Destin trip: Final post!

Holden's birthday!! You can't beat turning 2 and spending the day at the ocean. We had a very laid-back morning playing on the beach. He wasn't too sure he liked Jay being buried at first, but soon joined in on the action. :)

I love this family shot of us.

"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean..."

After nap time, we headed back to The Track for an evening of fun. Holden had a blast playing in the arcade, riding several kiddie rides, and eating a fair share of junk food.

No birthday is complete without a cake! Holden picked out a small Cars themed cake at Walmart, and we sang "Happy Birthday" and blew out candles back at the condo. He definitely approved!

We left Holden in the capable hands of Aunt Allie and Karly one night, and had a "grown-ups night out." Our friend, Diane (top picture) turned 50, so a group of us thought that was a good excuse to go for dinner and drinks. We even had a conga line going...


Just some fun shots. Destin has a great outlet mall. I greatly enjoyed the shopping while we were there, and Jay tolerated it. Holden loved the cool sandy playground, and was awestruck by the fountains!

The first 5 days we were there were gorgeous. The last 3 were...well...more like a monsoon. We played cards, watched movies, shopped, and watched the frothing ocean from our window. Or in Jay's case, got as close to it as he could without falling in, then ran out to enjoy the hot tub in pouring down rain. When the lightning started, I saw him run faster than I ever have before! As he put it, "I didn't think my odds were very good. " He's such a goon!

One cool, rainy day, we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe. Holden was thrilled when he saw the guitar that was "like Murray's!" (from the Wiggles.) He was also thrilled with the french fries. :)

We had great plans of getting family pictures on the beach at sunset towards the end of the week. The weather didn't exactly cooperate (cold, windy, and wet!) but I still love these shots.

Holden had a blast walking the beach barefoot. We saw a washed up sea turtle that was pretty neat, and caught a dolphin swimming in a little cove. In the picture that looks like he is yelling, he was saying, "dolphin!!!"

The homes along the beach and lagoon were so beautiful. I loved all of the porches. Just a few ideas of what my future home will look like when I win the lottery. :)

Does this scene look familiar? It's in the movie, "Jaws!" It has not been changed since. I thought it really fit the part on the gloomy day!

On our last day there, some of our friends joined us for another beach walk out to a big rocky area. The "big kids" (Jay included in that, of course!) climbed way out on them in the rain, giving them great views and their moms heart attacks. Jay decided to throw food at the sea gulls, creating a scene straight out of "The Birds." Then everyone came over to have dinner at the condo. Holden enjoyed Diane's glasses. :)

In case you can't tell, we had a wonderful trip! We can't wait for next year!!