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The Jersey Shore (the actual shore, not the TV "reality" show tarnishing its reputation) calls to me every weekend.  Just thinking about the magical portal that purges me of my stress is enough to carry me through a draining work week with a smile.  My neighbors make my time much more enjoyable with continuous laughter, good-natured antics and carefree fun.  We spend most days on the beach sitting in a circle of colorful beach umbrellas with a large flag reading "No Shoes Nation" as a beacon to our friends.  Nothing goes without commentary.  We explore features and functions of every item we bring: the merits and drawbacks of low beach chairs; metal or plastic umbrella anchors; country music or pop. 

My beach bag is full of things that have garnered much attention and resulted in immediate iPhone purchases from within the circle.  We all own a water resistant Braven wireless speaker but with unique colors to match our personal flair. There are several anti-gravity chairs, despite the weight of bringing them to the beach.  My Halo charger has not gone unnoticed nor has the collapsible bucket I use as a trash receptacle. It happens to be the same lime green as my speaker and umbrella, cause even on the beach, I have to accessorize appropriately.

I spend every weekend in flip flops, but after my first few weekends, I found that I was in pain.  I have bad knees and apparently it follows that my feet will be in as bad a shape without support.  Two summers ago, I fought against the stigma of "old lady shoes" and bought a pair of Orthaheels.  I have never looked back and now have three pairs.  It has not gotten in the way of my summer style in the least!  These are my favs! 

 Aside from half of the QVC product catalog, I also bring plenty of snacks, beverages and my iPhone.  As a self-proclaimed tech geek, I shamefully confess to the use of a Ziploc baggie to keep my phone safe from the elements.  I do actually have a waterproof pouch purchased online that I can take into the water, but I found that my phone overheated in there unless I was actually in the chilly ocean and I can't get the Halo charger into it when it needs to charge, so I am back to the low-tech baggies.  This past weekend, we went to the water park and my husband stuffed a baggy with the key fob to my minvan in his pocket.  A word of advice, do not do this. I am now awaiting a replacement key which will have to be programmed at a substantial cost.  Sigh.  I guess I got a bit overconfident there. 

Occasionally, I bring my iPad to the beach.  It is difficult to read with the glare, but there are times I feel the need to shop while I relax.  I bought actual covers for it to keep it protected from the sand, although I did briefly consider a Ziploc bag -- iPad size. I chose chef sleeves that are really meant for kitchen use.  Since this does not provide much protection, I keep it in a case that harkens back to the 80's with a (albeit smaller) Trapper-Keeper look to it.  I love my cover, so mock away!  I paid way too much for mine, but you can find all sorts of ranges of price on these great cases.

The beach cart is an essential item when you walk everyday to the beach and have kids.  I really wish QVC sold them so I could get an employee discount, but after several lower cost and less functional alternatives, we invested in a cart with balloon wheels.  We load it up with sand toys, boogie boards, a cooler and the heavy Bliss Hammocks Anti-Gravity chairs.

OK, I feel the need to explain why the chairs do not match my color scheme for the beach.  These chairs were originally intended to go in the backyard where orange is the color of choice, but they are far too comfy to just use occasionally.  It really does bother me that they do not match and if anyone from Bliss Hammocks wants to swap them out in a lime green for me, please don't hesitate to call!

We bring quit a lot to the beach every day and someday, when the kids are older, I aspire to leave some of the load behind.  Speaking of leaving load behind, what I do not bring to the beach is stress, drama and worry.  None of these items go with the sand, the sea and the dolphins riding the waves just off shore.  I would highly recommend you leave these items at home, especially when traveling with children.