Dos and Don'ts of Camping at the Beach

Let me start by saying I am clearly no camping expert. My husband kind of is though, and I probably would not have ever done this had it not been for having him. We had some laughs, some eye rolls, some snark and some snips during our trip (what couple doesn't!?) but we had a BLAST. And little Dax had fun too. He is definitely a beach dog and loved every single second of burying his whole head in the sand. He will probably be sneezing sand for a week.

We camped at a campground in Panama City Beach called Camper's Inn. It was a cute little place and had anything we needed- bathhouses, pool, laundry, even a convenience store on site. I will say the only two downsides were that it's right next to one of those slingshot rides, so we heard screaming quite late through the night. The other downside is that it was right across the road behind Club La Vela. (LOL)  We got to hear lots of bumping music through the day and night!

I decided to make a list of Dos and Don'ts of Camping at the Beach when the folks who camped next to us (Hi Danielle and Cody!) had never heard of the baby powder trick. (More on that later.)  Also, I wanted to make a list just so we remember next time we go, because we are DEFINITELY going back!

The List:

1. DO take lots of bug spray. The good old-fashioned-full-of-deet kind. Bugs are everywhere. Citronella candles help too. DON'T try those Pinterest tricks for keeping Mosquitos away. Dryer sheets, baby oil, etc.  Seriously. I'll take my chances with the deet chemicals as opposed to quarter-sized bug bites on my body and West Nile.

2. DO take a pair of rubber boots, tennis shoes- SOMETHING that covers your whole foot so that you can walk around the campsite and not have sand up to your eyeballs. DON'T wear and take only flip flops. (I'm looking at you, mirror.) You get the dreaded spray of sand up your calves and then  you have to wash it off, etc. So. Much. Sand.

3. Speaking of sand, DO take the biggest bottle of baby powder you can find! Put it on any area of your body that has sand on it and literally the sand falls right off. We kept ours next to the door by our tent and it worked perfectly at keeping our tent and sheets sand free. DON'T take a little tub or basin to wash your feet off in. It is useless at getting your feet 100% sand free. Baby powder smells good too!

4. DO take a shower just before you're ready to crawl in bed. It is so refreshing to wash away all the bug spray, sunscreen, and sandy butt crack (y'all know it's true) just before you fall asleep. I sleep better when I feel clean! DON'T bother taking a shower when you first get off the beach. I know it sounds gross, but you still have to put on all that bug spray, eat, sweat,  play with the pup, etc. Just wait. Trust me. I took a ginormous tub of baby wipes.

5. DON'T plan on sleeping late. It is impossible to do with the thin tent walls. You hear stuff, get blinded by sunlight and you will be warmed up as quick as the first ray of sun shines in your face. DO get up early and take advantage of sunrises and cool breezes. #worthit

6. DON'T count on your phone for a flashlight. Sure mine was helpful, but at 2am when you need shoes to go to the bathroom and they're nowhere to be found a phone light just doesn't cut the mustard. DO take Christmas lights, lanterns, etc to keep the area well lit. Tacky? Sure. Better than a pine needle stuck halfway up your toenail? Absolutely.

7.  DON'T take just one cooler. We only had one, and it had all of our food and drinks in it. Who wants to lug a half gallon of milk to the beach every time!? Not these folks. DO take multiple coolers so that you have one for the campsite and one to haul over to the beach. One big cooler and one smaller, portable cooler would have been ideal.

Other tips:
-Get a campsite closest to the bathhouse. Your bladder will thank you for the shorter trek at 2am.
-Take a sand buggy or a wagon to haul crap over to the beach.
-Take an outdoor rug to minimize the sandy feet stuff. SO glad we took ours!
-Take cool showers. The water heater was not working in our bath house but that actually turned out to be awesome. The cold showers were refreshing and didn't leave us feeling sticky.
-Take fans. All the fans.

What are you leaving?

Most of the time when we talk about leaving, we think of negative connotations.  We think of leaving a job, leaving a boyfriend/girlfriend, leaving a store.....you get the idea.  That is how we are wired as a society now.  All we see are negative things all over media, TV shows, everywhere we turn.

But I am not a negative person.  I do not watch the news (except weather and sports).  I try, and usually, find the good side of things.  Now, let's get one thing straight, I can be bitter without being negative ;).  There is always a good side to every bad thing.  It may take its time to reveal itself, but God has an ultimate plan and for every "evil", there is an even bigger and better "good."

Some of you know my career path and some do not. So let me take a moment and share.

I worked in retail from the time I was in high school until just a few short years ago.  I held many different positions with some amazing companies such as NIKE, Tiffany & Co, and a little mom and pop company called Alumni Hall based out of Knoxville, TN.  I've been the, as my dad would call them, boot licker (associate), and I have been the one to wear the boot (manager).

My career really took off when I was with NIKE.  I worked there all during college, 40 hours a week while taking 15 hours course work (I was raised to always work hard).  My dream was to become a CPA for NIKE and work in Beaverton, OR at company headquarters.  After graduating college, I knew that in order to work my way up, I had to be willing to relocate.  So I did, to Nashville, without knowing a soul!  One year later, in the infamous words of Donald Trump, YOU'RE FIRED!  Talk about being devastated!  

I worked a short year at a Disney Outlet store (NOT the most magical place on earth), then to Tiffany & Co.  Great job, great pay, great people, and customers actually weren't too bad either.  Worked my way up and took an Assistant Manager job at a new store opening in Columbus, OH.  Wow!  Career was on a fast track!  I was making $65K+ per year!  Well, 8 months later, I was homesick.  Moved back to Nashville with no job, $0 per year.

That is when I had to REALLY sit down and decide, what do I WANT to do?!  What was I going to leave?  I had always loved subbing at my alma mater middle school (Seymour Middle), and I LOVE baseball.  So, I want to teach, influence young people's lives, and coach a little baseball.  So I went to school and received my Masters in teaching.

My first interview went great and they even needed help with the baseball team.  PINCH ME!  I landed a job helping kids and coaching a little baseball!  Salary of a teacher, about $35-$40K.

Now you know....

In my classes that I teach, I have what I call "Life Lessons."  They have nothing to do with parabolas, slope intercept form, x and y, etc.  They have to deal with real life.  One of them has to deal with success.  I have the students explain to me their idea of "success."  So I will pause and ask you the same question, how do you define succes?

Career? Money? Choices? Experience? Those are all things my students say.  Am I less successful as a teacher than I was in retail because I make less money?  Am I less successful because I have a job that many people "appreciate" but would never do?

Now let me ask you this, who determines success?

YOU and only YOU!

So here is MY definition of success and how I want to live it.

I consider myself successful because I have an amazing wife and family.  I am successful because I am blessed with a great son.  I am successful because I get to fulfill my dream of helping students see beyond X and Y and prepare them to be an adult.  I am successful because I have the opportunity EVERY day to do something great.  I am successful because I get to help others realize their dreams and obtain them.  NONE of which have to deal with money.

My last question, what are you leaving behind?  And what I mean by this is, what kind of legacy are you leaving?  What are YOU going to be known for?  Are you doing what you were put on this earth to do?

I have fianally been able to answer this question.  YES! 

I now wear two bracelets both given to me by a great friend, Brandon Forbes.  I am blessed beyond words that he was put in my life.  The first bracelet (pictured below) says "Be A Champion."  This, for me, represents my purpose in life and with AdvoCare.  My purpose is to provide for my family so they never have to worry about a thing.  To help others by inspiring and motivating them to reach their full potential!  

Last night I received the "LEAVE A LEGACY" one.  This one really made me think about exactly what it says.  This one represents my dedication and perseverance that I will achieve my purpose and goals.  I will leave a legacy for my child(ren) and with those that I help, inspire, or motivate.  I will be remembered as someone who genuinely cared for others and their well being, not selling NIKEs or jewelry. AdvoCare has blessed my family in so many ways.  Let me finish before you roll your eyes.  AdvoCare stands for "an advocate who cares."  No really, it does (www.advocare.com).  I care about my friends and family.  I want them to be healthy and financially stable.  AdvoCare is truly in the business to help people do just that.  THAT is why I was put on this earth, THAT is why I will be successful, and THAT is what I will leave as my legacy..... SOMEONE WHO HELPED OTHERS.