Beach Girl: Corpus Christie
- Apr 21
- 14 min read
The trip to Corpus Christie happened quite organically, which is the best way for travel and adventure to happen.
Sometime this winter, it occurred to me that I needed to be on the beach. I wasn’t sure which beach or how it would happen, but I began to understand in every cell of my body that the Ocean was necessary. I needed to be with the Ocean…. I began mentioning this idea to all of my friends.
I also need an adventure.
I’ve been on many beaches, and they all hold special meaning for me. I thought of the beaches I’ve been to in the past and the new beaches I wanted to discover. I let my mermaid brain be free to sift through the options.
While there were many options including all-inclusive in the Caribbean and gorgeous options in Hawaii, I knew that I wanted to stay in the country and I needed to feel safe.
I also sensed that the trip would happen when it needed to.
As luck would have it, I had been talking with my friend Susan who lives outside of Dallas. She began asking me what I was looking for and we began brainstorming. Was I interested in staying right on the beach? Did I want to be on a resort? What part of the county? How long and when?
These phone calls and discussions lasted for a few weeks, when suddenly she said, “Why don’t you come down here and we can go together?”
I hadn’t thought about that. Of course trips and adventure can be more fun with a good friend and our family. I actually thought I would be going to the beach alone, so this was a new opportunity.
I loved the idea! Susan and I have known each other since we were five. How fun to take a beach trip together. And adding to this, living outside Dallas, she had been to Texas beaches before and was able to suggest a few that she and her husband Dann liked. (Dann is my very favorite brother-in-law EVER!)
So began the texting of finding availability! I sent her dates; she sent me dates. I vetoed a few, she vetoed a few.
Within a few weeks we had narrowed it down to a weekend in April and before I had time to throw confetti and glitter, she called me one Saturday morning and said, “Okay, let’s find somewhere to stay. We like Airbnb’s, do you?”
While sitting in the Dierbergs parking lot after a puppy training class with Champ Assistance Dogs, we began sending ideas back and forth finding an Airbnb that looked perfect. Near the beach, in a complex with a pool and hot tub. Since she and Dann had been before, she knew the area and what to look for. We booked it within thirty minutes!
Then on to flights. She would have a quicker, possibly cheaper flight, flying from Dallas to Corpus Christie. It took me a few days to figure out that flying to Dallas to meet her would be too expensive and that flying through Houston would be the way to go. We both looked at Southwest flights and booked at the same time. I sent her my flight info and she sent me hers. We would both be arriving into Corpus Christie at 11:30am giving us the entire day to enjoy ourselves ON THE BEACH!!!
In addition, it appeared that Susan’s flight would land in Houston, she would stay on and I would get onto that plane! How fun is that?!!
We had a few weeks to plan, chat, figure things out and get excited. I rented a car for the first time in many years. And I asked all the questions: what do I need? Insurance coverage? Information to bring. Figuring that out, I had all the paperwork in one place. I’m usually very organized when it comes to planning for a trip so that once there, I can kick back and relax. It’s been my mode for many years, and it’s always worked well for me.
Leading up to the trip, I asked my sister who lives in St. Charles if I could leave my car at her house because Uber’s are less than half the price from her house. I also didn’t tell her what time I would need to do that. She said yes without hesitating because that’s who my sister Staci is. She didn’t blink an eye when I told her that I would be at her house that Thursday at 4:30 am for the Uber. Adding to this, she agreed to pick me up when I came home that Sunday. BEST sister ever!!!
Susan and I continued to plan and chat and as we got closer, I was beyond excited. All of our texts included pictures of the ocean, beach umbrella's, mermaids and sunshine.
I was so happy that I would be with the Ocean again soon. On one of these calls Susan asked what I liked to do on the beach then sharing, “On the beach I like to think, read and look at the ocean.”
I smiled and laughed.
“Are you kidding me? That is EXACTLY my idea of a perfect beach day!”
I knew then that this trip was sent from the Universe. The Ocean, the beach, my very good friend Susan. I had stayed open; I sent my thoughts and ideas into the Universe…and here we were.
As I usually do, I began to pack a few days ahead of time, checking the weather and restocking toiletries and medications. I am NOT a last-minute packer. I never have been and I never will be. When I return home, I usually check to make sure all of the necessities are ready to go. So if someone suggests a last-minute trip, I’m ready!
I pulled out my beach checklist (I have one for every part of the country, weather, international travel, mountains, beach) and began hunting and gathering. The next day I put half of it away. The day after (two days before the trip) I lugged my suitcase upstairs, rolled everything into packing pods (I use two-gallon Ziplocs that yes, are labeled!) and prepped my backpack using sticky notes to remind myself to bring a phone cord. the night before my neighbors helped me lift my suitcase into my car, too. (amazing neighbors!)
On Thursday, I would be leaving my house at 3:45am. I hoped to get a good nights sleep, but trying to go to sleep at 8:30 pm never works. I texted Susan one last time: see you tomorrow which included every beach emoji I could find.
Thursday morning, I got up at 2:50am and began the process of vacation.
By 3:45am I was in the car on my way to my sister’s, finding the roads deserted in the middle of the night. I reached her at 4:15am and she greeted me in her pajamas. We were ready when the Uber pulled up at 4:45am.
Reaching Lambert International Airport in less than fifteen minutes. My Uber driver told me she loves the early morning shift as there is little to no traffic. Sailing through check-in at the Southwest counter (although the agents could have been a little more helpful), I wasn’t sure what to expect in the TSA line. It had been just the week before that lines were incredibly long. I didn’t have to wait more than two minutes and I was through security.
Reaching my gate, I texted my sister and Susan and soon enough I was on the flight and asleep!
It was a beautiful morning and seeing Lambert all lit up was a treat.
As was seeing sunrise from the sky!
Landing in Houston, I found out Susan’s flight had been delayed and so I found the food court and pulled out my packed breakfast watching planes landing and taking off.
I also found Houston Library Short Story Dispenser by the kids playland. You select a category (adult, teens, or kid), and a story is dispensed to you free of charge. I tried all three. The purpose is to Select, Read, Enjoy. And all three stories were entertaining.
Finally boarding Susan’s flight, we saw each other and smiled and laughed. We were on our way!
I fell asleep once again (2:50am is early) and we landed.
Corpus Christie is a small, cute, easy to manage airport.
We easily found our luggage and the rental car desk was right there. We waited five minutes and we were in our car on our way to the grocery store and then the Airbnb. It was ready early, and we wanted to drop everything so we could get to the beach.
We stopped at the HEB, meal planning on the way arriving at the Airbnb and having a snack. There was a beach at the end of our street.
We were ON THE BEACH by 5:00 pm. It was a great opportunity to say hello to the Ocean and let her know we were here.
We walked the beach chatting, catching up and enjoying the ocean breeze, the sand, and the sounds.
Heading back to the Airbnb, we had a quick dinner and headed to the hot tub. We also prepped for the next day so that we could get to the beach as early as we could! Our idea was to walk to the beach and see the sunrise the next day, setting our alarms.
A note about our Airbnb. It was spectacular. Completely stocked with everything you would need for a beach vacation. Beach chairs, a cooler, a deck facing the water. Comfortable beds and couch. A fully stocked kitchen with a blender (!), waffle iron, utensils, mixing bowls and spices. The sheets were soft and the washer and dryer worked for those sandy towels. It was clean and cool with enough space for both of us. When Susan asked what we needed to do when we left the answer was, “This is your vacation. We don’t expect you to do anything.” -We did. We took the trash out and cleaned up completely because that’s who we are.
The next morning Friday, when I woke up Susan said, “It’s very cloudy. I’m not sure we can see the sunrise.”
We looked at other exhausted. “Let’s go back to sleep,” we both said at the same time, waking up three hours later.
When we woke up, the clouds had dispersed and it was a gorgeous beach day. We headed to the Padre Island National Seashore.
This is the beach Susan and Dann often visit when they are in the area. Reaching this gorgeous beach inside a National Park I sighed. It was beautiful, well taken care of, with clean bathrooms and showers, a little park store and miles and miles of empty beach.
While it was fun to be able to walk to the beach near our Airbnb, it wasn’t the prettiest of beaches. Cars were allowed to drive on the beach, and it wasn’t well maintained. It would serve the purpose of sunrise because it was on the right side of the island. And it WAS the beach.
Padre Island National Seashore was spectacular. It is a natural preserve for sea turtles who often lay their eggs here. The park rangers said to be on the look-out for turtles heading into the ocean. (we never saw any)
Susan and I made camp. It was extremely windy and so the wind shade wasn’t an option. Instead we set up beach chairs from the Airbnb and faced the ocean. I was covered in sunscreen and so was she.
We chatted and talked and laughed and asked questions. At some point, I walked back to the car to grab our lunches and water. We stayed until we got cold. Until most of the beachgoers around us had packed up and left. I said to Susan, “I will stay forever if nobody says it’s time to go!”
This park also had a look-out tower and on our way out, we decided to check it out.
Heading back to the Airbnb we stopped at the Island Market for margaritas. The Airbnb had a blender! (I also found chocolate explosion cake which was a combination of cake, cheesecake, and chocolate-need I say more?)
We cooked dinner-chicken, sweet potatoes and Susan make delicious guacamole while enjoying margaritas.
As Susan said, “It’s Texas. We need to have guacamole and margarita’s, and who was I to argue?!!
The hot tub and pool were packed at 10pm, so we called it a night, setting our alarms for sunrise.
And Saturday’s sunrise on the beach didn’t disappoint.
I've seen my fair share of sunrises and sunsets all over the world. The sunrise in Corpus Christie was one of the most spectacular I've seen.
We spent a good half hour admiring the sunrise.
As planned, we headed to Hester’s, a breakfast place Susan, and Dann love. https://hesterscafe.com/
I loved it the minute I walked in. A local bakery, and café that bakes all of their baked goods. Too good to be true. And their motto is my motto!
While waiting in line to order a young man ordered a slice of chocolate cheesecake to go. He smiled and said, “It was requested.” Everything looked delicious and the breakfast I had was incredible. The Chinook Scramble was an omelet with smoked salmon, whipped goat cheese, on arugula and red onions. I asked for the breakfast potatoes, and it came with fresh fruit.
I also couldn’t resist one of the baked specialties: a lemon sand dune cookie.
Yes, I usually go for the chocolate, however, I still had half the chocolate explosion cake to enjoy. And the Texas turbo brownie had espresso in it. (if you know me, you know I don’t need that!) It was delicious and I loved that it was an Ocean cookie.
We enjoyed ourselves and spoke with Pricilla a lovely waitress and the manager. Letting them both know how much we loved Hester's.
I inquired about a t-shirt with their tag line: Dessert First. They currently do not sell them, however, when I reached out on messenger, they said they used to and are thinking about it for their 20th anniversary. Please count me in!
On our way back we stopped at a souvenir shop and had fun trying on hats.
Cowgirl?
Or beach babe?
We made it to the beach by 12:30pm that day, settling in for another day of friendship, sunshine, Ocean, sand, salt, and fun waves.
The day was even more spectacular, and we moved our chairs closer to the water. It was cooler and we enjoyed the Ocean breeze reminding ourselves that we like to be closer to the Ocean.
We didn’t read, but we did chat and learn even more about one another. Is that possible?! Yes. It was a loving, easy, relaxed day.
Susan took a walk and we both enjoyed alone time with the Ocean.
As I sat and looked at the endless waves, the gorgeous clear blue sky, I was doing what I always do when at the beach. I was communing, talking, praying, listening to my heart, listening to the whispers of the Ocean…
...gradually over the weekend letting go of anything and everything that didn’t serve me. Letting go of the angst of the unknown, the uncertainty of life and embracing what I did know. Letting the ocean air wash over me while I came to terms with life, what was going on and what I wanted to create in my life.
The life I was creating with JOY. The heart-centered life that I knew I was living. Finally.
The Ocean reminds me of this each and every time we are together. Hard-won lessons, however. Even mermaids need reminders.
One of the aspects I love the most about the Ocean and the beach is the ever-changing sky. And the waves that just keep going out and coming back in. Over and over. So peaceful. I could live here. Why am I not living on the beach?
Once more we stayed until most everyone around us had called it a day. It was such a pretty afternoon as the sun moved throughout the sky.
We decided to try the look-out tower once more. This gave us an overall view of the entire beach and much more of the ocean.
This afternoon the wind had picked up and the breeze was lovely. We were covered in sand and salt and the ocean breeze. Perfect day.
Heading back to the Airbnb, we decided to head to the hot tub early hoping there would be room for us. We were fortunate to meet a very nice young couple who was vacationing with a group of twelve for a birthday. They were a lot of fun and entertained us with their stories. They also invited us to a bar for the evening! They would be heading over there about 9:30, did we want to join? We thanked them and said we’d probably be in our pajamas by then!
For dinner we had a chicken spinach salad and Susan made another batch of guacamole which again was incredible. We also had margaritas. Guacamole and margaritas! Look at us go!
We enjoyed another evening on our deck.
We cleaned up as much as we could, packed and hoped for a sunrise on the beach.
The next morning it was raining. We had been so lucky with the weather. Mostly because we didn’t talk about it! Besides that first morning of clouds, we had enjoyed sunny skies every day and beautiful start-filled skies each night.
Heading to the airport, we dropped the rental car and walked to the Southwest ticket counter in about five minutes. I love small airports!
So easy to drop the rental car, and check ourselves and our bags in. We got through TSA in about two minutes and headed to the gate.
And then we boarded the plane back to Houston. Susan would head to Dallas, and I would head to St. Louis. It was a fairly short flight and we still had things to talk about!
When we deplaned in Houston, the very first thing I saw was a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company kiosk.
Are you kidding?! In the airport?
While Susan checked on her departure gate (both of our flights said the same gate which we didn’t think was correct), I checked out the chocolate. I bought Staci a dark chocolate lemon truffle and a chocolate chip cookie for myself as well as a raspberry truffle and a milk chocolate truffle.
Susan and I went to the food court to enjoy our lunches that we had packed at the Airbnb. I couldn’t find a chair and a lovely gentleman motioned me over to his table and offered his chair. He was traveling from Corpus Christie, where he was from, to his home in Tennessee. He was in Corpus Christie for a performance-he is a musician! And a very kind man.
We enjoyed our lunch and then headed to Susan’s gate. We chatted until she was called and then said our goodbyes.
We waved and sent hearts to each other until we couldn’t see each other anymore.
Walking to my gate, I enjoyed a very good chocolate chip cookie and boarded my plane.
I was lucky enough to sit with two young men. I was in the window seat (my favorite choice) and Charlie in the middle. We began chatting and before we knew it, we had landed in St. Louis. He had a connection and my sister was picking me up.
I headed to baggage claim cheering when I saw my red bag and walked out to passenger pick up.
My sister came zipping along and soon we were on our way to her house. Best Uber ever! She is seriously the best sister ever.
Then, I headed home arriving after traveling twelve hours. I was even glad to be home. I already missed the Ocean, and I knew I would see her again soon. We always say goodbye, and I always add: See you soon. Thank you.
For me, this was one of my best beach trips ever. The stars aligned and I was ON THE BEACH for four days with one of my dearest and closest friends!!!
I had had such a fun time with Susan. It was an easy, relaxed fun trip to the beach with no angst. I needed a trip like this more than I even realized. I needed a break from my life, and I also needed a fun, easy trip. I LOVE to travel, have traveled all of my life and think I’m quite a good traveler. I am not perfect and willing to learn from others; believing and knowing that I am an easy, fun, engaged, adventurous travel partner. (my bags are always packed, just give me a call and I’m ready!)
I paid attention to how Susan traveled, and I can say the same about her: she is a good traveler and wow, can she pack a suitcase. She is also much stronger than she looks, winging heavy things into and out of the car.
While we had the same idea for a laid-back beach trip, everything either of us suggested was met with a “sure!” Each of us had ideas and openly shared them with each other. We helped one another playing to our strengths, which is the best way to travel on trips and through life.
The only thing that would have made this trip even better is one extra day, which I’ve already suggested to Susan for next year. Love you, my friend.
Expect Good. Defy Gravity. Sparkle ON! Thank you, Ocean, good to see you! Be back soon...
AND…. Life is for good friends and great adventure.
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