I'd rather be in Carolina....

It was 78 degrees here in D.C. last Friday. Today it's cloudy and 45 degrees. The last time I checked the first day of spring was this past Sunday. What happened? The extended forecast for our area shows clouds, rain and temperatures in the mid 40's, just lovely.

To get myself through the next week or two, or three I'm just going to daydream about warm, sunny places with tasty, tropical drinks! Chris and I have started a yearly tradition of going to the beach over Easter and I'm counting down the weeks.

It's usually our first trip down for the year and by the time Easter rolls around it's fairly warm during day and picture perfect at night. Some of my favorite times are spent with my father and mother-in-law at their condo in Cherry Grove, SC.

Here are a few of my favorite things about going to the beach:

1. Sleeping in late.
2. Enjoying coffee and powdered doughnuts on the back porch while the golfers make their way through.
3. Sitting on the beach all day long. I don't need a single person to keep me entertained. Give me a chair and a magazine and I'm good all by myself all.day.long. Heaven.
4. Going for long walks on the beach.
5. Ray's cocktails....especially on the beach at sunset.
6. Sitting on the back porch at night listening to Ray sing along to the Beatles as we try to decide where we're going to eat dinner.
7. Eating at Crab Catchers- particularly the steamed shrimp, hushpuppies and deep-fried corn on the cob.
8. Listening to Ray fuss at Chris about driving to fast to and from dinner and how he's going to get a ticket.
9. Hearing Chris and Ray recap their golf game play by play.
10. Playing putt putt and basically beating Chris every single time!
11. Hamburger Joes.
12. HOT NOW Krispy Kreme doughnuts and eating an entire dozen between the four of us before we can even get home!
13. Sitting by the pool when there isn't a single soul there.
14. Shopping at the outlets.
15. The smell of the salty air.
16. Not paying attention to my blackberry for a few days.
17. Being with my family away from the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC.

So on this dreary afternoon this is what I will think of and get to look forward to in 4 weeks!!!

On a side note, I've come up with a a tasty cocktail that is perfect for the beach or a sunny afternoon. We were out with some friends a few weekends ago and while the guys were drinking dirty martinis, Lauren and I wanted something a little different. She suggested a Stoli Blueberi and Sprite and boy was it yummy! Here is a way to doctor it up:

Stoli Blueberi

Handful of fresh blackberries
Fresh mint leaves
Stoli Blueberi vodka
Sprite

Muddle a handful of blackberries and fresh mint in the bottom of your glass. Pour a shot or two (depends on your cocktail glass) of Stoli Bluberi in your glass and fill the rest with Sprite. Add a few ice cubes, a blackberry and a mint spring as a garnish! If you want to get fancy rim your cocktail glass with sugar. Cheers!