So About that South America Trip...

Masaya, Nicaragua

Remember last week when I said one of my besties and I decided to take a trip of a lifetime to Rio, Buenos Aires, and practically everywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere?  Well, we seemed to have forgotten to check our wallets before making these grand plans.  Seems we decided on the two most expensive cities in South America, and tragically, we are not trust-fund babies.

So we hit the travel guides again, restarted our research, and have decided on a new destination:  Nicaragua!

We are super excited for it all:  trekking through the jungle, climbing volcanoes, exploring the Masaya marketplace, visiting the oldest towns in Central America, and of course, soaking it all up on the gorgeous beaches!  What more could a girl want while traveling on a dime!

Has anyone been?  Any advise or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Roberta Roller Rabbit

Roberta Roller Rabbit Sarong Jemina

Today I'm heading to the beach again for one more day in the sun.  Yesterday, my body decided to finally revolt against me, and I woke to a full-fledged set of stress-induced hives.  Lovely, right?  I am itchy and irritated and you know what...enough it enough.  I get it, okay.  I will stop swallowing my stress and get it all out.  So stop with the warning signs and hives go away, okay?!?!

Anyway, about the beach.  Nothing soothes me more than the sun and the water, so off I go.  But first, I want to share my absolutely favorite beach accessory...my Roberta Roller Rabbit sarong.

I own two RRR sarongs, and love them equally.  I bought my newest one on sale at Piperlime.  They are comfortable, versatile, and lightweight enough that you're not sticking to your clothes on hot summer days.  I typically wear mine tied as a strapless dress, but you can also wear it as a skirt or tied around your neck like the photo above (I have that one too in purple).  Even for buxom girls like me, the sarong is big enough to fully cover myself and still be a decent length to wear in boardwalk shops or bars.  I never go to the beach without mine! 

Weekend Wrap-Up

Sandy Point State Park

I am having a hard time believing that summer is now all but officially over.  Time has flown by, and even worse, I hadn't had one beach day this entire summer.  Not one.  Now typically, I am a planner...I love putting together a night or a weekend or a vacation, making sure to hit up all the restaurants and must-see places.  But with everything that has been going on these past few months, I just let planning a beach weekend slip by me.  So, what's a girl to do then when Labor Day weekend is here and the beach availability has far been sold out?  Research other options...and did I find a hidden gem just an hour outside of DC!

Sandy Point State Park is a 786-acre Maryland State Park located on the Annapolis shore of the Chesapeake Bay.  There are boat rentals, crabbing, hiking paths, fishing areas, tons of areas for cookouts & picnics and best of all, a beach.  The beach is small, and the sand is an odd texture, probably because there isn't really a tide on the Bay, but hey--a beach is a beach!  There were jellyfish out, so I didn't dare get in the water, but the view was beautiful with the Bay Bridge straight ahead and sailboats crowding the water.  

Since we were in Annapolis, we had to stop for dinner at Cantler's Riverside Inn, my favorite crab shack in Maryland.  We feasted on boiled jumbo shrimp, seared ahi tuna nachos, hush puppies, and of course, steamed Maryland crabs.  If you've never been, it is worth the trip!  So delicious, and made for a very satisfying day!

Steamed Maryland crabs at Cantler's

The rest of the weekend was filled with relaxation, watching football, and some well-needed down time.  I finished reading both Divergent and Insurgent this week...fantastic books that I couldn't put down!  I am anxiously waiting for the last of the trilogy, Allegiant, to debut in October.  A bit of the stomach bug was still lingering, probably thanks to my crab feast, but it was worth it.  Hope you all had a fun filled and relaxing Labor Day weekend!