Beach do's and don'ts

Since I've been a beach frequenter over the past couple months, here are some beach tips:

DOs:

~Wear an adorable hat like this one from Urban Outfitters:

~Drink lots of sangria and margaritas.

~Walk along the beach as dolphins swim along with you - That really happened! 3 of them at sunset! Until some drunk man ventured out in the ocean spastically slapping the water.

~Eat lots of good food and don't feel bad about it. Hello, it's called being on vacation. Even though I usually eat like my whole life is a vacation.

~Lay on the beach at night looking up at the stars. But a flashlight is a must for the walk to the beach. In Kiawah there are no light posts, you can't even see your hand in front of your face and there are lots of wild animals - I saw a bobcat last month!

~Perfect beach snacks: popcorn, apples, diet coke with lime, budlight lime, or carona light with lime. I love lime!

~Of course bring a good book. Last trip I read "The Beach House" by Jane Green, Sarah read "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner, and Chelsea read "The Late Bloomer's Revolution" by Amy Cohen. And it goes without saying that US Weekly is an essential beach read.

~If you have the skin of a baby, do rent an umbrella. But if you get tired of spending money on it everyday, make a shade tent out of towels and beach chairs (Disclaimer: You will feel like a freak show).

DON'TS:

~Take your cell phone to the beach.

~Turn on the TV or watch movies. Even at night, so much more fun to sit on the porch sipping drinks, talking, and listening to whip-poor-wills.

~Venture out on a bike without knowing where you're going, as Chelsea and I did. When finally arriving to the beach, we looked like we had just climbed a mountain.

~Warning: If you go for a walk at night and can't see any stars, there's a good chance you will get caught in a downpour. It would have been fun if I hadn't taken my camera.

~Have fair skin that hates you :(