I like to tick off on my fingers and remember the days of our Christmas vacation by…

…hours spent on the beach collecting sea shells…

… number of Christmas M&M’s consumed and Southern Living recipes tested…

… afternoons on bikes cruising through the Gulf National Seashore…

… piggy-back rides and batches of grit fritters fried…

… cousin snapshots where everyone looks confused, with bellies full of gumbo…

… and the number of quiet afternoons watching the Gulf lap the shore line… doing nothing, just loving and living and wishing life was always warm and southern and easy.