Adult spring break...

I have been living for this week. Absolutely living.

And now it's here. And it's good. Praise the LORD!

It's spring break for me, and I have never been more grateful for a week to get my life in order. After two days at the house, things are pretty clean. I've cooked a decent meal for my husband. Laundry is done. I'm feeling sane again.

It's the little things, right? Here's to a fantastic week, and lots more updates...

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

A little sunshine...

Sometimes you just need a little sunshine in your life, right? Well, I got 8 days of that gorgeous sunshine, sand and sea with my sweet family a couple of weeks ago. Talk about the perfect week. We slept in (a little), drank coffee listening to the waves, actually had some really great workouts, and enjoyed our days in the sun (and under the umbrella.)

We've only been home for a little over a week, and I'm already ready to go back. Wouldn't you be with this view though?

What beach trip would be complete without great food? And in Seaside, good food can be found in abundance. We really enjoyed doing takeout from the Shrimp Shack, and a nice family dinner at Bud & Alley's. The wedge salad at Bud & Alley's happened a few more times with takeout as well.... we couldn't get enough of it and the tuna dip!

We even snapped a few family pictures, so I thought I'd share one of me and my sweet husband. It was the perfect week of relaxing and having fun with our family. If only it never had to end!

I'm already counting down to summer vacation next year!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

30A: A Dining Experience

I showed you all the beach fun we had a few weeks ago, but I was saving the best for last. The food. Oh, the food. In Seaside, it's amazing. It's a beach-crazed, wine-loving, food haven.

The very first night, we stopped at Crush in Seaside. It was delicious! We had sushi, cheeseburgers, pasta and more. I recommend it if you're in Seaside or the 30A area!

For dinner (twice), we hit up the local hotspot Bud & Alley's. It was heavenly. I had crab cakes, and a lobster pasta dish. Bud & Alley's is one of the pricier restaurants around, but it's worth it for that awesome night out at the beach.

See? I told you the crab cakes were divine. And they are CRAB cakes. There is no filler, they are all crab, and there is hardly any breading at all. It's just crab, crab, crab that melts in your mouth. I would kill for another crab cake tonight. They're that delicious!

In recent years, the food trucks have become a staple in Seaside, and I tried a new one this year. The Melt Down on 30A does specialty grilled cheeses. I grabbed this while I shopped for an hour to get out of the sun on a beautiful day at the beach.

The mozzarella, tomato and basil was definitely unlike any grilled cheese I'd ever had before! I went back on one of our last days and got the grilled aged cheddar, which was even better.

There is something about beach vacations and great food.... They seem to go so well together! What do you love to go eat at the beach?

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Toes in the sand...

Seaside in the right light? It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. The pavilion above was the one for our street. I just snapped this pic on my iPhone one day and I'm kind of in love with it. The light, the clouds (we had a TON of rain), and the beauty of it - this is what each day was like!

The whole family getting in on some photo action....

I got spoiled rotten with some amazing beach shopping sprees, and this cotton dress from the LOFT outlet was one of my favorites! I wore it the very night I bought it!

The very last day we had more storms (a recurring theme from the week!) but I managed to get FRIED that day nonetheless. You can tell in our final night dinner pictures...

Sweet Mr. Jones.... he looked at me, held my hand and smiled. "Lobster. You're my lobster."

Yep, honey. I sure am!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Seaside Summer...

Just a few weeks ago, we gathered all the family and even some extended family and headed down to Highway 30A and the fabulous beach town of Seaside, Florida!

We rented out the beautiful house Lucy in the Sky and the guest house Diamonds (haha, I know, right?) And that was home for a beautiful 7 nights! It was the best family vacation we have ever been on - I'm already dreaming of next summer!

I've got so many more pictures to share. But it was a week full of family, fun, laughter, good wine and happiness. Aren't those just the kind of weeks we live for?

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

We're in heaven...

I've had so many new posts to share, you probably haven't noticed but I've been slightly absent. I just spent SEVEN DAYS having fun in the sun with my family. I can't even tell you how overdue this absolutely amazing trip was. But I'll be back to share our adventures and beautiful photos tomorrow.

Today? Unpacking and getting ready to re-enter the real world. But escaping was such fun!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Cruising to Christmas: Part 4

Ah, this time last week we were wrapping up our final day on the cruise ship! I miss it, but I'm so very glad to be home for the holidays!

I started Friday morning at the Carnival Spa!!!

Then I hit up the omelette bar - one of my favorite foods on the ship by the way!

I also fell in love with grapefruit on this ship. I loved it!

Then Ash and I curled up on the Serenity patio and enjoyed the view and the sun for most of the day!

We also enjoyed a few little umbrella drinks, as cruisers love to do...

There also may have been some, um, glamour shots involved....

Oh yes, we did.

I'm ready for another cruise and I've only been home for a week. That doesn't bode well, but thanks for recapping my trip with me! I'm always grateful for time at home after a little fun, aren't you?

XOXO and Merry Christmas,

Mrs. Jones

Cruising to Christmas: Part 3

These are a few of my favorite things.... Especially since it is warm (70s) but raining and gross here in Alabama. Not cool. Don't tempt me with warm weather following a vacation only to make it yucky. Not fun at all. So, I'm still reliving all my fun days from last week!

Docked in Progresso, Mexico....

Serenity - the adults-only section, where we spent ALL of our time!

Hot tubs and cushy deck chairs? Yes, please!

Woohoo! Free drinks! I had a ball, and some of my dinner partners were there as well... Mr. Jones and I had taken a Carnival cruise together in April 2010. 

How many of you have taken cruises? This was my fourth, including family cruises on the Big Red Boat (ages ago) and the Disney Cruise Line (I was 13) and a Royal Caribbean cruise in college. Mr. Jones and I took one before I got my first job. So, apparently that made this my fifth cruise. I can sure count well. Haha!

Tell me about your cruises!!! What should we do next?

XOXO,

Mrs. Jones

Cruising to Christmas: Part 2

There was some serious fun on our ship! We spent almost all of our time laying in the sun on the "adults only" deck, reading, having a bellini or two and sleeping.

I loved the nights on the boat - sushi before dinner, beautiful lights.... It was heavenly!

 

 

I spent most of the week anticipating my date at the spa on Friday morning. I saw the flyer above when we boarded the ship and Mr. Jones said that could be one of my Christmas presents. I hadn't had a massage in a year or two, and I'd never had a facial. (Mmmm heaven.)

The dinners on the ship are heavenly. I love looking nice, having a fun dinner and just enjoying everything! Our elegant night (haha) dinner was escargot, lobster and chocolate melting cake for me! DELISH.

That's all for now...

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones