Dune Allen Beach, 2008

We had the absolutely best time at the beach this week.. The weather was hot and sunny (with the exception of a couple afternoons) and the water was warm!! You can't ask for much more!! We left our driveway at 4:30 in the morning and I had made pallets on the floor for the girls to sleep on which cut off three hours of the drive for them. Molly woke up when Mike made his first potty stop at 7:30. I took the wheel at 8:30 without a clue as to where we were.. When Mike woke up, the GPS was telling us to get off at 84 and Mike said that we didn't need to go that way. Little did he know that we were already 100 miles south of Montgomery. The GPS took us all the way to Pensacola (I obviously have a little too much faith in her). The route she tried to take us was packed with traffic, so we got back on 10 and traveled back east to get where we needed to go. It added an hour to our drive, but the girls got a little more sleep and our house wasn't ready when we got there any way :-).. We met up with the McCays at a hamburger joint and then we went for the tour of our "house we were borrowing" as Molly put it. We could not have chosen a better location if we had gone down looking for one. The house was great (with the exception of the queen size bed) and it had a small pool and an easy walk to the ocean. We even got lucky and had great neighbors with small kids to play with. The guys took kids duty while the girls drove into Destin to go to Wal-Mart. If you have never been to a Wal-Mart in a tourist area, I cannot begin to explain how maddening it is on a Saturday afternoon. We bought $280 worth of groceries and headed back to the house to whip up some quick spaghetti for our starving children. It rained on and off the entire evening, but the kids did manage to get in a quick swim while we were gone.

Sunday started off as a beautiful day, but mid afternoon, a storm rolled in really quick. It looked like something out of a movie. It rained for a little while and then it moved out almost as quick as it rolled in. Luckily we got in some beach and pool time before the storm hit. We took the kids for a walk that evening and let them splash in the puddles. We found a little lake that was full of turtles and they enjoyed watching them swim around.

Monday we started the morning off at the beach and then we came back for lunch at the pool. That afternoon we cleaned up and went to Destin Commons to do a little shopping and playing. They had a great little play area for the kids that had water fountains around it, but we didn't know to being their bathing suits. They had fun despite the heat!! We attempted to eat at Fuddpuckers, but it was too crowded. We ended up eating at Cheeseburger in Paradise and it was almost 10:00 before we left.. The kids did great even though they were all starving and exhausted. I found Maggie a messenger bag for school and a lunch box at Gap. That was the benefit of eating there was it was in the same parking lot as the outlets.

Tuesday we went to Seaside to look around. That is the most quaint, beautiful community on the beach. They have great shops and places to eat. They even have their own tiny post office. Mike and I rents The Truman Show last night just to see Seaside again!! We ate lunch there and then we took the kids to a new place on the beach that had a little lake beside it. We could sit at the ocean and watch them play in the lake or the ocean. The kids had a blast. We played there until about 4:00 and then we loaded everything back up and took the kids to the pool in Seacrest where Melissa's Dad owns a piece of land. The pool was amazing and the kids had a blast. They didn't get to play long enough, so we knew we would be back. Cacki stayed at the house to recover from the busy week we had so far.

Wednesday we went to the beach and pool and headed back to the pool for lunch. We had that system down to a science. Then we cleaned up and went to Fuddpuckers for dinner. The kids enjoyed playing on the playground and watching the alligators while we waited. After dinner, we sent the kids home with the guys and Melissa, Cacki and myself got to do a little shopping.

Thursday we returned to Seaside so that Cacki could enjoy it's beauty. We bought our souvenirs while we were there. Then we returned to the pool at Seacrest and the kids had so much fun. We took lots of underwater pictures and Mike even took Molly to find the beach access. We all cleaned up for family pictures on the beach. Melissa had brought glow in the dark necklaces, so the kids enjoyed running around the beach in the dark with those. THANKS, Melissa!! Mike had promised Maggie a doll that she found at a toy store, so he took her at 9:00 that night to get it. I was worried sick about them by the time they got home at 10:30.. Maggie is in love with her new doll..

Friday started off with a bang and a burn!! I made it down the first two flights of stairs at 8:00 in the morning, but something went terribly wrong when my sock hit the top step of the last flight of stairs. The next thing I knew I was at the bottom laying flat on my back in terrible pain. Cacki and Melissa were at my side. I made it over to the couch and put a bag of ice on my knee until the pain eased. Believe it or not, I was able to get up walk around and even play at the ocean all day. After my epeisode, Melissa started the task of feeding children.. She fixed Coleman some grits and as she was pulling the bowl out of the microwave, it spilled and went all over Coleman. It was a morning filled with drama!! I hate Friday's because it is depressing to have to pack everything up. We enjoyed a lot of time on the beach and we met some new people from St. Louis. Mike would have spent all evening out on the beach with them if Cacki had not come to get us. Mike and Logan had a date planned for oysters and beer!! They each consumed five dozen oysters!! YUCK!! They had fun, so that is all that matters. Guy bonding time :-)

Saturday, we left at 9:10 AM and we made it home by 5:30 PM. The drive went great and me and the girls were able to squeeze in a good two hour nap. They behaved so well in the car. Granny & Papaw delivered Miley back home and took Molly & Maggie back to their house with them. Mike and I attempted to go see Batman, but it was sold out until 10:50. We ended up getting pizza at Mr. Ghattis and watching the Truman Show!! It was a great week!!

Today we slept in, cleaned up around the pool, and went to the grocery store. We have not accomplished much!! The girls are enjoying being home and watching television.. Tomorrow will be a long day at Splash Country!!