Ever since the BP oil spill in April everyone down in the south has been wondering what is this going to do to our beautiful Florida beaches, New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in general? What a terrible tragedy occurring to all the life in and around the coast! My heart is breaking for the huge loss on our ecosystem! We are yet to know the devastation that has taken place and the loss of life that might not return in our lifetime! The Everglades have taken such a big hit and the end is nowhere in sight! I feel for the people dealing with this and all they continue to endure!
That being said, I was down in Florida last week and the oil spill was definitely the topic of conversation. The news has been tracking the oil and whether or not it would effect the Florida coastline since April. I think for the time being Florida is in the clear and should not be effected by the oil. I can tell you that the beaches were more gorgeous than ever and the water was crystal clear! Absolutely breathtaking to look at and happy this coastline was spared!
My parents have a place in San Destin and they go there quite often. It so happened that the week after the kids got out of school they were headed that direction! I was hesitant at first because I was worried about the quality of the beaches and water. However, I had also been told that if I were going to go to the beaches this summer, now would be the time! Brian was out of town for the week, so we packed up and headed to Florida for a week.
I always try and schedule driving trips around Henley’s nap time. That way if she is awake it is not for four hours in a car! This trip it did not happen like I planned, but it worked out fine. She only slept for an hour and was awake for three of them. She does quite well in the car and did not fuss at all. I think she is quite entertained by her brother! On the other hand, I had one child asking me every minute how much longer would we be in the car? When are we going to be there? As if he has any concept of what four hours means! :) Brian was working down in the panhandle that Monday, so he followed us down. It is always nice to have someone else around.......just in case! Brian left Monday morning and worked his way back up to Birmingham on Tuesday. He then flew out for Chicago for the rest of the week. The one big surprise of the trip was Sunday when we arrived. We were getting on the elevator when suddenly my SISTER appeared! For those that do not know... Heather lives in Indianapolis and I do not get to see her as often as I would like! I would love to have seen the expression on my face because I was shocked! Shocked that I had no idea they were keeping this secret so well from me for months! Christian was ecstatic to see his Aunt Heather and Henley was surprisingly at ease with her too! I mean that Heather actually got to hold her without any screaming! It was such a happy surprise...I miss spending time with her and it was nice to do so again!
The beach was so much fun this year with the kids. In the past Christian was not a huge fan of the ocean and Henley did not even remember it! Once we got there and got settled we went out to the beach to check it out. Christian automatically loved it! The beach, the ocean and everything about it! He was collecting seashells and little mussels in a cup! Running everywhere he was soaked and we had to take his shorts off! Henley was intrigued with the sand and not so sure of the ocean. It took a day, but she warmed up pretty quickly!
The condo is across from Baytown Wharf and they have a golf cart down there, which is nice and convenient for getting short distances. We rode over to the wharf for dinner and ice cream. There is so much for little kids over there and they played forever on the playground. It had been a long day, so I tried to get everyone back for an early bedtime!
The next five days were basically filled with the same things. Exercise in the morning, beach/pool until 12-1, lunch and naps/quite time for Christian, back out to the beach, baths, dinner and always ice cream or some yummy dessert! The kids had a blast and really enjoyed the water whether it was the ocean or the pool. I even got some quite time out on the beach to relax in silence! Both kids were so worn out that Christian actually was taking naps and one afternoon my dad stayed up in the condo with them! Thanks Dad!
All and all it was a good trip. There was one thing that occurred while we were down there that I will never forget. So many people have swam with stingrays on various occasions, but how many people just see them (tons of them) out in the ocean? Well, Thursday while we were out on the beach people kept stopping to warn everyone that there was a school of Stingrays headed down the beach. Stingrays are not exactly what you would think you would see in shallow water. When I mean shallow, I am talking about to my waist! At first it looked like a big dark shadow in the ocean and then once they got closer you could tell what they were! It was beautiful to see these sea creatures just swimming along the ocean without any concern of these crazy humans gathering to watch them. There were of course a few crazy people who in my opinion got way to close to the Stingrays. I mean... they can kill you! It might be rare, but it happens! We just watched from a far and admired the gracefulness of these beautiful animals! It truly was unbelievable! There were hundreds of them and they just kept passing over the next thirty minutes! I took pictures and some video, so I hope you can make it out! Christian was pretty fascinated with them too!
Thanks to my parents for having us down. We had a great time! I am really looking forward to all the other beach trips we have planned this summer knowing how much the kids loved it! I am so happy that the Florida beaches have been spared for now and just pray it stays that way!
I forgot to write in here that one night we went to a restaurant for dinner called Fudpuckers. This place is basically for children (no great dinners out with two little ones). The restaurant had miniature alligators that you could feed from a fishing type rod. We would buy the meat and hook it on the line with a clip of some sort and the alligators would take it. We all had fun doing this, but I think Christian thought it was really cool! Christian was even able to pet a live alligator and feel how soft it’s belly was! I did not get that picture because they charge for pictures with the alligators and they would not allow it.
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