With pale skin and red hair, you probably wouldn't guess that I love the beach as much as I do.
It wasn't always that way. First I had to master the art of sunscreen. Then I had to get over an irrational fear of sharks (even when I wasn't in the water.) I was little when Jaws came out, and let's just say it left an impression.
Somewhere along the way, though, the beach became less about vacations and more about restoration.
There was a season of life when I wasn't taking very good care of myself. Looking back, I think my body knew what it needed before my mind did. I craved the beach. Not a fancy resort or a packed itinerary ... just sunshine, salt air, and the rhythm of the waves.
It wasn't vitamins I wanted.
It was Vitamin D straight from the source.
There was something about salt water that felt healing long before I understood why.
The beach also holds so many of our family's stories.
I still laugh thinking about my son when he was little. Simply being touched by his baby sister drove him absolutely crazy. She figured that out almost immediately. One of my favorite photos from "Poppy's Island" in North Carolina is her reaching toward him with that mischievous grin because she knew exactly what she was doing.
Years later in Galveston, he got his revenge by walking just close enough to her sandcastle to make her panic while insisting he wasn't going to knock it over.
Siblings have a funny way of keeping score.
One of my favorite beach photos almost didn't happen.
My husband was frustrated after we managed to run his dad's boat onto a sandbar. Sea Tow couldn't help us, so the kids and I climbed into the water, dug the boat out, and scraped barnacles off the bottom until we were finally free.
He wasn't exactly in the mood for pictures.
I made him take one anyway.
Now it's one of my favorites because everything was going absolutely wrong but the sunset was too pretty to miss and the kids were having the time of their lives. Funny how those are often the memories that last.
Then we moved to Malaysia, and somehow the ocean became part of our family's story in a different way. Diving trips. Island weekends. Traveling together. Somewhere out there, those two became friends instead of just brother and sister. And yes - I conquered my fear of sharks - even went on shark dives. (I am still terrified of spiders and scissors on the floor).
These days, one of my favorite places in the world is the edge of the water when hardly anyone else is there. Most everyone has heard me talking about a dive trip as soon as our calendar clears.
Walking where the waves meet the sand has a way of making everything quieter. Sometimes I replay old memories. Sometimes I think about nothing at all. Other times I find myself trying to comprehend just how immense God's creation really is.
For someone who tends to overthink everything, that's a dangerous rabbit hole.
But it's also a beautiful one.
Years ago I discovered something practical during those walks.
A blanket coat is just about perfect for the beach.
It's warm when the wind picks up. Comfortable after you've been in the water. Easy to wrap around yourself while watching the sunrise or staying out later than you planned.
One afternoon in Galveston I was wearing a white blanket coat when several people stopped to ask about it. Someone jokingly started calling that neutral style The Galveston, and somehow the name stuck.
A few of those coats have found their way into this upcoming Sapana Summer Edit.
Maybe it's fitting.
Because every time I see one, I don't think about a product.
I think about sunshine, salty hair, family stories, and escaping to the beach.
Explore Sapana's handmade blanket coats, thoughtfully crafted for travel, layering, and life's favorite destinations—from the beach to the mountains.