To pack or not to pack

in , ,

Beach packing. Whether it be for a week or just a day trip, packing your family for the beach is no joke.

Beach chairs

Beach towels and blankets

Beach umbrellas

Food cooler

Drink cooler (definitely don't want to forget this!)

A gallon of sunscreen

Beach toys and boogie boards

Add an additional 30 pounds of gear for every non-potty trained child

If you're like me you've probably mastered the art of car Jenga where you skillfully fill every cubic inch of your SUV or minivan (or in our case, our 4 door sedan) with just enough room for the kids to sit crisscross applesauce in the back seats.

After a long drive you pull into your parking spot. Congratulations. Now it's time to lug all that stuff (and your sleeping child) across the burning sand.

Man walks with 2 children while carrying beach chairs and beach bag onto the sandy beach. Girl with hat and sunglasses carries beach umbrella

The closer you guys get to the water, the more excited the kids get. It's so precious to see their sweet little faces light up when they finally see the waves.  They're ready to jump in the water with their clothes and shoes on!  It's at that moment you and your partner turn to each other and ask...

"Honey did you pack the good camera?"

Boy and girl play and jump on the beach as ocean waves roll in

Your heart sinks.

Probably for 1 of 2 reasons. Reason 1: While creating your packing planning spreadsheet, your camera did not make the final cut because as much as you'd love to snap photos of your littles burying each other in the sand, there was no way you were going to risk getting sand, sunscreen, and sea water in your brand new fancy camera. Or Reason 2: You did pack it but have no way of accessing it because it's either in the car, miles away across the hot dessert sand you just laboriously crossed. Or it's buried so deep in your beach bag that you know by the time you've finished setting up all your beach gear, sunscreening every kid, doling out snacks, searching for goggles; the LAST thing on your mind is taking out your cellphone, let alone your camera, to take a picture with your sandy sunscreened hands! (or in this case seaweed hands!)

Child's hands covered in seaweed

Let me give you a hand there! Join me at Ocean Grove on 8/20 and Point Pleasant Boardwalk on 8/22.  I'd love to photograph you and your family getting your beach (or boardwalk) on, and doing what you do best--making memories together.  Want to find out more? Click on the link below or contact me today so we can plan your visit!