At the beach, children can enjoy thrilling adventures yet relax at the same time. They can build sand castles with friends, take a dip in the ocean, stroll across the shoreline for extravagant seashells, or simply sit back in a chair and enjoy a great book. The possibilities are endless. Every year that my family and I venture to Bethany Beach, Delaware, I make sure to do all of these activities, and there is no other place I would rather be. Bethany Beach, Delaware is a place I will never forget because I enjoy the beach, shop for necessary school items at the Tanger Outlets, and spend precious time with family.

Every year in late July, my excitement skyrockets as I know our vacation is just around the corner. We create a detailed itinerary, pack diligently, and drive a total of four hours before I can finally shout with joy that we have arrived for yet another year. After my brothers and I rush to throw our bags in our beach house, we cannot wait to jump back in the car and go straight to the beach. As we walk down the boardwalk, we hear the waves crashing and seagulls squawking, and we smell the sweet scent of the water in the air. My feet sink into the soft sand as I step on the beach, and I can feel the warmth radiating throughout my body. We race to the shore and feel the ocean mist spray us in the face, the cool breeze glide over our arms, and the sand beneath us tickle our feet. I dive through a wave about to break, feeling the refreshing water move over my body. As I surface, my brothers are nowhere to be found. Like a shark, my older brother swims below me and throws me so that when I fall back into the water, I taste the salty water on my tongue. After spending much time in the water, we finally return to the sand where we lay out to tan, toss the football, or sit under the shade of the umbrella. When we finally decide to return home, we tell our parents all of the stories, and they cannot wait to enjoy the beach for themselves the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, there always seems to be at least one day when the weather does not cooperate with our exciting plans, so our family goes to the Tanger Outlets to shop. We stop in as many stores as we can, buying everything from shoes to backpacks to sunglasses to hats because of the lack of sales tax in Delaware. My mom believes it is a great way to get a head start on back-to-school shopping, but after my younger brother and I purchase all of the materials we need, we can find her in Yankee Candle, Pandora, or American Eagle. We always plan to go just for an hour or two, but somehow my dad loses control over my mom and older brother every year, and we stay until the car is packed with miscellaneous bags and boxes. Once everyone is either out of money or out of breath, we return home to watch a movie or play a board game in order to relax after the busy day.

Our vacation is not always so relaxing, however; my cousins rent the house next to us and bring their children. I can definitely say there is never a dull moment; from playing games to spending time with my one-year old cousins, there is almost no time to rest. When all of us go to the beach, we stay until sunset to get the most out of every day. All of the guys are fish swimming happily in the ocean, while all of the women appreciate the scenery and would rather chat about the toddlers dancing around in the sand. We always make sure to have everyone play in our family football game, stay up late on game night, and come together to have an enormous picnic full of delicious crabs every year. As we all share stories about our summers, plans for the rest of the vacation, and the upcoming or past school year, I realize that there is nothing more important to me than my family, and it is a pleasure to spend quality time with them.

Had my parents not decided on Bethany Beach, Delaware as our vacation resort, there is a great possibility that I would never have such vivid memories with my family. Fortunately, my parents love the beach, and long before I was born, they heard from their friends that Bethany was a beautiful option. Although our vacations are just a week, all of the activities we fit into each day leave me with exciting stories of my brothers playfully fighting in the ocean, my mother frantically rushing from store to store at the Outlets as my father glares at her, and my cousins tending to their curious children trying to understand their surroundings. I hope that one day my children find the beach as thrilling as I do because there is absolutely no other place I would go for vacation.