Destin

We recently took some time to go to Destin, FL to unwind and recharge the old batteries. We rent a beach house there that has truly become a home away from home. We’ve been making beautiful memories there for our family, and are so excited to continue to make even more memories with family and friends that decide to come and stay with us over the years.

The first full day there was literally a washout.  It rained like crazy for the majority of the day so we decided to go to Big Daddy’s Arcade with the kids to give them something to do. They all had a blast, especially Aidan who ended up hitting a 1,000 ticket jackpot. After about 5 minutes of the machine spitting out tickets I quit keeping track of the time. It was a ridiculously long wait, but we had a very happy young man on our hands, and that made the rain outside seem like small potatoes.

The next day we had a little rain off and on throughout the day.  Seemed every time we got ready to go on the beach, it would start to rain and we’d be running up the sandy hill back to the beach house to impatiently wait for the next opportunity to have our feet in the sand. Aidan also got to experience the unpleasantness of Portuguese man o’ wars. Poor kid was stung several times on his chest and once on his leg. I was impressed with how well he handled the stings. Minutes later, he was right back in the water playing as if nothing had happened and he didn’t shed a single tear. Had it been me, I would have been a complete sobbing mess in my lounge chair! I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to that sort of thing and I am ok with that.

The days that followed were filled with sand, plenty of sunshine, playing in the water, listening to amazing music and just good old-fashioned family fun. Bella never did take to the beach this year which was disappointing, especially since she loved it last year. Anthony and I took turns hanging out with her up at the house while the other stayed with the boys on the beach. It worked out perfectly and we all managed to enjoy ourselves regardless.

I think one of my favorite moments from our trip was when we were out on the beach flying a kite at sunset. Watching my children run up and down the beach with their kite bouncing around all the beautiful colors in the sky was heartwarming. Here’s a picture that I will forever treasure of that moment :

Other highlights included family dinners at Pompano Joe’s and Hard Rock Café, beautiful starry nights out on the deck and listening to the waves crash along the shore, glow in the dark mini golf, and a pirate cruise that we took the kids on. The boys had to “swab the deck” with mops as part of a game they played with the pirates. Both of them mop pretty well, so now I know I will have good helpers around the house.

I feel so blessed to be able to spend quality time with my family away from home. It’s safe to say that we are a bunch of beach bums (Well, not so much for Bella…yet…We’ll get there with her) that enjoy being out in God’s creation and sharing our time together without the distractions of everyday life. It’s a time to strengthen our bond and have some fun. I’m already anticipating the great things that next year will have in store for us!