Rhodes Rules

We’re back from our week long vacation in Destin, Florida, where we enjoyed some much needed time of relaxation, fun with the boys, and visiting with family.  We were fortunate enough to have four generations together at one time for the entire week, and the boys couldn’t have had a better time with their grandparents, great-grandparents, Aunt Dana, and cousins.  Good times were had by all and we left with so many memories that will last a lifetime.  We took well over 300 pictures so we can’t share them all here; but here is a long story, yet still a small sampling of all the fun we had.

Lots of our time was spent on the beach of course, but we also enjoyed relaxing in our condos.  Mom and Dad’s place was the gathering area where we fixed meals, ate together, played games, and watched the news about Brett Favre on TV.  Our room right down the hall had a humongous whirlpool bathtub in which the boys just had to take a bubble bath and a beautiful view of Choctawhatchee Bay.  We also swam in the pool a couple of times, where the boys had great fun jumping off Pa’s shoulders, meeting new friends, and throwing a waterball around.

Since our room had full kitchens, we ate only one meal out at Angler’s.  We sat outside on a deck overlooking the Gulf, and some of us went for a walk along a long fishing pier.  I also found a picture-perfect sand dune and forced the boys to model for me before letting them play on the beach playground!

Although it took us a while, we finally found our favorite beach spot.  We first lugged all our stuff-2 heavy canopies, an ice chest, 3 chairs, at least 3 bags of beach towels and blankets, 4 boogie boards, and lots of sandcastle building materials-to our resort’s private beach, where we could find no private spot.  It was crowded with beach umbrellas, chairs, swimmers, and loungers.  Nevertheless, we set up “camp” and had a fantastic time, until 2 people drowned and double red flags were raised, which meant the current was too dangerous.  So we packed up all our stuff and headed back to our hotel. 

The next day, we decided to find a beach on the bay with much calmer waters so the boys could do some snorkeling.  It was a little less crowded, but the beach wasn’t as nice and we still had a long walk before we found our own spot.  Our search for the perfect place continued on into the week, and our next stop was just what we were looking for-a much shorter walk, a pretty beach, and a place to set up close to the water.  The gulf was calm enough for snorkeling, but the waves were still boogie-board-worthy. 

We ended up having a blast no matter where we found ourselves.  The boys each had his favorite beach activity.  Jonathan loved catching the waves on his boogie board.  Aaron snorkeled his little heart out. Caleb used his shovel to dig almost to the center of the earth on the beach.  Last, but not least, Levi just enjoyed listening to the waves as they sang him to sleep!  Brady, Katie, and I buried Dana in the sand and made her a muscle man.  Ma, Pa, and Katie, with a little help from the boys, built lovely sand castles.  Aaron also helped Katie find seashells along the shoreline.  Jeff stayed out in the ocean almost the entire time, catching the waves on his board; and I also spent some time doing the same.  Dana and Katie relaxed in their air chairs while riding the waves.  Mama Nance and Daddy Wayne spent most of their time chillin’ in the shade with Levi, and even kept him back at the room a couple of times for us (thanks so much, by the way).

 On Monday, the beaches were closed due to strong riptides and the previous drownings, this didn’t ruin our fun at all.  We headed out early to catch a boat and toured the gulf and bay in search of dolphins.  Not only did we watch dolphins, but the boys all got the chance to actually drive the boat!  We also learned some interesting facts about the Destin area.  We caught a glimpse of one of Bette Midler’s houses, and saw the location where “Jaws 2″ was filmed.  This was cool because the boys had just watched the “Jaws” movies the week before vacation.  There was also a cross standing alone that was the only structure left standing after one of the hurricanes destroyed all others.  This informative and entertaining boat ride was the highlight of the trip!  Our gratitude to Ma and Pa!!

One night, Ma, Pa, Mama Nance, and Daddy Wayne offered to keep the boys to give us a night on the town.  So Jeff and I, Katie, Brady, and Dana went to Baytown Village to watch fireworks and listen to some blues music.  Jeff and I walked along a pier watching fish jump in the bay and admired many of the luxurious yachts parked at the harbor.  It was nice to have a little time to ourselves while on vacation, and we appreciate the grandparents hanging out with the boys!

Another fun outing was our visit to “The Track.”  We drove go-carts and bumper cars, and got soaked in the bumper boats!  The boys had fun riding little carnival rides, too.  Ma was the photographer for the day, and Levi was her sidekick!  Mama Nance took Daddy Wayne on a shopping trip, and Brady felt sick; so they didn’t join in the fun this day.  Poor Brady stayed in bed all day…bummer. 

Everyone but us headed back home Friday, so Jeff and I had the boys to ourselves that day.  We made the most of it by packing a picnic lunch and heading back out to our spot on the beach.  We played almost the entire day, then went back out to the Village to eat and take some pictures.  During the photo shoot, the boys laughed at the talking parrot that kept saying “Hello!”  Along the same boardwalk that  Jeff and I walked, we found some random tree houses.  The boys thought it was awesome and climbed around like little monkeys.  Since we were nearing the end of our vacation, we let them play around for quite a while, until our tummies told us it was time to eat!  After dinner at the Baytown Village, we rode back to the room so we could pack everything up and get ready to travel back home Saturday.

The drive down and back was quite treacherous and long, but well worth it.  Our family had the best time just being together, and we came away with so many stories that we’ll all be telling for many years to come.  Many thanks to everyone who came to spend time with us.  You all made this a vacation we will cherish forever!