Batali, Dior, and Dewey Walk into a Bar...: Port Aransas with the Family + Avocado and Tomato Salad

Our travels continued this past week with an absolutely beautiful, fun-filled, family-oriented trip to Port Aransas. We stayed in the most magnificent house that allowed all of us to have not only our own rooms, but our own bathrooms as well! That's saying a lot seeing as there was a total of 13 of us on this trip.

The third floor kitchen area was beautiful and spacious. We had a perfect view of the ocean which was pristine and ohhh so peaceful.

Another great thing about our house was that it was a SUPER short walk to the beach. We were located right next to the resort's private pier, so we just rolled our little Bob strollers down and got to playin' in the sand! We also had our own private pool for when the kiddos wanted to get a little swimmin' without the sandin'.

We couldn't have had better weather. It did rain off and on, but it cooled us down perfectly. The clouds were something else, too.

Another bonus of this house: an ELEVATOR! Not only was it very handy for carting stuff up and down and back again, but it makes a great dumb waiter, too:

Big man took a little while to get used to the beach, but after some coaxing by his uncle, he finally decided he loved it! By the last day, we were living in fear because this fishy boy was hauling it straight to the water! We put him in his puddle jumper as an added bit of precaution.

If that baseball hat isn't the cutest, then I just don't know. I got all of our sand toys from Dollar Tree [of course] so that I wouldn't worry if they were broken, too gross to bring home, or swallowed up in the ocean.

The first night we arrived, we all got an AMAZING gift from my brother-in-law. Each of us received a personalized Swig glass! Stemless wine glasses for the girls and beer steins for the boys. Let's just say they were all used very well on our trippity-trip-trip.

Speaking of trippity-trip-trip, if you haven't "vacationed" with your little ones yet, you HAVE to read this article. It's hilarious. Of course we enjoyed our time with our sweet boy, but boy do the dynamics change when you're corralling the crazy kid with no childproof areas in sight. We love the memories we made and wouldn't trade them for the world though.

Batter up! If this kid becomes a pitcher, my life will be made. My maiden name is Pitcher, so it just seems fitting.

Something that's become a tradition on our bi-annual beach trip is that we all take turns making dinner. I love it because not only does it make it easier on everyone, but it allows us all to see favorite dishes our family loves. We ate well every night, let me tell you! For our night, we decided to make some Buttermilk Brined Chicken, a family side dish we call Corrales Casserole, Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, and finally, this lovely number. She's a fail-proof, go-to recipe for the summer when you want something simple, healthy, and delicious. [recipe below]

I can just imagine this little man as a big man with the same kind of gear: comfy chair, sunglasses, adorable baseball hat, and a beverage.

I don't know what it is about the beach that's so soothing and healing. I love just closing my eyes and listening to the waves. I love the sand under my feet. I even love that salty feeling you get at the end of a full day on the beach. I can't wait to go back and make more sweet memories.

Avocado and Tomato Salad

4 avocados, cubed
4 tomatoes, cored, seeds removed, diced*
1/4 cup red onion, diced
EVOO
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine avocados, tomatoes, and red onion. Drizzle just enough EVOO to coat the veggie, toss to combine. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar, then season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

*I used Campari tomatoes this time, but you can really use any kind of tomato. I think Roma would work very well, too. Just try to have an equal amount of avocado and tomato.