Welcome to Destin, Florida!
If I had to think of a overall theme from the week, the overpowering one was most definitely savoring the moment. Life is about experiences, building memories. YOLO.....you only live once.
Thursday evening we packed up the car and headed for Indianapolis to meet up with Kelly and Mike. They were the ring leaders of this vacation and had 4 years of experience under their belts. They knew the best route, the daily routine, rainy day activities, you name it. We were pretty pumped to get to spend a week with them and their children, Izzy and Laney.
Friday morning we left Indy and headed for Prattville, Alabama. Traffic was a breeze. We made potty and food stops every two to three hours. It was the perfect combination to keep our kids happy. They were incredible.
A rocket at one of the rest stops. I learned that rest stops have much better maintained bathrooms than gas stations!
The ipad was a blessing....
and a curse. After three puking episodes, we concluded that the iPad made James motion sick.
We made it to Prattville and checked into the Days Inn. Blondes only slumber party! We only had a short 3 hour drive in the morning to reach Destin!
Upon arriving in Destin, we headed to a beach restaurant, The Whale's Tail. The kids had their first view of the Gulf. They headed down on the beach with Casey. James had to come back to find me. He was a little freaked out by the waves. That didn't last long though.
Our house was located about four houses from the boardwalk to the beach. I loved watching the kids walk hand in hand with eager anticipation.
The first few days were cloudy with some rain, yet it was warm and humid. Normally, I would have been incredibly disappointed that the sun was not tanning me every moment of my vacation. I surprised myself and discovered how much fun the beach can be, even with overcast skies.
We had the beach entirely to ourselves that night and flew kites. The wind off the ocean was perfect for toddler kite flying. James was thrilled with his Superman kite.
Madelyn was so excited about how high her kite could go.
And when the kids tired of flying kites, they played in the sand.
The kids were in the pool rain or shine!
Madelyn started the week wearing her 'bubble belt' and ended it a true swimmer. She loved the pool and was so excited about her accomplishment. She picked the pool over the beach when given the choice. James held his own too. He was completely independent in the water (with his 'bubble belt'). He would jump in, stick his face in the water, and swim the length of the pool.
A group of water bugs! They spent the entire week in their suits!
The tiki bar.....ahhhhhh.....heaven. We spent a lot of time here. It was perfect for watching the kids swim, ducking out of the rain, and late night laughs, drinks, and games. When we returned from our trip, someone asked Madelyn about our vacation, her response, "We swam in the pool and the grownups sat at the tikki bar and drank 7 or 8 beers." Well played Madelyn.
Sandi and Kelly came well prepared. We spent a rainy morning crafting.
The weather was perfect the second half of the week. Sunshine and warm.
The sand was probably James' favorite part of the vacation. He loved digging. He loved climbing. He loved rolling in it. He pretty much loved what ever he could get away with!
Ben and James were the only boys on the trip. Early in the week, Ben was in his bunk bed playing on his iPad. James wanted to climb up and I told him, "No, that's Ben's bed. He's up there right now." Ben spoke up and said send him up. James laid down next to him and watched him play his iPad game. An instant bond was formed. Ben is 6 years older than James, but they embraced their similar interests and became big buddies. It warmed my heart watching how kind Ben was to James.
I love Madelyn's creativity. She would look for clumps of sand on the beach, fill her bucket with 'cookies' and deliver them to hungry beach goers.
The girls!
I loved watching Casey and the kids play. I get many chances to play with the kids with my part-time, no work in the summer gig, but Casey's chances are more limited. I loved that he was able to spend a whole week playing.
Building castles
Hunting for seashells
Splashing in the waves
Taking selfies
Picnicing
Drinking cold beers! When I told others we were going on vacation with two other families, some people shared their reservations. It is going to be too much 'togetherness' or what if you want to go different directions. I have to say, it went so well. We had great conversation, laughed hard (it's one of my most favorite qualities of Kelly....she likes to laugh as much as I do!), and savored our week together.
The guys seemed to work together too! The common thread included, Miller Lites, a love of sports, and not taking themselves too seriously. Mike and Jason are best friends, and Casey and I went into the trip knowing how special this week was for the two of them. Casey and I talked about respecting that too.
This is the life!
One afternoon, I sat by the pool. Alone. I had a book, a cold beer, and silence. I don't take a lot of time for myself, and it felt so good to not have the responsibilities of life running through my head. I even got in a 5 mile run on day and another 5 mile walk another day during the week. It felt amazing!
In a change from years past, we went on a boat ride to find dolphins!
And we were successful!
We saw a few dolphins, and this one in particular stuck around the boat for quite awhile. The water was clear enough that we were able to follow him (or her as Madelyn requested I refer to 'it' as) easily.
The crew
Silly face. It was a fun morning for everyone....except Mike, who was seasick!
One
night we headed to the beach for family pictures. It is a tradition
with the other families and I was excited about having a nice family shot.
The beach and sunset were incredibly beautiful. The sun was rough on our fair eyes though!
Bob and Laura, Mike's parents, rented a condo nearby and they were amazing. They stepped in to help with the kids throughout the week. On this particular night, they bribed with suckers!
Passing out the payment
The girls in pink/coral were pumped about that!
I loved how they all were color coordinated, completely by chance!
Cheese!
My love
At this moment as we took family pictures, the thoughts that went through my head and the emotions of others were difficult to face. We were told in January that Jason, the father of the other family we were traveling with, was diagnosed with lung cancer and given a heartbreaking diagnosis of 9-12 months. When I received the email from Kelly notifying me of this news I sobbed. I didn't know Jason. After spending a just a few days with him, it was easy to love him and my heart ached to the depths of my soul.
I watched him interact with his children. He beamed. If an outsider would have looked in on him, they would have had no idea of the battle he was courageously fighting. As the week went on his pain increased, but he still continued to smile. He is kind. He is a loving father and husband. I watched him console his wife as she cried embracing each special moment their family of four was experiencing. Jason was a constant reminder that we each need to live each and every day to the fullest. We need to keep our problems in perspective and celebrate the blessings each day brings us. Shortly after hearing about Jason back in January, Casey stopped smoking. For good. He has never said that it was because of Jason, but I have to wonder if it played a part in him getting over that final hurdle that has always stopped him before. We are better people because we know Jason. We pray for him every single day, and if you are reading this, I ask that you do too.
After pictures, Bob and Laura graciously offered to watch the kids so we could go out to dinner. Grownups only!
The little girls were tired!
And we were ready to go out!!
Sandi mixed up an amazing cocktail that took me back to the days of drinking so you couldn't tell you were drinking at all! Dangerous! We had a great dinner and came back to our very own tiki bar. I laughed a lot.
On the last night, the kids prepared a message in the bottle. They filled it with different mementos from our week. Shrinkidinks, a glow bracelet, and seashells.
After Jason sealed the bottle with wax, it was ready to be thrown out to sea. (And everyone was done posing....)
Except Madelyn....who refused to pose all week!
The sunset was beautiful.
It was a perfect family vacation and a week we will always treasure. I am so thankful to have spent this time with my family and grateful the Morses' and McCulloch's shared their traditions with us. I hope we continue to have such memorable vacations!
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