Home Sweet Florida

I have to give a huge shout-out to R for planning our vacation.  When we first decided to drive to Florida, we looked at Destin because that's where everyone goes. But then he talked to some guys at work who suggested a little strip of island right off the coast across the Alabama state line. It's supposedly this little "secret" that's less crowded and more family friendly than other beach destinations. And then he found our condo. This was "home" for a week:

I didn't get a picture of the girls' room.  It had a double bed and a daybed. (Plus there was a couch that converted to a bed and two bathrooms...Totally do-able for two families. Who wants to split it with us next time?) We'd never done a condo before and we loved it! We were able to cook a lot of our meals there and there was even a washer and dryer. (We threw everything in our last night and only came home with dirty pajamas!)  And the view alone was worth it:

Three different nights we grilled dinner out on the beach. R went to a fish market one night and got mahi mahi, amber jack, and peel-and-eat shrimp that he had flash steamed in Cajun seasoning. Omg. Heaven. I could have eaten the shrimp all day. Keke agreed. Here's the "shrimp face" that she makes every time she has seafood.

Call me crazy, but sitting on the beach was so much better than going out. Of course, maybe it was because  I wasn't cooking...ha! And then after the sun finally went down, it was time to go crabbing!

This was new to us. Flashlights, buckets, nets...cheap, fun entertainment! You shine your light across the beach, and try to spot a little, whitish-blue sand crab. Then you squeal, "Crab!!!" and run like crazy to catch the poor little thing.

We usually found around five or so, and the little boogers kept climbing out. Which led to more squeals and giggles. :) It was really fun to be out on the beach at dark. And we bought new nets on the way home for next time. 

I was pretty sad to leave after our week was over. I know that vacation isn't reality. There are no bills, no mowing the yard, no scrubbing the toilets. (And only a few loads of laundry!) But it was still tough when this WAS our reality--if only for a week:

When I said I wished we could stay, both girls protested. Sassy's birthday was the next day (she had unopened gifts at home) and Keke whimpered, "But I would miss my gam-maws and aunties!" She's right. I'd hate to be that far from our families.  Sometimes I feel too far only a state away! 

It was still tough to leave, but we got to come home with loads of clean clothes, buckets of seashells, and memories of the two who made it so great:

And we're so blessed that they're our reality.