Our 17th anniversary rolled around on May 6, and we decided to celebrate in typical style. First plan of the day: Brunch! We met up with Chris, Xandra, Chris's brother Matt, and Matt's girlfriend Amanda for brunch at a local restaurant, Aunt Catfish's on the River. It's in Port Orange, about 40 minutes from home. I have never seen so much food in my life! We sat outside, enjoying the breeze off the water. Once we had our fill, we split up...Amanda had to get ready for work, so Matt took her home. Chris and Xandra went geocaching. Rob, Olivia, and I decided to hit the beach! North Peninsula State Park is a quiet beach north of Ormond, and we had yet to visit. No better day than our anniversary!
Before going to the beach itself, we explored a bit of the inland side of the park. They have a picnic area, restrooms, parking, the Coastal Strand Trail, and a boat launch.
We opted not to hike the trail because of a few simple reasons: we really wanted to hit the beach, we weren't quite dressed properly, it was *hot*, and portions of the trail were sugar sand with standing, stagnant water on each side. Read that as, Misery with a side of mosquitoes! So, it was beach time!
Olivia brought her absolute favorite beach toy...a boogie board!
We set up our chairs and hit the water for a swim:
Eventually I headed back to my towel to lay out, and that's when I started seeing fins in the water. Fins?!? Yep...dolphin fins!!
Growing up near the beach, I never saw any dolphins. Recently though, it seems like we've been seeing them on every beach outing! I love the opportunity, you know?
Eventually Chris, Xandra, and Matt showed up to hang out with us, and we spent a little while longer in the water. Our anniversary was a simple celebration with the people we hold dearest, and we're grateful for a beautiful, simple day in a hidden gem.
