For the first ten or so years of my life, our vacation week in the summer was spent with my grandparents on my dad's side in Pensacola Beach, Florida. It was my basis for everything a beach should be. Bright, white sand, aqua water, mountainous dunes scattered with sea oats, little seafood shacks for lunch.

Oh, and the occasional tropical depression or hurricane.

That aside, it's remained with me for the past (almost) 25 years as such an important piece of my childhood. Heck, it's where I fell in love with the Blue Angels. Nothing in the world like boogie-ing on the beach and having F/A- 18 Hornets scream overhead. Seriously.

So what brought me back, you might be asking? A darling friend with a beach condo in Alabama. Simple as that. Fortunately for me, the closest aeropuerto to Orange Beach, Alabama is Pensacola's airport. Naturally, when he picked me up I had already mapped out directions to the fish sign (above) and again, fortunately for me, he didn't mind taking a small detour to stand on the side of a highway so I could snap this shot. What a pal, what a pal.

Ready for one of the best parts of our Gulf Coast vacation? First day on the beach?

THE BLUE ANGELS FLEW OVER US!

Now, friends, that really does not happen every day. I was so happy I didn't even know what to do with myself.

My Vuarnets, a new bright bikini, a cold beverage, the hot sand, a fun friend and the Blue Angels.

I didn't even take another photo the entire trip. Five days of that and I was beyond perfect.