the channel at Cape Canaveral in a boat EARLY in the morning. You can actually FEEL the tension sliding off your back behind you as you get farther away from land.

I especially like standing on the top deck of a Disney Cruise Ship as it makes its way down the channel.

I DON’T like walking on the beach at night. The scurrying little sand crabs freak me out. If I walk at night, I want a flash light. A BIG one.

oh. And my final DON’T like? Shaving my legs the same day I’m going to the ocean. ow. ow. ow. ow. Shave the night before. Trust me.

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To find out what others learned this week, check out What I Learned this Week hosted by Musings of a Housewife.

Thanks, Kristin for inspiring this post!

bah-donk-a-donk butt.

note to self: choose on purpose.

Summer can be a little busy. We can find ourselves out and about. And hungry.

Yesterday, I had a Quarter Pounder with Cheese for lunch. No fries, and with a Diet Coke, but still. Today, I had my FAVORITE salad, a Grilled Southwest WITH the southwest dressing even. So yesterday? 510 calories and 26 grams of fat. Today? 420 calories and 15 grams of fat. Still not great. But better. Not better than eating at home. But better than the day before. And really, that’s all I’m going for.   Better than the day before.   Baby steps. Baby steps. (and I’m filling out the exercise log again)

At McDonalds . . .
A Quarter Pounder with Cheese from McDonalds has 510 calories and 26 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
A Grilled Chicken Southwest Salad has 320 calories and 9 grams of fat.

The Southwest Dressing has 100 calories and 6 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
The Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 40 calories and 3 grams of fat.

At Pollo Tropical . . .
The Caribbean Chicken Fajita Platter has 690 calories and 26 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
The Chicken Regular TropiChop® w/Yellow Rice & Vegetables has 330 calories and 5 grams of fat.

At Del Taco . . .
The Chicken Cheddar Quesadilla has 570 calories and 29 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
The plain ol’ Nachos have 370 calories and 21 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
A Taco has 130 calories and 7 grams of fat.
The Grilled Chicken Taco Del Carbon has 150 calories and 5 grams of fat.
(and this one’s for the rest of the family)
The Crispy Fish Taco has 300 calories and 17 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
(and this is for FirstHusband)
The Deluxe Taco Salad has 850 calories and . . . wait for it . . . 46 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)

At Subway . . .
A Six Inch Turkey Breast Sandwich has 290 calories and 4 grams of fat.

YO! Julie! Go to Subway! Eat Fresh.

And avoid bah-donk-a-donk butt. (I love this commercial!)