We had already planned to go to the beach for Mother’s Day weekend at the beginning of the year. It is always a toss up when planning so far in advanced, but the weather was perfect. You have got to book this park ahead because it is the only RV park on the beach in Galveston. It was such a great location, fair price for the convenience of being only steps from the sand. Planning ahead is a must of this particular park, the spots get booked up especially in the summer.

The girls had known that Mother’s Day was coming but I never reminded them like I have in recent years. We had been going non stop the last month getting our RV sold and working on our plan for taking a year long sabbatical to travel the country in our new camper. Check out our video of shopping for our new rig here. The girls were sad that they did not have time to make me a card or a present, which I thoroughly enjoy all the handmade love these girls show me. They do not realize that our plans of traveling together in our new camper are going to be the best and biggest gift I could ever want. The gift of TIME and of slowing down to enjoy my children that seem to grow faster at the change of every season.

Taking our new RV out for the first time this weekend gave me a good sense of what I need and do not need for traveling full time. I also have been discovering the best way to utilize all the storage areas. There is a sense of freedom in becoming minimal in your lifestyle. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I will be selling or giving away 80% of our belongings.

We left on Friday and I had big hopes of getting everything packed and ready to go by 8am. I laugh at myself because I never communicated to my husband of those plans. Ryan had asked off for the entire day last minute. My plans of going to Mass at 8:30am, park day after and grabbing groceries all before he was suppose to arrive from work at noon seemed unattainable. I don’t know how his being home unexpectedly throws a wrench in things but somehow it does. We are constantly on the go, an activity or a three day work trip, it is hard to find the time to actually connect. We tend to communicate less and less these days with packed schedules.

We arrived to the beach about 5:30pm and parked our rig in its reserved spot. The kids were so excited to run to the beach. Setting up our RV was so easy. We let them play until past dinner time . We finally had everyone showered and fed by 9:30, we ate taco bowls. Nicholas fell asleep and we watched a movie.

Saturday our beach day started after lunch. With it getting dark so late, it was better to start the day later. The girls enjoy playing with their boogie boards and Norah was so excited to wear her swim float that we purchased at resale. Norah has been to the beach several times, but there is always a reintroduction at this age. She loved the waves crashing into her. She played in the surf and sang songs that she made up. My favorite part of that day was watching Nicholas experience the Ryan’s famous hole, a necessity for any beach trip with young children. Watch Instagram video here. We discovered this beach hack when Mia was about four! Six years later, we make sure we have a real shovel to put in the work of creating the best beach babysitter. we made a pizza dip and salad for dinner.

On Sunday we packed up our camp since check out was at noon and attended Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. It was only 20 minutes away from our camp spot. We arrived early since we needed to close down our camp and bring our RV with us. Normally we underestimate how long it takes us to get anywhere while with a camper. Our new RV has been so easy! Less time setting up and added convenience with a generator for needing the air conditioner when not near a power source.

We left mass and hung out in the camper and enjoyed some lunch before returning to the seawall for more fun in the sand. We never want to leave the beach. We parked along the seawall and had the perfect spot to enjoy the day. The girls spent most of their time collecting hermit crabs. Madelyn is especially talented at finding them. It was hard to leave, but we got the kids showered, fed and ready for bed by 7:30. The kids slept the entire way home.

We have a few more trips planned before we leave for the Williams’ US Tour. It is very fitting to have gotten our new RV in time for this weekend. I feel very blessed to have gotten a very priceless gift for Mother’s Day which is not just the new camper. The time our family will get to spend embarking on new places and experiences is the best present. The gift of time is something we should all give ourselves.