Hello! Here’s hoping you had a great weekend. Ours was spent on the beach with friends in Galveston, Texas and was every bit of wonderful and relaxing as I was hoping.
Scott and I spent last week in Houston and left for a weekend getaway Thursday afternoon with a group of friends. I mentioned before that Scott and I haven’t had a non-work related vacation together since our honeymoon, so spending a couple of days at a beach house without plans sounded pretty marvelous.
We arrived in Galveston late in the afternoon and walked along the main strip of Seawalk Beach while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive.
It was hotter than I was used to, but I refrained from complaining. Believe it or not, I miss being uncomfortably hot in the summer. It’s currently a high of 70 back in Michigan, and to me that doesn’t quite scream July.
Embracing the hot summer day, a small group of us enjoyed a welcome refreshment and met the rest of our group at our beach house rental about an hour later.
I always love renting houses for vacations. If you have a decent amount of people in your group, it is worth the price and always helps me feel more like a local and less like a tourist.
Our friends Robert and Amy made plans for us to stay at this beach front property for a steal! There was a homey feel and besides the questionable art pieces that were borderline creepy, the rest of the decorations were charming and just what we needed.
We had a group of fifteen or so (the number kept changing as the days went on), and I was impressed at the amount of people it held comfortably.
Scott and I, along with another married couple, took the villa apartments in the back that had a beachy feel with pastel decorations and tile floors.
My favorite part about staying in the “nook” was going through the outside courtyard every morning on my way to wake up with coffee.
For the first time in a long time, our days spent in this house felt like a true vacation. No alarms were set, no plans were made, and every day was very much a go with the flow type of schedule.
In a swimsuit or sweats, I enjoyed every bit of being outside next to the ocean and loved spending my mornings sipping coffee in the hammock on the balcony. (Making a mental note to buy a hammock… immediately.)
We planned to have a family dinner in on our last night together, so we headed over to The Strand for dinner at Nonno Tony’s to kick things off. Everything from the appetizers to desserts were delicious!
Oysters, barbecue oysters, chardonnay (SO good I had to snap a picture of the bottle) and rigatone with turkey meatballs.
We ended up spending a lot of time inside or just outside of the house more than I expected. With our group of friends, there was always something entertaining going on, like ping pong tournaments…
…or competitions in throwing Nerf ball spirals across traffic. Remember Nerf footballs? Those were the best.
Thanks to the planners of the group (which this time did not include Scott and I), we made breakfast at home every morning and ate lunch out while hanging around the beach.
Saturday we walked several blocks to find a local’s suggestion for Cajun fare at Benno’s.
Scott ordered the crawfish étouffée while I went with my go-to seafood entree pick of crab cakes.
Before we arrived to Galveston, we heard that the beaches in the area aren’t the prettiest we will ever visit. The water wasn’t the clearest, but the views still proved to be as relaxing and appealing as you can expect a beach to be.
I received a question asking if this area seemed dog friendly, and to answer it I saw plenty of them (leashed) throughout the weekend! As long as your dog is friendly and good around people, I would say go for it.
You might have to be careful for the crazies out there… but…
Pups on a leash should be just fine out there.
We spent the days moseying on the beach and finally got the idea to explore our area by renting bikes on Saturday afternoon.
(Making another mental note to invest in a beach cruiser.)
We passed Pleasure Pier and kept going to see what else was fun to do in the area. Scott, Barry (Scott’s best friend from Chicago) and I stopped into a neat place called Float where there was a pool in the middle of a bar.
Once again, the water wasn’t the clearest, but the views were great and it sure made for some interesting people watching!
I just love these two.
Spending any length of time with both of them together is always a treat and has my sides hurting from laughter within minutes.
After splitting a snack and enjoying a couple of frozen drinks, we made our way back to the beach where our group was set up. As soon as we parked our bikes, we were called over for a group picture and were all taken by surprise by what happened next.
Right after we took this photo, and on his 40th birthday, Robert asked Amy for her hand in marriage!
Nobody had any idea this was going to happen and we were all so excited to congratulate them both in person. (They’re all in!)
We are so happy for you guys!
After several hugs, we wrapped up our time at the beach and revisited our bike ride to check out Stewart Beach just down the way. It was a very popular spot filled with activity and cool restaurants with live music.
On our turnaround, Scott spotted an overlook and suggested we turn.
I’m so glad we did.
Upon our arrival back to the house, we had a cookout and spent the rest of the night celebrating a special birthday and engagement.
There was plenty of entertainment with our crowd, and we even surprised the birthday boy with a live performance from a Miriachi Band!
Andddd a cake in the face.
I swear, we’re adults. Sometimes.
The band members weren’t quite sure how to deal with everybody trying to join in, but they eventually learned to loved us. It was all so much fun!
We finished up the night with a couple of rounds of Cards Against Humanity, which always turns into a fantastic time. We played with at least twelve people, which had me in tears when the fill in the blank answers came around. The hilarity doesn’t stop!
The best way to wrap up my thoughts about the weekend is simply… awesome.
It was the perfect blend of relaxing and shenanigans I always hope for vacations to include.
As I sit back at home looking over the photos, I am realizing this trip went by too fast, just like most of the good ones seem to do.
We hope to make some kind of summer group trip an annual thing, and in the mean time try to sneak in visits with some of Scott’s closest friends he has known for now over a decade as much as possible.
Thanks for the perfect getaway week and weekend, Texas!
Giveaway Winner
Before I go, there is a giveaway winner to announce! Thank you to all who entered the Fabletics giveaway over the past week. I loved reading your picks and it turned out to be the most successful giveaway on HWG to date!
CONGRATULATIONS to…
Entry #422: Jenny E!
You won by liking Housewife Glamour on Facebook.
You have been emailed and must respond within 48 hours to claim your prize!
(Also, linking all of this madness up with Katie.)
Have a great Monday!
Rachel @ Blonde with a Chanse
What a fun weekend! Congrats to your friends on their engagement 🙂 How exciting! Oh and can I have your abs please?! Thanks! 😉
Heather
Ha, thanks girl. It was a perfect weekend away!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries
Oh my goodness, what a FUN weekend! It looks like you guys had a blast. I am loving all the awesome photos you captured. I’m glad it was a great mix of fun and relaxation – that always makes for the perfect vacation in my opinion!
Heather
Thanks! And yes… it really was perfection. Now I need to go back!
Glitz Glam Gluten-Free
Oh my gosh, this looks like such an amazing weekend full of fun and shenanigans with your friends! I love the idea of renting a huge house right on the beach, that seems way more fun then being split up in tons of different hotel rooms! Glad you had a chance to get away and have a great time!
Heather
Scott and I always try to stay outside hotels. Bed & Breakfasts are usually just as fun!
aladygoeswest
Cards Against Humanity is the best. That’s a big group to organize, but sounds like it went perfectly. Everybody needs a vacation not related to work, so glad you guys finally got one!
Heather
Thanks! And yes, hands down funnest group game… ever.
Whitney
Looks like it was a great weekend! I’m glad you guys got to go away for awhile and just do nothing – it’s so refreshing, isn’t it?? The beach looks beautiful.
Heather
It’s the best! Missing it already…