My Place of Peace:)….

Soft sand between my toes, cool breeze in my face, the sound of crashing waves – my place of peace is definitely the beach!

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Since I can remember I’ve always LOVED the beach. When I was a little girl I would burst with excitement at the prospect of going to the beach. When I close my eyes, I can still visualise driving up the road waiting for the water to appear. I would sit there with the intent to scream with joy as soon as I saw the first glimpse of the ocean and you know I still have those same feelings now as an adult.

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The beach is one place where I can be and feel as though the worry of the world is lifted from my shoulders and I only feel a sense of peace. I could sit all day and gaze out at what I would say be the most beautiful thing to look at. It makes me happy. I always feel content. I feel calm and confident when I’m at my place of peace.

Now that we have our own children, it’s become a very regular place to visit. The kids have discovered a love of the beach like their mumma and it’s so nice watching them laugh and have fun just like I did when I was a child. My favourite holiday moments and time as a family is always at the beach.

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Last weekend was our final getaway for the summer to Palm Beach. It came at time where all facets of life were at their peak, but the moment I stepped foot on the beach, everything that I’d been feeling was washed away and my sense of peace and calmness was back. We had a ball just like always. The kids had a sneaky day off school on the Friday and we spent the morning on the beach (which we practically had to ourselves) playing ball, swimming, digging holes and searching for shells….it’s moments like this I absolutely live for!

The beach is also one of my favourite places to run. I always love a good barefoot run or a nice steady long run which always seems so much easier when you have such a amazing view to look at.

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Some would ask if I love it so much why not move?? My husband would in a heartbeat, but I love it for somewhere to getaway to. I’ve spoken to many people who have moved to the coast because they ‘love the beach’ and hardly go to it as life becomes so busy they don’t have time! I have too many reasons to stay living where I am and am content keeping my place of peace somewhere I can go for a holiday away from my normal life!

Life is so fast these days and the pressure and demands put on people is becoming phenomenal. For me to deal with this, I rely on my place of peace as a means to recharge and regain my sense of peace and happiness, which allows me to tackle what life throws my way!

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Surf, Sand, Swimming…Sensational!

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Sun shining days, cool breezes, crashing surf and the smell of the coastal salt air…this is what we were engrossed in for the past week! Burleigh Heads Gold Coast, what a fantastic place to holiday!

It has been three years since we went on a holiday longer than 3 nights and after the ordinary year we had, we decided to treat ourselves and the kids to a 7 night stay at a lovely little resort style apartment block called Key Largo! What a perfect place for children. Only three floors high (we were on the second floor), all the rooms overlooked the beautiful yard and in ground pool. There was so much room for the kids to kick their footy or ride their scooters, it was like a home away from home!

We were so blessed with such sensational weather that we stayed an extra night which sealed the deal to make it the best coastal holiday we’ve ever had! The kids had so much fun where ever we went…beach, creek, pool! They swam, went fishing, collected shells, dug holes, built sand castles, rode their scooters for many kilometers and played cricket on the beach! They also enjoyed lots of quiet time where they would just chill, watch tv, colour in, play cards, listen to music, all things relaxing!

I spent most of my time having a holiday through the eyes of my children, remembering when I was little girl and how much fun I would have with my family when we use to go on holidays! On a couple of occasions I spent some time on my own wandering the shops, where I made a few lovely purchases and I even managed the odd swim on my own and time relaxing by the pool! My favourite spot was sitting on our balcony looking out to the beautiful view we were faced with and of course I got to do lots of running throughout the week!

My husband kicked back and watched a lot of tv when the kids were having quiet time and he was able to enjoy an odd afternoon of horse betting and beers. Although we spent 90% of our time as a family enjoying each other’s company, we all got to do our favourite things at one time or another! But it was the moments where the five of us were swimming in the ocean, strolling along the beach and eating fish and chips together that we’re the most enjoyable!

Here are some highlights of our fantastic getaway….

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On our way…the car was so full we could hardly see the kids lol!

The pool/spa…
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Bay was so proud of himself that he could do a lap and a bit under the water holding his breath:)
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The beach….
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Our nightly walks….

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A day at Tallebudgera Creek….

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Eating out…

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Chilling out….

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Family time….

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Keeping active….

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Collecting shells…

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Little limbs and sand always looks so sweet together!!!

I absolutely love looking through our holiday photos, they do now and will always bring back such wonderful memories! We are already looking forward to our next holiday there, where we will do it all over again and create new memories to cherish forever! It was great saying goodbye to a tough year and seeing in the new year in a beautiful environment…certainly a great start to 2013!

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I’m so blessed to have been able to spend such a fantastic week with the four loves of my life:)