we made it.

to the beach that is.

after we packed up our little ellie, we had a delightful last supper with our small group including my favorite kabobs and twice baked potatoes!

we are going to miss our small group so much! thank goodness we aren't moving that far away.

the drive down to florida was so delightful in the new car! in case you didn't know, cruise control is an awesome invention. the entire trip down i kept thinking about my to do list and my packing list. packing for 100 degree and 50 degree weather in one bag was a challenge for me and i knew i was going to forget something.

after we unloaded and moved into the beach house i realized what i had forgotten: my favorite bathing suit that was hanging in the laundry room. no big deal right? i had packed two others. wrong. somehow in all of my packing and repacking one of my bathing suit bottoms had disappeared. so, i have 11 days at the beach with 1 1/2 bathing suits. every morning i get up and say to myself "gee, i wonder what suit i am going to wear today?" ha. i guess it could be worse... when i was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade my family and i came down to the beach house for a long weekend and somehow my parents forgot all of the luggage. i can remember my mom asking my dad "where is the suitcase?" and then my dad responding with "i thought you put it in the car". i'm sure it was really stressful for my parents, but my sister and i were very excited to get a new bathing suit and outfit from one of the shops downtown. funny how children perceive things!

so, what have i been up to? not much, which is just the way i like it. the weather has been perfect and we have enjoyed relaxing by the pool and dining on the porch. we have also been reading and eating a lot.

currently i cannot get enough of the swan house by elizabeth musser. i am a little over 1/3 of the way done and it is one of the best novels i have ever read. it is so good that i can't put it down, and i don't want it to end. thank goodness there is a sequel!

as for eating, i can't get enough of this dip! black bean and corn dip. we found it on darby's blog and it is the best snack ever. i am not a fan of black beans, but i love this dip. so don't let the black beans deter you.
you are going to want to make this dip, so here it goes.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed {15 oz size}
• 3 cans of shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed {15 oz size}
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
• 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
• feta cheese {8 oz}

what to do:

1. whisk sugar, vinegar and oil in a large bowl
2. add everything else
3. mix well
4. chill for a few hours {the longer it sits, the better it is!}
5. serve with chips

hope you enjoy :)