When you first start dating someone you try things you normally wouldn't do. Your life goes in a direction it normally wouldn't have gone.

Isn't that one of the beautiful things about relationships? You experience more of what life has to offer together than apart.

Growing up, cracking open a big plate of crab legs was missing from my family's agenda. My mom hates shellfish.

...

My family never ate crab.

I don't remember the first time I ate crab legs, but I remember the first time I ate them with David.

There ain't nothin' sexy about ripping apart crab legs, but he went and tried it anyways.

We went to a place in Vegas called the boiling crab and had bibs around our neck before a drink in our hand.

You know the look in someone's eye that says, "I'm doing this because I love you?"

I didn't make him get his hands dirty.

I spent the next hour at work cracking away feeding us both.

That afternoon at the Boiling Crab in Vegas sparked a messy tradition. It was fun to have someone to go eat crab with.

My family never ate crab.

When David and I visited the kids in Daytona Beach for the first time, we wanted to take them somewhere fun.

I chose a place called Riptides...
...with all you can eat crab.

Teaching the kids to eat crab was fun and made us laugh. It was memorable.

Now every time we visit we highlight the trip with all you can eat crab at Riptides. The kids look forward to it.

We look forward to it.

Riptides has an upbeat surf shack vibe. The kids always try to beat the amount of crab they ate the last time. Isaac gets excited and shows us when he gets the whole claw out all at once and Sophie jumps out of her seat laughing when she gets out a big piece by herself. David cracks open the hard to get pieces and feeds them to his kids like I used to do for him. It's the only place that the kids don't touch their fries AND they ask for water. maternity wears for wedding at affordable price

When we sit down at Riptides, no crab is safe.

After we finished eating I watched as they all started cleaning their fingers with lemon juice.

I taught them that.

I was smiling at David when I caught Sophie putting lemon juice on her face. She sees me do that in the mornings!

They have the best guy playing live music on acoustic guitar. After dinner David and I hold hands and drink a glass of wine listening to him while the kids go play a few video games.

It's fun.

When I asked the kids what their favorite thing to do with their dad was, they both said "eating all you can eat crab with daddy!

After we finished up dinner a gentleman stopped by our table.

"You have a beautiful family."

I'm not their mom, but I'm their family and It's our tradition.

My family always eats crab :)

See More