The last beach I found myself on before my Thanksgiving trip to Florida was on the coast of Morocco, so you could say I found the waters at Rosemary Beach a little underwhelming.

Where were the camels? Where were my cool new friends from the hostel? Why was it crowded with screaming young children throwing sand at one another and completely disregarding their parents' exhausted pleas for some peace and quiet.

It took a few cocktails in the sun before I started to let myself relax after a long semester and remember why I love the waters of the gulf so damn much.