Heyy guys! I’m back on the road after a week of lying in the sand and swimming in the cool ocean water! The beach was really fun! To recap, I spent a lot of my time on the sand, chilling. I definitely got tanner than I was before, which is like, awesome! Who doesn’t love a good tan?! However, my nose did get sunburned. 😢 (I look like Rudolph lol) Around the second day of our trip, we got milkshakes from Gulf Coast Burgers. They have the best shakes, and they are literally ginormous. Mine was cookies and cream and it had literally two giant cookies in it! We also got ice cream from Hershey’s Ice Cream. Though the name could be deceiving, Hershey’s actually has a lot more than just chocolate. If you don’t know this about me, my absolute favorite chocolate combination is chocolate and raspberry. So naturally, I got the raspberry roadrunner flavor. Which was amazing, by the way. One of my favorite things we did on this trip was go jet skiing! Jet skiing is when you go on this jet on the water and basically “ski” on the waves. It was really exciting and thrilling. I had a blast on it, even if I was a little scared. Ok, a lot scared. But if you’re going to the beach soon, definitely try it! Also there is a thing called parasailing that looks really cool. You basically ride a banana boat out onto a real boat, where they get you harnessed into a parasail, which is like a parachute. It’s attached to the boat, so you can glide in the air really high above the ocean. I really want to try it next time we go to the beach. I’ve heard it’s not scary at all, but instead is really serene and peaceful. One of the things I’d change about this vacay is the way I did my hair. I tried so many styles that required twisting and braiding my thick and wavy hair which resulted in leaving my hair matted and knotted. It was a really hassle to get the tangles out. 😬 I know all you girls out there can relate to this lol. On the last day, I did a ponytail and I braided it, and that style actually worked really well for my hair and left it tangle-free. So I will definitely be doing that style next time.
If you’re looking into visiting Panama City Beach, some restaurants I’d recommend include: Schooners, Bayou Bills, Temperley’s, Nick’s Pizza, Gulf Coast Burgers (of course lol) , and Sharkey’s. We didn’t go to Sharkey’s this time, but I wish we did because while you’re waiting for your food you can go on the beach, and they have a volleyball net. I play volleyball, and though I forgot to bring mine to the beach, my best friend Kenna and I found one outside the pool of our hotel and might have “borrowed” it for a couple of hours. (Ok, ok, it might have been a couple of days.) Beach volleyball is really fun, and you don’t have to have a volleyball or be a volleyball player to enjoy it. Blowing up a Dollar General plastic ball is just as fun! Speaking of pools, my family and I love to go to the pool after a long day at the beach to cool off, and get sand off (because we all know that stuff gets everywhere.) The restaurant Bayou Bills has a real life alligator pool that’s really cool to look at while you wait to be seated. Here’s a picture:
While we’re talking about pictures, one thing I loved doing at the beach was taking photoshoots! Kenna and I took some great best friend pictures that were inspired by Pinterest. (If you want you can follow me at Brynn Michaela) Though I took a lot on my phone, I really enjoyed taking some on my Polaroid camera. For me, getting a good Polaroid picture is a hard feat. However this trip, I ended up with 7 amazing pictures that I will definitely be hanging up above my bed. I also took some on my Canon camera. I know, I’m quite the photographer. 😂
But yeah, that was my beach vacation! I’ll definitely remember this one for the rest of my life. I made some great memories and had a really fun time! Before I go, I wanted to share with you guys more book recommendations. Since you all probably know by now that I love books, one thing that I really enjoyed doing while lying in the sand was reading. In my What’s in My Beach Bag post (go check it out!), I mentioned a book that I was reading that I’d definitely recommend. I also have many others that are perfect for you readers if you need a list of the perfect beach reads.
While packing for my trip, I had trouble picking out books. I wanted to read something while by the ocean, but I had no idea what. The internet didn’t really help, either. I searched up beach reads online, but they weren’t really what I wanted. I wanted a book that was light and airy and fun. A book that had a summery element and made me happy. So I made my own list. And today I’m going to share it with you guys, so hopefully you won’t find yourself in the same rut that I was.
RECOMMENDED BEACH READS:
If I’m being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund- Broka- This book is about Cameron, high schooler, who is known at her school for being rude by always telling the truth, no matter how much it hurts. When her crush, Andrew, finds out how cruel she is, there’s only one way to win him back. And that is to make amends with all the people she’s wronged.
Boy Crazy Stacey by Gale Gillian- This is book seven of The Babysitters Club series. Check out my Graphic Novel Faves post for more about this series. This book is about Stacey and Mary Anne, who are babysitting the Pike family on the New Jersey shore. When Stacey starts to fall for a boy, Mary Anne starts to think that she should be spending less time worrying about Scott and more time helping with the kids. But Stacey’s in love! How can Mary Anne tell her that she can’t watch the kids all by herself without breaking Stacey’s heart?
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm- Sunny Lewis has been shipped off to Florida to spend the summer with her grandpa. Sunny thought it would be fun, but then she realized she has to stay at a retirement home full of really, really old people. She’s not alone though, there’s a boy her age there, and together they go on their own journeys and adventures. Though the summer is shaping up better than Sunny thought, she still wonders why she’s even in Florida in the first place…
Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West- Kasie West is one of my favorite chick lit authors. Read my Chick lit post for more books by her. Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she planned. Her crush on her best friend, Cooper, is out in the open, and unfortunately for Abby, he doesn’t feel the same way. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing anxiety, and now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work has “no heart.” So Abby gives herself a month to complete her heart list, which will hopefully make her art better.
Two Summers by Aimee Friedman- When Summer Everett makes a split second decision, her summer splits into two parallel worlds. In one, Summer is in the French countryside, where she’s surrounded by fields of lavender, croissants, and handsome boys. In the other, she remains home in upstate New York, expecting life to go on like normal, but nothing is as it seems. Summer will fall in love and discover two sides of herself all in the span of two months.
I hope this list brought you some beach read ideas for you when you travel to the shore. I loved reading If I’m Being Honest with the sound of the waves behind me, and hopefully you will too! If you enjoyed reading about my beach vacay, give this post a heart, and I’ll see you guys next time!