This weekend was amazing. Period.

I went to my high school friend’s beach house with two other friends. It was absolutely what I needed. I hadn’t been to the beach since last summer and boy was I missing feeling the sand between my toes and the warmth of the sun on my shoulders.

Unfortunately, I may have had a little too much of that warm sun beating down on my barely sunscreened body.

Huge mistake.

Lesson of the day – wear sunblock. Slather it all over. I’m the color of a lobster and it’s pretty darn painful. Oh well, this tends to happen to me at least once a summer and then I (re)learn my lesson.

Anywho, back to the fabulous trip.

We left early Friday morning and arrived around 2:00. As soon as we got there, the cloud covering rolled away and for the two days we were there the weather was absolute perfection.

We went out to eat Friday night after grocery shopping and driving around the island, followed by indulging in some local ice cream. Definitely some good eats.

Saturday morning was spent at the beach, and the afternoon was filled with hours of boating. Boating is quite possibly my favorite thing in the world. The word bliss is all that comes to mind. I could lounge on a boat all day everyday and never get sick of it.

After showers and naps (we had quite a late Friday night full of reminiscing about middle and high school, college stories, as well as a dance party, of course), we went over to the boardwalk. We ate at an authentic Hawaiian restaurant which has the best “Hula” sauce ever. It made something as simple as a chicken sandwich on a super soft potato bun something to write home about.

I even went back and bought a jar of the Huli Teriyaki Sauce for my dad’s Fathers Day gift. It will definitely be thoroughly enjoyed by my whole family this summer atop of some grilled chicken or seafood.

We played a game of mini golf and then went on a few amusement park rides before ending the night out by getting these.

That would be the Dairy Queen M&M Brownie Blizzard. ‘Nuf said.

We got back late and after talking for a while, we hit the hay.

As the two boys were out golfing at the country club all morning, us girls stayed back at the house. We hit the beach around 11 and by 1:30, I had transformed into the red lobster that I am now. Ouch.

After lunch back at the house, we attempted to bike to ‘Crazy Susan’s Famous Cookies’ (which apparently was featured on the Food Network?). Unfortunately, the fourth bike was broken, so I said I would run alongside for the ‘easy’ 3 miles there and then 3 back. It was all flat and definitely a slow, easy pace, but I had not hydrated and fueled properly for a run – and even worse, my sunburnt body was not prepared for more time in the extreme heat and sunshine. Also quite unfortunate was that about a block from the bakery, we found out it’s closed on Sundays… but instead of heading right back and making the whole trek for nothing, we decided to go back to the boardwalk (this is when I bought the Huli Sauce).

The run back was not too comfortable. My lunch had long run its course, I needed a bathroom, and the mix of the sting of sweat running down my sunburnt skin and the simple action of moving my burnt body was SO painful. The finale to the little afternoon outing was a half mile sprint ahead of the group back to the house so I could get out of my misery.

After scarfing down a protein bar and apple, I attempted to stretch and roll out my aching body. It was not pleasant.

Finally, I was able to shower (so painful) before we ate takeout from a local fresh seafood restaurant.

At 7:00 we loaded up the car and, with frowns on our faces, left the beach house and embarked on the five hour drive back home.

The ride home was just like the ride there – filled with singing along to Nicki Minaj, attempting to ‘harmonize’ to Wicked‘s “For Good” and “Defying Gravity”, and playing games to pass the time.

The quad that went on this trip was a little crew that’s been hanging out at least once a month since eighth grade. It’s been over six whole years and we’re still just as tight – if not tighter, despite attending different colleges. They’re some of my favorite people and I can always count on laughing til my abs are sore when I’m with them.

It was the perfect weekend full of laughs, delicious eats (particularly from The Hula Restaurant and Sauce Co. and Dairy Queen!), perfect weather, a bit too much sunshine, beach and boating. I could not have asked for anything more. I’m so lucky for the friends I have and the life I live.

Well, it’s back to reality now – which really is nothing to complain about seeing that it’s summer and all…

Time to slather on more aloe, unpack, and climb into bed.