ryan and i have been wanting to take the kids to the beach for awhile. we waited until jane got a little bigger and we are hooked. neither of us had been to the beach in a long time. we chose Galveston/Jamaica Beach mostly for the distance and time it takes to get there. from our house it  was about 8 hours (a little over with kids) i feel like we heard a lot more bad than good about galveston but we went for it. we booked a vrbo (vacation rental by owner) house. we chose the cheapest we could find and it was amazing. maybe not the nicest place in the area but it fit our needs perfectly. 

it had plenty of space for 7 kids and 4 adults. i could sit on the deck, watch the guys fish in the ocean and drink my coffee in peace in the morning. it was amazing. 

the beach was walking distance which made it great with the kids. we never had to load up in the car to go anywhere. we went out in the morning from about 9-12ish. the water was great, a local told us the water wasn't as clear as usual but we didn't notice. the guys got to walk out a little further than we were swimming to fish and pretty good luck! ryan hasn't ever really fished so being his first time and actually catching stuff was a bonus. 

we ate out one night which was crazy. a packed restaurant with a party our size, sunburned tired kids (and adults) made us realize cooking at the house was much more peaceful. i ate fresh fish every day and it was glorious. we will definitely be going back.