Destin 2009

This year's beach trip was so much fun!! We had over 40 family members at the beach with us, so you can imagine there was never a dull moment! We decided to leave at 4:00 AM, so the kids would sleep all the way to the beach. WRONG!! Taylor and Marjorie Ann went back to sleep when they got in the car, and slept until about 5:45. Bella stayed awake the entire way!!! We were safely in Destin at 8:00, and headed to the Donut Hole for a yummy breakfast. The Schwab family joined us for breakfast. We played on the beach all day on Saturday, and were looking forward to lasagna night in Susan and Gary's room later.

The first night we get to the beach is the traditional lasagna night. Susan makes delicious lasagna, so we always look forward to this low-key night. Thanks Susan! We were all exhausted from the drive, so we ate some lasagna took a few pictures and headed back to the room for some much needed sleep!! This was a very exciting year for my family at the beach! We had a 3 bedroom place this year!! YAY!! So, everyone had a place to sleep comfortably and even room for spend the night company for Taylor!

We had the most beautiful weather at the beach!! The high's were only in the low 80's each day. Marjorie Ann was at the perfect age for the beach. She was so good, and hardly ever cried! She would take her nap everyday on the beach. Bella on the other hand was crazy!! I thought she would be scared, and just touch her little toes in the water. NO! She was running full speed in the water going under the waves loving it! She had to wear her float at all times on the beach, because we never knew when she would dart in the ocean. I felt like I didn't really see Taylor that much at the beach. He was always playing with his cousins, Alec, Nate, Ben and Max. Taylor enjoyed digging in the sand, snorkeling and building pools for Bella!

On Sunday night we went out to eat at "The Lighthouse" to celebrate Nana T's 78th birthday!! Happy Birthday NANA T! We love you!! Every year Papa T treats all 40 of us to this special dinner to celebrate his wife!! Thanks PAPA T for the yummy dinner. As soon as we got to the restaurant, Bella is running on the concrete and falls :( She gets a huge goose egg on her head and a large scratch down her nose. Poor Girl! Always trying to keep up with the boys! We headed home after dinner. Later that night Tanner, Eric & Lauren decided to catch a late night movie, Inglorious Basterds (a typical Tarantino dialogue hog, but amazing at the same time - Tanner). I thought sleep sounded better, so I skipped out on the movie (your loss, Nicki - Tanner).

On Monday night, we decided to go out and celebrate my birthday. We went shopping at the outlet malls then headed to Harbor Walk. We went to Pat O'Briens for a drink and appetizer. After Pat O'Briens, we headed to AJ's where Lauren and I showed off some dance moves :) You will not be seeing any pics of the wonderful dance moves!

Tuesday was my 28th birthday!! We had a fun day playing on the beach and relaxing. Later, Lauren took me out for a birthday dinner at Dewey Destin's which has the best fried shrimp ever! The birds loved it too!! Dewey Destin's is a little shack on the bay with a really good view. Lauren and I kept hearing a splash in the water, so we decided to get up for half a second to go see what was in the water. In the mean time, a bird flew on to our table and ate one of Lauren's shrimp off of her plate! It was really funny! Luckily, there was still enough left for Lauren, too! We were very sad that Lauren and Eric had to leave the beach on Tuesday!

On Wednesday Jillian came to the beach!! We were so excited that she got to come from Auburn to enjoy the beach with us! It was nice getting to spend some time with Jillian and catch up on all of her boy news. The kids were very excited to see Aunt J! We played Bingo that night, and Taylor even won two games!! He is so lucky!! I have never won at BINGO! After Bingo, Papa Moe treated us to Merlin's pizza by the pool.

After Pizza, we headed to the beach for a photo shoot! Above are some of my favorite pictures!

Thursday was the only day of rain! I always love a rainy lazy day at the beach. We did some shopping at Destin Commons where Tanner bought me a new pair of BKE jeans from Buckle. Thanks Tanner!! We had lunch at the Back Porch then walked down to the beach to see the big waves before it started raining again! It was so windy, as you can tell from my hair. Marjorie Ann fell asleep, Taylor played in the waves and Bella cried!

On Thursday night, we went back to eat at Dewey Destin's with the entire family. It was really windy and cold. After dinner, we headed to Baytown Wharf to listen to some music and go to the candy store. The kids had a blast!

Then, it was Friday!! Time to leave :( We had such a great time, but time to get back home! We went to The Track for some go-karts and rides. We couldn't leave the beach without a visit to the The Track. We left around 8:00 and got home about midnight! What a fun trip!!