Another family vacation to the beach has come and gone. We look forward to these trips every year. Always scheduled at the very end of summer break, it’s something we long for all summer long and a way to celebrate another beautiful summer coming to an end.

I use the word “beautiful” loosely as three boys spending every waking hour together is not always smooth sailing. There is fighting, arguing, meltdowns, and sometimes a bit too much attitude. But for the most part, I cherish our summer days together.

By summer end, I am usually a little sad, but also mentally ready to go back to schedules and structure. That’s where I am right now, only days away from the first day of school.

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Our Family Vacation To The Beach

This year, our family vacation to the beach was spent in Orange Beach, Alabama. This is our 2nd consecutive year visiting this beach over our usual vacation spot of Destin, Florida.

I can’t really adequately compare the two as I love them both; however, I do enjoy the shorter wait times at restaurants and the lack of bumper to bumper traffic at Orange Beach. But Destin has its perks too with a plethora of yummy restaurants lined up along the sandy white beaches and more than enough family fun to choose from. They are both beautiful places to visit if you are looking for a beach family getaway.

Our entire week was spent sitting out on the breathtaking white sandy beaches and soaking in the sounds of the waves crashing into the shore. I cherish those hours together. Some of my favorite memories are made there. It is so very therapeutic for my introvert heart. I can’t quite find the words to explain, but my soul feels most at ease in those moments.

The days seemed ever short and the hours ticked by faster than I would have liked, but our annual trip to the beach did not disappoint. My only regret is that we couldn’t have stayed longer.

Building sandcastles, jumping waves, playing frisbee, flying kites, hunting for shells and daily walks down the beach all made up our days together.

At night, we traveled away from our condo for some yummy food, arcades, miniature golf, surf shops, and a walk down the pier as we hunted for sightings of marine life.

This past week is one I will always remember. We shared so many memorable moments together and created lifetime memories that I will never forget. These are the moments that bring my mama heart so much joy.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip. While I typically enjoy shooting with an assortment of gear, this year, I decided to keep it simple. All of my photos were taken with my Canon 6d, my Sigma 35 mm Art lens and my Canon 24-105. Also, both video and photos were taken with my Samsung Galaxy s10+ (not shown here).

Where is your favorite beach for family travel? Do you have a certain way you like to document the time spent there with your family?

Holly Paul

Holly is a 42 year old wife and mom to 3 boys, from Nashville, Tennessee. She is a hot tea lover, book reader, journal keeper, Pinterest pinner, podcast listener, y’all sayer, self-taught graphic designer, hobbyist photographer, writer and dreamer of all things big and small. You can find all of her ramblings here at Blu Nest Bloom.