OY! KRISTEN

This stretch of beach is very much like a second home. I've visited this place every year for over twenty years and it never ever dulls in it's extraordinary way of smoothing out the wrinkles in my mind. Watching my son build sand castles, learn to body surf and pick up seashells in the same sand that I did as a little girl is a wildly special experience. And since Stevie's family and my family took this vacation together every year for years, this is a cherished place for both of us. It just doesn't get old. In fact, as the trip comes near, we lean into the joy of planning and preparing for it. It's like we both know that we are about to drop all of our fears and doubts and stresses into that ocean and receive an overwhelming ovation of peace and soulful prosperity.

I have the funniest memory of Stevie when he was like 17 and I was 13. He and my cousin David used to troll the beach wearing puka shell necklaces and attempt to hit on girls. I thought he was so lame.

And then I married him :)

It seems like every year that we visit this beach, we have handfuls of life possibilities that we discuss while we walk along the water. Something about walking along the shoreline absorbs all the questions of our circumstances.

I remember walking the beach hand-in-hand while we excitedly discussed getting married.

Walking this beach, nervous and excited to move to Boston for him to go to Harvard. What would New England be like??

Walking this beach, thrilled about moving to New York City. And scared about pursuing my dream of being an actor in that crazy place.

Walking this beach (okay, waddling), gigantically pregnant and anticipating how our life would change as we added a member to our family. If we only knew the magnanimous source of passion and joy Everett would bring to us - and now Daxton, too!

Walking the beach, weighing the option of job opportunities, moving potentials, dreams, family, struggles, victories, an a myriad of other elements.

Walking along this shoreline has really helped us work out a lot of things over the years. Thank goodness for those meandering walks, where the ocean itself has been like a voice of reason in our discussions. And now we are joined by our sons in enjoying this special place. I am overcome with gratitude for this shared haven of sun-splayed comfort and peace.

Time stops here. The days run together and I almost forget that I have a phone or a camera or that technology even exists. It's always exactly what I need, at exactly the right time.

Life is so beautiful, friends. I hope you find a place where you can drop your worries and doubts and hopes into your favorite body of water this summer. Even if it's only the neighborhood pool, there's something neutralizing about those waters :)

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It's just always felt like home, here on this beach.

Probably because it is home, in a way. I've been coming to this stretch of coast on the Florida gulf every summer since I was about 7 years old. I might have been 8. I'm not really certain. But every summer, without fail, my feet have hit these sands and my heart has spilled over with relief and gratitude into the bubbling foamy sea. This horizon has absorbed a lot of my heart cries over the years - sadness over break ups, joy over making the squad, relief from finals, anticipation for my wedding, anticipation for moving to Boston, anticipation for moving to New York, anticipation for having a baby... the list goes on and on. This has been the place where I've "worked out” a lot my life challenges, had my conversations with God, while staring into this azure sea.

This is the kind of place that I have grown to need. To love and to cherish. We all have a place like this, right?

This time around, I got to watch my husband teach my little son how to play frisbee. I smile because this is the same beach where I learned to throw a frisbee so many years ago, when Stevie and I were dating and he couldn’t just sit still and read books with me for 7 days in a row. This is where I learned to love the feeling of the sea spray on my face while I angled the disc just so and sent it soaring across the shoreline to my partner in crime. And now, watching my not even two-year-old son experience the same bewildering joy - well, that’s what I think they call nostalgia. And aging. And really, really wonderful.

I did a rascal job of actually capturing a lot of moments through the lens during this beach week, and that was actually on purpose. This is the kind of week where I put away my phone, neglect all beauty products, and wear little more than bathing suits and pajamas. I shut off from the outside world, partly because the Internet connection is so poor anyway, and just eat ice cream and have conversations with family and stare at the ocean. So these are the few rare shots I took when I actually remembered to pull my camera out and capture the moment.

I hope you get the opportunity to retreat somewhere this summer. Everyone deserves a reprieve from from the hovering chaos of calendaring and task lists.