Avoiding Reality!

I saw this sign in Kirklands the other day, and I loved it. Mostly because this is what we have been doing for the past few weeks....avoiding reality.  Bear with me, cause this is going to be a long post!

(iphone pic)

I've been wanting to blog about our beach trip(s) since we got home, but being the photographer that I am, I took a gazillion pictures and for some reason feel the need to edit each one of them.  However, when I started getting stressed out about editing my own pictures, I gave up! Some are edited, some aren't...who cares? Only me! What matters is that it was beautiful, we had a blast, and I took it all in like I never had before! Every little moment, every seashell, every footprint in the sand, every wave, every sandcastle....I didn't not want it to end!

We used to go to Fort Walton Beach every year with our close friends A.K.A. "The perfect Florida couple!" For the past couple of years, we haven't been able to go, but this year we were able to go back and decided to go to Panama City for a change. We call each other "The Perfect Florida Couple" because we vacation the same way. We don't have a trip agenda and are okay with having no clue what will take place from day to day. Although we do know that at least one day must consist of an arcade with mini-golf and go-kart riding, and we do not getting offended when one person goes all Dale Earnhardt Jr. on another one trying to win the "race"! And of course at some point during the trip we must go to a beachy restaurant...the one that is right on the water and has a live band that plays songs like "Brown-eyed Girl" and "Mustang Sally" while we eat. I LOVE those kind of places!

We sleep late and waste sunshine and it's totally okay.  We have crazy kids to deal with. We love to hang out at the condo and cook instead of going out every night, and as we eat, we are talking about what we are going to eat next and getting excited about it! We make Starbucks a part of our daily routine, and we scored big time when our condo had one downstairs! We are just flat out lazy and don't worry about a thing for the entire time that we are there, because in my opinion that's what vacations are all about!

This trip fell on Father's Day, so Kelly and I headed out the night before and tried to get a few things to make it special. We found a Marshall's that was open late, and scored when we were able to grab a few gifts that didn't look like we just grabbed them last minute at Walmart while grocery shopping! :)

We did our own little version of "Donuts with Dad."

And we whipped up a yummy little pinterest recipe to go along with it!

On every beach trip, one of the things I look forward to the most is hanging out on the balcony. This year we had an amazing view being 21 floors high. Although it made me a little bit nervous when the kids were out there, okay a lot nervous, it was still one of our favorite places to be.

Playing Hello Kitty games and drinking coffee...

Watching the sunset....

Being silly...

 Capturing it all...

Enjoying sweet little moments together...

Just taking it all in...

Stealing kisses...

Eating Breakfast...

Being so stinkin cute...

Being sweet to each other for a brief moment in time...

I think one of the most amazing things that happened from that balcony was watching a group of more than twenty teenagers get baptized in the ocean. They were attending a youth camp in our complex. It was amazing! I loved that balcony!

Of course we also found lots of seashells...

We had our own little version of Blue Crush going on...

Sister created Mr. Sand Man

They buried Daddy in the sand...

Jumped in the waves...

Played in the sand...

And just had a grand ole time...

And then there is the dreaded picture night....

The one that stresses everyone out (especially me), but you know it has to be done. The one where everyone has to get all looking good and dressed up in their color-coordinated outfits, only to get lost and lose daylight on the way to the location, argue with one another about it, and then try to put on a fake smile for the photos. (That would be me and Dustin) Then, you sweat, get sand in places that sand shouldn't be, have kids that won't cooperate (those would be mine), and the whole time all we really want to do is get it over with so we can go out to eat.  Picture night did not go quite as I had planned it in my head...my kids were driving me crazy, the lighting was horrible, I don't know what I was thinking with my hair-do, and although there were some good shots, these were the ones that best describe the evening.

Anna Grace could not help herself when it came to staying out of the sand, and Deacon just looks like he's wondering what the heck we are making him do. 

Deacon spit up all over Daddy, causing him to have to wear his fancy undershirt to dinner.

Of course, my child would not mind.

And it was like pulling teeth to get them to pose for the camera.

Granted, I like taking natural, un-posed shots, but these were not quite what I had in my mind! :)

However, we did capture a few sweet moments...

On the last night we spend the evening at the beach, had dinner by the pool, and stayed there until the pool closed. We did not want the evening to end, because we knew that meant the trip would be over.

We ended the trip with a stop at Dunkin Donuts where I was introduced to their yummy coffee and delicious breakfast. We made it safely home, and then what did we do? We did it all over again! My parents, my brother, and his family were making a trip to Pensacola only five days after our trip. When we got home, my brother begged, pleaded, and nearly twisted my arm off trying to get us to go back with him. Whatever, you know I'm lying.... nobody has to twist my arm to go to the beach and especially to go with my family! Although, we did try to be responsible and told him no three times, but he had Dustin at Deep Sea Fishing Charter.  My brother is quite the salesman...I see now why he does so good at his job! So the following week we headed back to the beach....YOLO! (Some teenage slang I learned while in Florida the first time, "You Only Live Once." I know...I'm a dork, and Dustin tells me not to say it!)

Since we weren't planning to go, my parents and brother only had a two bedroom condo, so we had to stay in a hotel about 20 minutes away. We would just stay the night there and then pack up to spend the day at the condo with them. Oh, how I enjoyed spending this time with my family!

I loved every minute of taking it all in!

Watching my parents adore their grandchildren, spending time with my nephews, and watching the kids play together...

Watching my dad and Dustin catch fish...

Watching Noah and Uncle Dusty relentlessly try to catch a fish by hand. And then be thrilled, when they were finally able to complete their mission. I'm not sure who was more excited...

Watching my brother with his sweet boys...

Spending quality time with my kiddos...

Watching Deacon conquer some major milestones like almost sitting up, puckering up for kisses, and giving fives...

He amazes me! He works so hard to do the things that he does and makes me so proud!

Watching my sister-in-law be such an awesome Mommy...

Glaring into those handsome blue eyes...

I love this shot....I'm sure this is one of many times to come when Deacon sticks his tongue out and makes faces at his cousin. I also love the look on Hudson's face!

Watching Hayden finally overcome his fear of his feet touching the sand...

Going to the Beachy restaurant that scored bonus points when it had a playground.

He hadn't quite overcome that fear yet...

And then there was that last day. Mom was taking care of Deacon, so Dustin and I took the big kids over to the beach...no phones, no cameras...just us, a sand bucket and a few pair of goggles. I even put on a pair of goggles, which I never do for fear of looking like a fool, and looked for fish and seashells. I felt like a little kid...heck, I even did a few front flips in the waves. It was so much fun... just spending some quality time with each other! All good things must come to an end, but at least we went out with a bang! Dustin whipped up some steaks and blackened some of the red snapper that they caught, and it was amazing! Of course, it was Monday night, so we had to watch the Bachelorette, and then with finished off the evening with one of those moments that I love. The one where my brother breaks out his guitar and plays the Jack Johnson tunes, or sings one of the songs he wrote, and we all sing and laugh, and just enjoy the time that we are spending together.

And then, it was picture day. We decided to do picture day on our way out of town. We went to an old military fort called Fort Pickens. It was a photographers dream! The only problem was that it was 100+ degrees outside. So needless to say, we did not stay long. I definitely want to go back when it is cooler. We had a friendly bystander that offered to take our picture, and now have a treasured photo of the entire fam.

Another wonderful trip, that we were so blessed to get to take. Memories that will last a lifetime. And now it is back to reality. But guess what? I like reality too! ;)