Bright and early Saturday morning, we started the journey to Destin, Florida. For the first 5 hours, our trip went very smoothly. The kids behaved, the traffic was light, and everything was going as planned. Then we hit some shredded tire on the interstate and immediately the front passenger tire started losing air. We pulled off on the first exit we saw, and what do you know? A used tire store that was open on the saturday of a holiday weekend. That was definitely God watching out for us. They changed our tire and had us out of there in under 20 minutes, and all it cost was $30. I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't there.
The rest of trip went smoothly as well, and before we knew it we were standing on the beach!! The girls were so excited, and we were, too. There is nothing like the sound of the ocean and the smell of that salty air. We went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom with Nonna and Granddaddy. Then Payton started going downhill. She was warm to the touch and fell asleep in my lap. We got home and she was running a fever. I thought Oh great, our vacation is ruined. But I gave her some motrin and put her to bed, and she woke up cool as a cucumber and ready to play. I was so glad that her mystery illness did not stick around.
We woke up early on Sunday and headed down to the beach. It was crowded because of the holiday, but the girls still had a blast and so did we. After we went in from the beach and had some lunch, the girls wanted to go to the pool a little bit before nap time, so we let them swim some more, then gave them a bath and let them get some rest while we got ready to go out that night.
Sunday night we took the girls to Fudpucker's for dinner, then to the Track to ride rides. They had an absolute blast. It was Payton Joy's first time on a Go-cart and she loved it. She rode all the rides that she was big enough for and loved every minute. By the time we got back to the condo, both girls were worn out and ready for bed.
Monday morning, the beach was less crowded and the girls were able to have even more fun. Rylee didn't like going very deep into the ocean, but she loved playing in the waves. Payton on the other hand liked to be carried out into the deeper water. The both loved playing in the sand and finding shells.
Sunday evening, we got dressed up and went down to the beach with my tripod to get some family pictures. I think they turned out pretty good for being on a tripod with a timer.
After our pictures, we headed to Harborwalk Village to eat dinner at Margaritaville. The girls had a blast watching the boats come into the harbor and dancing to the music.
After dinner, we walked down the harbor and the girls got to go into bubbles and jump on bungee trampolines. This was Payt's first time for both of these activities and she had a blast. Rylee Love had been looking forward to this since we told her about the vacation. Harborwalk Village is her favorite part of Destin.
Tuesday, we took a break from the sand and spent the entire morning at the pool. The pool was adjacent to the marina and had a gorgeous view of the boats on the water. The girls swam and swam and Rylee even made a little friend to play with for a while.
Tuesday night, we ate dinner at Harry T's, then took the girls on a pirate cruise. It was so much fun. There were water gun fights, sword fights, face painting, lots of dancing, and a treasure hunt. Payton was really into and participated in most of the activities, but Rylee was more timid and didn't really want to be around the pirates. However, once we got off the boat she said it was the best night ever, so I guess she had fun in her own way. Haha.
Wednesday was our last day, so we stayed at the beach all morning. We built sandcastles, hunted shells, and played in the waves until we were ready for lunch.
After lunch, Ryan and Granddaddy headed to the Track to play minigolf and the girls and I headed to the pool. We swam and played until the girls just couldn't go anymore.
Then they each passed out on lawn chairs as I soaked up a few more rays of that Florida sunshine. After we left the pool, we got cleaned up and changed and headed to Golden Corral for dinner. Payton ate her weight in food at the buffet, and we all got stuffed. After going and going all vacation long, Wednesday was a nice change of pace and that huge dinner was the perfect ending to our trip.
Today we are home and the reality of laundry, grocery shopping, and neglected housework has set in. I had a blast spending the last 5 days in Florida with my little family and Ryan's parents. It was such a great time to make memories, relax, and kick off our summer break. But I am glad to be home. There is just something about sleeping in your own bed after coming home from vacation that makes the end of a great trip seem a little less sad.
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