All Good Things Must Come to an End

It's Friday evening and our beach vacation has come to an end all too soon.

The girls had a great time getting their new hairdos today, and we all enjoyed our last few moments at the beach.

We have had such a wonderful, relaxing time.


The house has been cleaned, laundry washed and dried, suitcases packed. We leave in the morning for the long 15 hour trip back home to good old Illinois.

Souvenirs

Wednesday was shopping day here in Destin. Mom and Dad needed a small break from the beach, and the kids were excited to spend their money for souvenirs. We ate lunch at the Crab Trap right on the beach with a gorgeous view and fantastic food. Late in the afternoon the beach was mighty nice--less crowded, the sun was going down, etc. Here are a few photos from our day.

Ouuuuuuch!

Today was, umm, slightly less than fun. Not to be a complainer, but wow are we burnt! Wearing clothes is painful for some, wearing shoes is painful for others, but all of us are feeling "the burn". Mostly the kids are fine because we are slathering them with lots of sunblock.


Mommy and Daddy are alternating solarcaine and ibuprofen. We may just shop tomorrow and stay out of the sun. We did manage to eat at a fun restaurant today called Fudpuckers.


The atmosphere was great for the kids. There was graffiti everywhere and a baby gator pond where the kids fed the gators from fishing poles.

Father's Day in Destin

Friday morning we set out in the suburban for Destin, Florida. We made it as far as Nashville before we stopped for the night. We dined at a lovely little eatery called "Vittles" that had the best fruit tea. Saturday morning we piled in the car again. By supper time we arrived in Destin and ate some great pizza at "The Mellow Mushroom". We walked down to the beach in the moonlight. It was so exciting to watch the kids getting their first glimpses of the beach.
Today was a very lovely day at the beach and such a nice way to celebrate Father's Day!

Fun in the sun

Last evening we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a bit of an ordeal since we got a late start. The food was good though, so we didn't complain. The boys have especially been enjoying going back to the beach after dark. They grab their nets, buckets, and flashlights and go crabbing in the shallow water. They are really getting the hang of it and getting some good sized crabs.


Today we headed out to the beach right after breakfast. The kids enjoyed using their skim boards, body boards, and rafts.


Jacob found a cute little seahorse in a piece of seaweed which is now in a bucket on our back balcony. Tomorrow he'll probably get back to where he belongs.


Maimie has not enjoyed the beach as much as the rest of us, but is doing okay. Today went better than yesterday. She has been taking her afternoon naps the past couple of days on a towel in the shade of the umbrella and loving it.


The condo is fantastic. The washer and dryer in the kitchen have been such a convenience. Tonight we made a delicious spaghetti dinner and ate in. After some ice cream, we were all wiped out and sunburned and decided to watch a DVD.

Golden Birthday, Jacob Style

Thursday, June 12 was Jacob's 12th birthday. Since that doesn't happen very often, we let Jacob choose something special for this birthday. He decided he would like to take a few friends to the Towerline Speedway for an evening of car racing, rock climbing, mini golf, and waterballoon fights.

We brought lime punch and lemon pound cake with cream cheese frosting. The predicted storm held off, and the kids had a great time.