Vacay Recap

We're baaaaack. Well, 3 out of 4 of us are back. Reese is still in Florida (so jealous!) with my parents enjoying the second installment of her "special vacation". They will drive to Franklin where they'll spend a few days and then finally back here at the end of next week. I look forward to having her back! We had such an awesome time away. The 15 hours (straight!) that we drove yesterday wasn't much fun but it was worth it. I always feel like the time flies by too quickly when we're gone. This time we tried to avoid running out of time and planned for two weeks. It still wasn't enough. Time flew and we didn't get to see enough of anyone and felt pretty rushed. We did, however, have a blast and did pretty good with our "checklist". I have been saving up for this blog so get ready..... Reese's "special vacation" with Grandma & Granddad? CHECK! Reese spent five days all alone with Kevin's parents and had a ball! She barely had time to talk to us over the phone while she was there. When we came to pick her up she talked a mile a minute trying to tell us about her trip. She seemed so rejuvenated when we came to get her. I think the time away (in other words, the time to be spoiled rotten!) really was good for her. She enjoyed having some time where it was all about her. She's so wonderful with Talan and really did miss him but I'm sure it also felt good to not have to share the spotlight for a few days.

Talan's first swim? CHECK!

While Reese was off with Grandma & Granddad we took some time to introduce Talan to the water. He loved it (thank goodness!) and squealed and laughed the whole time.

Days on the beach and dinners on the balcony? CHECK

On our first day at the beach Kevin & I were able to sneak away for some time together on the beach. It was the one and only time that we managed to make it out there, just the two of us, and it was fabulous! That night we had dinner on the balcony and watched the beautiful sunset. I'll never get used to that view.

Outdoor concert in Seaside? CHECK!

What a fun night! We met up with several friends and their kids and had a great night in the Seaside amphitheater. Reese danced her little heart out and Kevin and I enjoyed our time sipping wine and catching up with friends.

Boating & swimming with the Abbotts? CHECK!

The Abbotts were nice enough to host us for an afternoon of fun. Reese had a blast swimming in their pool and that afternoon we took a boat ride across the bay to visit with Nathan's mom. Good times!

A night out with the girls? CHECK!

I don't know many people that can say that they have kept in touch with all of their friends from high school. I have known a majority of the girls below for 20 years (or more!). We try to get together at least once a year and did so again last weekend and had a blast! While I was out with the girls Kevin and his brother, Keith, had a day on the golf course. We both really enjoyed ourselves.

Hunting for sand crabs? CHECK!

This happens to be one of my favorite past times. I have so many fond memories of late night sand crabbing with my 3 brothers on the beaches of Hawaii. Now I get to share new memories with Kevin and our kids. The crabs were tough to find; they are small and the same color as the sand. Reese did a great job of hunting them down and ended up with five in her bucket.

A day with the Devenny family? CHECK!

Since we last saw the Devenny's their family has grown by one. Thankfully we were able to meet up with them for an afternoon in Seaside and met their baby girl for the first time. It was so wonderful visiting with Jessica, Jacob, Parker, & Eden. My only complaint is that is was way too short lived (and that Mike wasn't with them).

Dread Clampitt live at Red Bar? CHECK! We were fortunate enough to catch a Dread Clampitt performance at one of our favorite old hangouts, Red Bar, in Seaside. The show was nothing less than amazing and we watched with great friends.

Shipwreck Island? CHECK! On our last full day in town Kevin & I left Talan with my parents and took Reese to Shipwreck Island, a water park in Panama City. We...had...a...BLAST! It was so much fun! Reese was such a little daredevil. She wasn't scared of a thing and even took off down the speed slides. I wouldn't even go down them! It was a great way to end our trip. Everyone was sold out of waterproof cameras so the only photo we got was taken before we left. Check out that water in the background. It made it hard to leave the beach but I'm glad we did. What an awesome day!

So great visiting with everyone. Thank you for such a fabulous visit! We're already looking forward to our next trip.