Ahh...Summer time. Perfect for a family vacation at the beach. And when I say family, I mean practically my ENTIRE family! The party this year included:
- Me and John
- Tresa, Kevin, Atticus and Harper (my sister)
- Ed, Cheryl and Allen (my uncle, aunt and cousin)
- Amber, Mike, Dane and Dixon (my cousin and her family)
- Phyllis and Robert and Cole (Mike's parents and their grandson)
- My mother
- Angie (my mother's cousin)
- Javier, Charmaine, Destinee, Madison, Kennedy and LJ (my cousin and her family)
- Johnny (my godfather)
- Henry and Suzanne (friends)
Whew! Did I leave anyone out?
For the past few years, Phyllis and Robert having been going to Ft. Walton Beach in Florida and staying at the Windscape Condominiums. Amber and Mike started going and then Ed and Cheryl. It just grew from there. This year we got to go as well.
We all drove out in a caravan. It's almost 700 miles and we do it in one day. John and I left our house at 4:30 am. Yes, I did say AM. (Who knew that time existed!) We all met up at my mother's at 5 and then we were off. I wish I'd been awake enough to take photos.
Following the leader. Ed was the lead driver in the red Honda.
The initial caravan was Ed in the lead then us and bringing up the rear was Javier. We stopped in Shreveport for breakfast and met up with Amber and Mike and Robert and Phyllis. We ate breakfast, chatted and then it was back on the road. Everyone had to gas up because there is NOTHING on I-49. The plan was to go down to Lafayette and pick up I-10. When we crossed into Louisiana, they should have included a message: You're about to be hosed.
In Lafayette, I-10 was shut down. That's right, not just the exit but the interstate. We drove around trying to figure out what to do or where to go. John saw a sign that said "alternate route" and we went that way. Ed figured out a way to pick up I-10 by going further south. Javier followed Ed. I didn't see where Mike and Robert went. So much for the caravan. We all texted one another and said 'see ya there!'
So we switched drivers in our car and when it was my turn to drive, the sky opened up and dumped torrents of rain. Ugh! When we crossed into Alabama and finally got out of Louisiana, I think we all felt a little relieved. It felt like progress.
We finally got to the resort about 8 pm. We were completely wiped out. But from here on...nothing but fun and relaxation, baby!
The Windscape Condominiums is right on the beach. There are also two pools and the lazy river. All of us were in one of four condos. This is the view from Charmaine's condo. Our room was clear across the way on the bottom floor of the farthest building.
My first day. It was a Corona moment. I am not a beach person. In fact I hate the beach because the sand gets everywhere. But this beach was fantastic. The sand was clean and easy to walk on. The water was pretty. It wasn't freezing cold nor was it rough. I actually got into the ocean several times.
Everyone enjoyed the beach at some point. Here's me and John.
Dixon and Mike on the the beach.
Javier and Charmaine.
Ed, Chery, Phyllis and Dixon.
On the second night, all the "grown ups" went to dinner at a crab restaurant across the street. It was Allen, Mike, Amber, Me, John, Kevin and Tres. Missing from the photo are Cole, Javier and Charmaine.
There was a pool like thing called the lazy river where you could get an innertube and float around. Everyone got in the lazy river. There's Harper and mom.
Yeah, that's Harper and me and I'm wearing a bathing suit.
Tres, Harper and LJ.
Atticus, LJ and Dane.
Destinee and LJ...
Nino and LJ.
Even Angie got in!
Amber's tribute to Chantal. She didn't get to come this year and we missed her as well as Drew and Bailey.
Fun with Harper.
Nino, Javier and Charmaine.
Tattoo Tuesday. They were airbrushing tattoos on those who were interested. I should have gotten one!
Destinee gets some tattoos.
Atticus.
Harper got an angry cat. Hmm....
I love this photo. The only one missing is Destinee. This is all the "grandkids". Kennedy, Harper, Atticus, Dane. Then Madison and LJ in the back. Dixon in the front.
Tuesday was Amber's birthday. Ed, aka The Grill Master, grilled burgers and dogs. But there was also birthday cake.
Amber makes a wish. World Peace?
John and Tres.
Oops! The candles were supposed to be trick candles. Ed's about to trash one when the trick part kicks in.
The primos: Mom, Nino and Angie.
John and I took a little road trip back into Pensacola. A little trip down memory lane. My family lived in Pensacola through my formative years (Junior High) and I was loathe to leave. In retrospect, it was a good thing or I wouldn't have met John. This is our old house.
St. Anne's Catholic Church. I think God lives here in this particular church. When you go in, you can feel it. I think this is my mom's favorite place.
Bellview Middle School. This is where I met some of my best friends, two in particular - Cathy Fisk and Wayne McCutcheon. Miss them both.
There was a very cool pier out past our hotel. John and I walked over one night and there were people fishing from there.
Watching the storm roll in. There were a couple of days where it rained, which was okay with me. I love the rain.
I kept trying to photograph the lightning but I thought this one came out okay.
And now for some fun and random photos...I downloaded pics that my family posted from Facebook.
The "kids" went and got drinks.
I love this photo! Ready for the beach! Ed, Cheryl, Henry and Suzanne.
Nice. Allen knows the meaning of vacation.
Gorgeous girls. Madison and Destinee.
Tres and Atticus.
Atticus, Mom and Harper.
Sassy Cheryl.
Robert and Phyllis.
I think those flippers are as big as he is!
Tres, Kevin, Atticus and Harper.
Best friends recovering from an all nighter. Kennedy and Harper giggled all night long!
Robert and Mike.
Mi familia. Cole, Mom, Nino, Destinee and Kevin.
I thought this was a cute pic - Cole and Dixon.
Cousins...Allen and Madison.
BFF's, Ed and Henry.
Ed, John and Javier.
Mike. I'm not sure what he's trying to tell me...
Charmaine, Madison and Destinee.
Me and John.
Ed and Cheryl.
Tres and Kevin.
Amber and Mike.
Suzanne. I love those goggles! I wish I'd seen them before....
Phyllis. Love her! She's always laughing.
Cole.
My Uncle Eddie. This guy knows his way around a grill. He grilled burgers and dogs, steaks, and then fish and shrimp. We ate very well this week.
I don't know what to say here. It's all the usual suspects...
Ahoy Matey!
View from our condo.
Time for the final group photo. Right before the lady said 'say cheese'.
And here we are all all smiley.
We had a fantastic vacation. Many thanks to Robert and Phyllis Bice for inviting us. Thanks to my family for putting up with us. We had a great time and I'm glad we had the chance to hang out with all of you.
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