Five years ago I began the search for our first beach trip as a family of three. I started out looking at Gulf Shores in Alabama, but realized if we drove just a little bit further (and paid just a little bit more), we could stay in this quaint little town called Rosemary Beach. Several friends had recommended spots along 30a, but it took going there to really understand what all the fuss was about

Fast forward five years and we just took our fifth annual trip to Rosemary Beach (see all of our posts here). So far, we’ve been during the month of May every year when it’s not unbearably hot or too humid, the crowds have yet to arrive, and the pricing is much more affordable. Since we go to the same beach every year, we like to select a different house to make each trip unique. Our first two vacations included only Todd, Iris, and myself so we rented cute little carriage houses, which were just perfect for our size family. The third year our pals Seth and Ashlee joined us (where they told us they were pregnant!) and the past two years, the Jones family hopped into the mix.

I am a serious vacation planner, so I start my beach house search early. As soon as our trip was over last year, I found the perfect spot for 2018: a house ON THE BEACH. That is almost unheard of in Rosemary and, if you do find one, it’s ridiculously priced. So yes, this year we totally lucked out. Being in our favorite beach town right there at the edge of the sand made for an easy breezy vacation. So knowing all of that, you shouldn’t be surprised that our beach house for 2019 is already booked! While not right on the water, we are just a one minute walk away from the sand in a lovely, three story home overlooking Rosemary’s playground.

But that trip is nearly a year away. So in the meantime, here are some of my favorite photos from this year’s stay (with a few adventures to Seaside and Alys Beach too!).