Beach with the In-Laws and Cough up $4 for this Cookie in NYC

i had all these high hopes of getting a post out during my 3.5 hour layover from philadephia to panama city beach…but that didn’t happen. instead i played cards with my husband until his flight left to miami for his last book tour stop. then my flight got delayed so delta bought us pizza and snacks which was great. then i missed my connecting flight by 3 minutes and the plane wouldn’t wait and then delta lost my bag which was less than great.

it’s a good thing that the day before i got to have lunch in central park with soul friend, lindsey and it was beyond fantastic! we have been friends for more than 8 years and and she’s been living in NYC for the past 3 years. so impressed with her and her husband for taking a leap of faith and following their dreams! i had a fantastic time with her back in october…we sobbed when we saw each other because it had been 3 years since we’d physically seen each other!

i have to also give major props where they are due because my husband drove us over 5 hours so i could spend the afternoon with her and then another 2 hours to philly that night so we could catch our flight! he’s a good man.

he also developed a new rule for me when he’s driving through NYC: “chelsea must not make any noises or sounds or remarks about how close other cars are to hitting our car or she must close her eyes.”

it’s a good rule. apparently it’s not helpful when he’s navigating one of the most intense cities in the world? weird.

i must share with you that i bought the most expensive cookie of my entire life…it was $4. that’s right folks, about 75 cents a bite but it was pretty worth it. it’s from levain’s bakery in NYC and it was still hot and gooey.

while he flew to miami for a day and half, i had all the fun hanging out with his parents for a day and half in their new home directly on panama city beach!

here’s the view from their place:

i know. it’s unreal. guess what…that sand you see? like powdered sugar. i feel most relaxed on a beach (i know, pretty uncharacteristic of most people) and i got to spend an entire day down there with just my in-laws!

i hate to say it…but my father-in-law may be better than yours, especially when he walks down to the local restaurants and gets us delicious frozen margaritas! how amazing is that?!

can you tell we are very very happy!

since my suitcase was still lost (turns out it actually arrived the next morning at 9:30am but no one bothered to call me until i called them twice later that afternoon), i had to go pick out a new bathing suit. my choices were limited and the closest place was a wal-mart, which is not my favorite, so i grabbed the quickest thing that wasn’t a tankini and got out!

when i sent this picture to my husband he said “wow…you just turned real southern real quick. enjoy your highlighter swimsuit” haaaaa.

we saw stingrays that swam back and forth at least 6 times and once when we were in there…they glided 4 feet in front of us. yes dad, i know you are reading this and thinking “be careful…ya know that’s how steve irwin died” and don’t you worry…i’m already paranoid of that so we were careful 🙂

since we live in portland, oregon…my skin is basically whiter than skim milk so of course i lathered on sunscreen but i started getting cooked and experiencing a vitamin d overdose so we headed up to their condo.

my mother-in-law is probably better than yours too because she not only makes world famous chocolate chip cookies, but she specifically saved me a massive spoonful of cookie dough.

oh, is that a sweet dog on my lap or what!?

if you received a holiday card from us or read my blog from a few months ago…i said we were going to be adopting the dog my in-laws rescued (her name is sugar and she was an hour away from being euthanized and she is truly sweeter than sugar).

i bought a collar for her, we have her dog bowls and little toys all set up in portland but it turned out that this is another big travel year for us so it wouldn’t be fair to take her and have to leave her in the care of others.

alas, she is a beach dog and happier than ever but we have a special bond and love each other very much. i am deemed “her other momma” but you have to say it in a high-pitched-annoying-dog-speaking-voice.

the first few months of realizing we couldn’t have her live with us was a lot harder than i thought it would be. not only did i picture walking her along the water front, and snuggling with her on the couch, i also have to sweep our apartment a lot more than if she was there. good to get in some loving for sure (and this blog would have probably turned into one of those creepy-dog-obsessed-blogs…so it will only be that for a few days).

when i told some people that i would be spending a few days alone with my in-laws, they were quite shocked. yes, i voluntarily would choose to hang out with them because they are kind, generous and fun people to be around! i know this isn’t always the case so i feel ultra happy that not only did i choose a great man to marry, but his family is pretty on point too!

on tap is more beach, more margaritas, more cookies and some work here or there. while entrepreneurship still takes some time for me to wrap my brain around…i sure do love that i can do my work anywhere in the world-like from this exact spot!

the new wifestyle: work on creating and maintaining a healthy relationship with your in-laws, it will definitely help make for a better marriage!

questions:
1) how’s your relationship with your in-laws?
2) favorite drink on the beach?
3) would you ever pay $4 for a cookie and what flavor would it be?