Yesterday we took Annie somewhere I’ve been excited about going to for months – the beach. We were amongst the other bajillion people who had the same idea:

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It was worth it – the perfect day for the beach. The sun was high but not too hot, and there was a nice breeze that kept the temperature just right. If the weather was like that every day, I’d go to the beach a lot more often. Or…think about going to the beach more often. I’m a fair Irish/Scottish lass, after all.

We spread out our towels and put Annie down. She wasn’t apprehensive at all, although it helped that I’d brought along something new to play with:

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Like the good California girl she is, Annie LOVED the beach. She couldn’t get enough of the sand:

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Mike and I took her down to the water…where she still only cared about the sand:

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When she wasn’t digging around in the sand, she was off strutting her stuff:

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I managed to get her to stand still long enough to take a picture with me before she was off and running again:

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When it was time to leave, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that she was NOT happy. However, I was red-skinned despite wearing SPF 1,000, and she needed a nap. I promised her that next time she could look for shells with me and explore under the pier. That didn’t really appease her, but it made me feel better while she cried.

Upon our arrival home, I opened a book and instead of reading the pages, I told Annie about about her first Memorial Day. I want Annie to know that the holiday is not about having a day off and going to the beach. A little too heavy for her now perhaps, but it’s a lesson she will hear every year.