I would not trade it for the world, growing up at the beach was one of the biggest blessings I am always grateful for. When I look at the coordinates on my necklace, the group of people set as my phone background, the pictures of the beach scattered across my room, or the tattoo on my foot, I smile overcomes my face and memories come pouring into my mind. I somehow lose my thoughts and my mind wanders to the place where I wish I was. I am grateful to be a 'beach kid' where I had my first steps and where my memories are embedded in the sand. Growing up at the beach is a heck of a lot more than being tan, white and blue shore houses covered with nautical decor, an Instagram of your toes in the sand, beach hair, or an arm full of bracelets you bought at the boardwalk. Growing up at the beach has given me so much, but here are just a few:

My best friends

My best friends, bridesmaids, soul sisters, but most importantly, my people. The people that blow up my phone with 'miss you texts', the one's I call at any time of the day, the reasoning behind my tattoo, and the one's I'll be sitting with while our children have the same experiences as us. And yeah, everyone has best friends, but it is something about the beach that binds us together, we get each other like no one else does despite our backgrounds and a sense of being home when I am with them.

Pride

It gave me Jersey Pride. Yes I live at the Jersey Shore because it is beautiful, and no, I don't know Snooki. I have pride in where I am from, where I live, and where I plan on raising my children.

An adventurous childhood

The childhood at the beach allowed me to experience new things, and with my best friends nonetheless. It gave me the chance to grow up swimming in the ocean (not a pool), how to ride a bike because that will be my daily transportation (not a saturday afternoon activity in the park), the bravery to go up to meet new people on the beach because why not, and that getting your boating license before car license is a must.

Appreciating the unnoticed beauties of the shore

It let me really appreciate the little things in life that most daily beach goer's don't notice, like watching the sunset as I drive over the bay bridge, how instantly happy I am when the sun hits my face, the beauty of family owned businesses, outdoor showers, and waking up to a beautiful view, even when the bay is a sheet of ice, snow covers the rocks on my lawn in which I can't shovel, and the awning of my deck is gone leaving just a bunch of silver poles. It's all still beautiful to me.

Summers with my family

I was blessed to have my family be at the beach with me every summer, taking weeks off of work to be able to spend together, creating memories that I will carry with me forever.

Knowing the difference of the beach in the summer vs. winter

It's kind of unexplainable, but there is just something about sitting on the beach in the winter, wrapped in a blanket and sipping on a coffee, and watching the waves crash. It's different, it's beautiful, it's calm and it's a moment of bliss, and to me it's better than any moment on a hot and crowded beach day.

And most of all, it gives me a sense of happiness that my children will have the same opportunity I did.

I can't explain it or try to put it in words, but the feeling of driving down route 35 to my house, with the open bay to my right, best friends in the back, sand all covering my ankles, and knowing this place is my home, is a feeling I wish I could bottle up in a jar and hold on to forever. It's the life of being a local.