seaside

This weekend we decided to up and go to Seaside. They have these volleyball tournaments every year that were once a tradition in Mike's family. I have heard so many fond memories from both him and John and Eileen. As a matter of fact, I've heard the same memories from both of his brothers as well. So we decided it was long overdue to get back there.



Originally we had planned to leave after work on Friday, but decided to leave early Saturday morning instead. Early meaning, "we're going to be on the road by 5 am," Mike said. "Okay," I agreed with much enthusiasm. We finally crawled out of bed around 6ish and still had to pack our bags and camping gear. But eventually we ended up on the road by about 8:30. Perfect!

The morning was clear and the drive was nice. Around Longview, we decided that breakfast sounded great. We stopped at a cute little diner and took our time reading the paper and enjoying a perfect little meal that rang in under 14 bucks. "Does that even happen anymore?" was our conversation as we got back on the road. We arrived at our campground around noonish; set up camp, enjoyed a frosty beverage and headed to the beach. Volleyball was awaiting!

Now I have never been to any kind of a volleyball tournament before. Especially not a beach volleyball tourny. Quite the jolly crowd, I must say. There was sense of happiness in the air that I've never felt at any kind of a competitive game before. Maybe it was the way the sun was filtering through the clouds to keep you just warm enough. Or maybe it was the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean crashing to the shore. Or maybe, just maybe... it was the beer. Who knows. Whatever it was, it was grand.

After watching a couple of really exciting games, it was time to eat again. We decided that since we were camping we would actually splurge on one good meal. Mike got a crappy steak and I got delicious crab. We were then ready to hit the beach again, where the night would be one continuous flirtation between my hubby and me. Riding bikes. Chasing each other on the beach. Holding hands on the sidelines and kicking butt at pool. What my mom calls "bonding".

The next morning we got up and set out to get some miles in for Mike's Hike-a-thon that he's participating in. We climbed Tillamook Head, which between the giant shrubbery and the fog filtering through, turned out to be possibly one of the most breathtaking hikes I've ever been on. Then coming down from the trailhead, we stumbled upon a TON of surfers catching waves. Washington surfers have got to be some of the most badass surfers out there. Not only are they dodging waves and the likes, they have to do it suited up from head to toe so's not to turn into popsicles. Pretty dang cool.

After watching that for a good half hour, we had just enough time left to stop at the Nike store for some LiveStrong bracelets (that they no longer carried) and get on the road. The trip flew by so fast and although we wanted at least one more day, we felt like we actually got a vacation. All without taking any time off of work or spending more than a hundred dollars.

So thank you baby, for such a memorable weekend. I think I can safely say we'll be back next year to continue the tradition, but hopefully then we'll have the kids in tow.

*sidenote* I hovered over more nasty toilets in those 2 days than I may remember ever doing. I'm not quite sure why the frequency of bad bathrooms, but that's the only thing I can say could have been better. My quads were quivering by the time we hit home!