Eeek! Is this summer going fast or what?

A few last vacation pics.... me an Axl chillin at the Hard Rock

And the beautiful beach at sunset!



We made it back OK - safe and sound, even if our GPS took us in a round-about way through Atlanta! It was such a long drive back home...

Since our vacation, we've just been chilling out. Izzy's been staying up really really late, and getting up really really early, which doesn't leave me much time to sleep, but it's still summer, so it's no biggie.

We took a trip down to our mother's for a day. It was so good to see her - we had a good time, and came home with more stuff then we brought down, including some amazing BBQ and slaw.

Next week, we are off to the state fair... I've heard they are doing Mashed potatoes on a stick this year... There is nothing like "fair food" and it's probably a good thing it only comes around once a year.

Other than that, not much going on... just enjoying the lazy days of summer with some fresh brewed sun tea!

Days 2, 3, and 4

Why is it that time just flies by you when you are on vacation! So far, so good. Only one trip to the ER; Izzy woke this morning (well before the Urgentcare places were open) with a bad pain in her ear. All I can say is that I am so thankful we have insurance! I can't imagine what we'd have to go through should our health care become socialized :) We were out of there in about 30 min from start to finish. But she is doing better and is cleared for swimming.

We didn't go swimming today -- I was a bit crispy. Yes, on my previous expeditions to the white sandy beaches I wore a big hat, shades, sat under an umbrella when possible, wore SPF 70, and still got burnt! I am not made for the sun, that's for sho'!

Dancing in the surf! I was amazed how clear the water was -- the blues and greens are not exaggerated in the photo! On Monday, I caught a fish with my bare hands (OK, it was only about 2 inches long, but still...) Tuesday, we saw a jelly fish in the water. I guess I should check to see how dangerous they are!

Below is the beach from Sandestin, looking to the East. Pretty crowded! The waves were very smooth on Monday when we went, but were a bit rough Tuesday. Izzy just loved using the boogie board and I was glad to see she was getting the hang of it! She really took to the waves :)

Izzy just loved the sand! We buried her... the tide was coming in, so we didn't get much of her covered before it washed away! I have never seen as much sand on one person as the amount that stuck to Izzy. She was still covered after we used the beach showers before the ride home. Sand sand everywhere!
Another cool thing we see almost every day -- jets flying overhead from Eglin AFB. I have absolutely no idea which kinds are flying overhead, but they are loud, fast and neat to look at.

On Wednesday we took a brief excursion to Jolee Island... not much but pines and Florida brush, but a few paths winding around. At one end, there was a pretty cool lookout over a small strip of beach looking towards the Choctawhatchee Bay. - My daughter the pirate!
This is the view of the Bay from the Pirate's roost.
Later today, we when to the Baytowne Village Wharf - some really cute speciality shops and restaurants! It wasn't too crowded during the day. As we were leaving, we wandered into a pottery place where you can paint your own pieces. I chose to do a tile with our name on it and Izzy chose a princess. Chad didn't do one of his own, but he did help Izzy. I think he was happy to be in the AC, though. (I thought Ohio could get humid at times, but it's nothing like here! Very hot and humid in the day.) After you paint your piece, they glaze and fire it overnight, so we'll see how it turnes out tomorrow! I think I found a new hobby -- the task of painting was so relaxing!

One last thing before I go for now...

There was this cool invention on the Wharf where you can shrink your kids to pocket size. Of course, we jumped on the chance to shrink Izzy! :)

We're here!

We've been on the road for what seems like ages, and that was before we even got here. Our journey actually started last Thursday. We drove by this basket on the way up to our family reunion... it just amazes me each time I see this huge basket pop up out of the landscape outside of Newark OH.

The trip was LOOOOONG, but well worth it to see the view from our backyard. I really don't know much about the ol' Scottish game of golf, but I believe this is the 16th hole tee of some really nice course :) There is a placid pond / water hazard between two of the holes. Below, looking to the right off our back patio. Following, looking to the left. Just beyond the trees in the lower image, you can see the Choctawhatchee Bay.


So, how did we get here? Lots of driving in the car... We were up at the (some would say "butt") crack of dawn, loading up the cars. Turns out, Chad is quite chipper in the AM.


Izzy - not so much. This is how she spent much of the trip: Sometimes she coloured:

And sometimes she played the DS.


We saw many cool sites on the way down, drove through some pretty quaint Alabama towns and had a pretty good drive. Unfortunately, most of the pics I snapped from the car were either too blurry (Still trying to get the hang of the camera's settings) or were snapped when a car was passing by, blocking the view of what I was trying to capture. I did manage to get on of the "Basketbowl Lanes" -- Looks like a fun time!


More on what the house looks like and what there is to do (other than golf!) later. I leave you with a pic of our evening visitors. By the way there were walking, I'm guessing they'll stop by about the same time each night!

Vacation time!

Just a few hours to go...

we'll be on our way to the sunny beaches of the gulf coast for a week long trip.... will keep my peeps posted as internet is available...


Hope everyone had a great 4th of July! At least, enjoying time with family and friends... life is too short to do otherwise :-)