After strawberry picking and dessert in Watsonville, we drove 25 minutes to Capitola to check into our hotel and change so we could go to the beach! Capitola is a nice beach town right next to Santa Cruz. We were able to get a much nicer hotel than we normally might have because I used airline miles earned from my credit card to pay for the hotel.
Morgan LOVES going to hotels! She likes to pretend year round that she's a mommy taking her family to the hotel. She has Charlotte role play with her and they pretend they stay at hotels. I totally get it too because I was the same way as a kid. We stayed in them while traveling cross country and I loved the experience. It was just so exciting and I loved having all the family be together like that.
Once we got all checked in and changed, we headed straight for the beach that was only a 10 minute drive away. I think the below pics of the family getting out of the car and the girls helping carry our beach gear are cute.
We all did our part to carry everything and walk to the beach.
We waited while Daniel paid for us to park. I just love the trees and foliage along the coast. It's so woodsy and smells delicious!
We made it to the beach! The sand was hot and of course difficult to walk in. I was a little concerned that Charlotte was going to be upset and ask to be carried but she did great.
The girls took their usual stations. Morgan in the water and Charlotte in the sand!
Ahhhh....laid back with my feet in the sand!
These scenes make me happy. I could watch her playing in the water for hours, and I did!
The below picture is kind of funny because you can see the woman on the left looking over at Charlotte and beaming at her. Charlotte got a lot of attention at the beach with her adorable get up.
So dinner time was quick and easy because this beach was surrounded by shops and restaurants. Daniel saved the day again by ordering us a pizza and just walking a short distance to pick it up for us. Beach + Pizza = Heaven! Fittingly the pizza place was called I Heart Pizza.
Daniel and I took some adult beverages and set back, relaxed and talked while both girls were happily occupied! Makes me want to go back right this second thinking about my feet in the sand, listening to the waves crash and watching pelicans fly by.
Charlotte is unfortunately scared of the water. Last time we were at the beach I promised to hold her hand when she entered the water next trip so she wouldn't fall and get scared again and gosh darn it, I didn't hold her hand again, so she got knocked off her feet and that was the last she wanted anything to do with the ocean again. Bummer! She threw a huge tantrum saying she wanted to leave the beach etc. but quickly calmed down and started having fun playing in the sand again. The beach was so crowded that I felt so bad for everyone around us although I looked over to the nearest gentleman who was previously reading a book and he had the sweetest smile on his face while looking at Charlotte. Dare I say, he was finding her outburst semi cute? He must have had many, many children and could relate. Her tantrum was kind of funny. What she was saying during her her throws of emotion was semi hilarious now that I look back on it.
Letting sand run through her fingers and finding seashells!
Oh, she's just so cute!
Charlotte talking...
I really, really want to remember her three year old self.
I stayed with the girls while Daniel walked back to the car to drive back to us and pick us up since we were all a little tired from our long day. I truly appreciate that Daniel takes care of his family. We love you honey!
Look at this gorgeous view of the ocean.
So as we were driving away from the beach taking random streets to find our way back to the hotel, we happened upon the below restaurant and I was flooded with memories. This restaurant is amazing inside and is where I celebrated my 18th birthday with my family. Because I lived in Santa Cruz during my high school years, I spent quite a bit of time in Capitola too. It was just neat to see this place again and remember that fun birthday. I have pictures of me that night here at this restaurant. I need to scan in all my old photos some day.
So although the beach was packed (especially for a Monday) we had a great time. I don't think it's possible to have a bad day at the beach. There's just something so overwhelmingly special about the ocean that's hard to put into words. I think we need to start taking more than one trip to the beach each summer.
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