Ahhhhh.......

What I forgot to mention in our last post was that Andrew and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on September 1st, the same day as Lissy's party.  We didn't celebrate then, but we did get to eventually.  These past few days Andrew and I have been on vacation in Seaside and it has been wonderful!  My parents and Lissy watched the kids for us and we are forever grateful. We headed out Thursday morning to catch our flight in St. Louis.  We had to leave a little before the kids left for school, so my parents and Lissy came over to our house so they could use our car and get the kids off to school.  It took us a little longer to get out of town as Andrew forget his computer case at the office and still hadn't filled up the truck.  And then lucky us, we got pulled over close to Troy.  The nice officer didn't give us a ticket though and we made it to the airport in enough time.  We were both pretty sad when we left.  I was excited to get a break from my regular duties as a mom but I guess it has been a while since I left them.  The older ones have gone on little trips with their grandparents here and there, but I guess I had enough going on at home that it didn't bother me too much.  This time I had more time to think and I was really missing them.  It got better as time went on though.  It was really good for Andrew and I to do this since we haven't been away since we did an extended weekend at Big Cedar when I was pregnant with Ellie. 

I am writing this as we wait for our firsts flight out of Panama City, sad that is has ended.  Our flights were uneventful.  We flew into Panama City, got our rental car and headed to Seaside.  We got in later, around 7, so the sun was going down.  We checked in, put out luggage in our cottage, and then went to get some dinner.  We decided we would eat on the roof top bar at Bud-n-Alleys.  It was a beautiful night.  Lissy had told us they serve bar food on the roof top but we soon discovered that they only serve that at lunch time and during dinner they had their regular menu.  There wasn't really anything I wanted to try especially at their prices, so we snuck off and headed to their Pizza Bar.  It was delicious. I got some pasta that was yummy and Andrew really enjoyed his pizza.  Our waiter was actually from Arkansas (Andrew actually had a client from the same town, but decided not to bring that one up) but was a Cardinals fan and commented on Andrew's hat.  The next morning we slept in-kind of.  It was actually only seven, but I laid around and read my Kindle while Andrew watched tv.  We decided to just eat our breakfasts in and just ate cheerios.  Other than that, we just ate out-no cooking, no dishes to clean up.  It was awesome. 

I loved the way the sunlight shined into our cottage.  It was very simple, but very calming. 

the bedroom and bathroom were upstairs

The downstairs had a small living area and kitchen

It was easy to just lounge around in the mornings but we also wanted to head to the beach.  I was disappointed when we first came over the pavilion the first morning.  The water was an ugly brown, instead of the emerald green, and there was a lot of dried up seaweed on the beach.  I am guessing compliments of Hurricane Isaac.  But once we got seated in our chairs, under the umbrella, it was great.  The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze.  I read my Kindle and I think Andrew played poker on his phone.  He spent close to a half hour at the book store earlier and left without anything.  We decided to do a late lunch and headed up to Bud-n-Alley's Taco Bar.  It was a quick, easy, good lunch and then we decided to top it off with some Dawson's yogurt.  I sent Molly a picture of the sign that said they were hiring.  Molly loves Dawson's Yogurt.  So after our cool treat, we headed back down to the beach.  It was busier than when we came here 11 years ago for our honeymoon.  We were wondering if more people were trying to save money by getting the lower rates after Labor Day.  But it definitely wasn't anything compared to what it is like in the middle of the summer.  I stayed at the beach until they started putting the chairs away.  Andrew got a little bored with it earlier since he didn't have anything to read.  We did enjoy people watching while we were there though.  And it was fun to see the little families there.  As much as we love our kids and being able to share these experiences with them, it was kind of nice to not have to worry about packing up all their stuff from the beach, dragging them through the sand, and getting the sand cleaned off of them every day.  We will get that again next year and it was be a fun time. 

Friday night we decided to try an Italian restaurant I had read about online that was in Santa Rosa Beach.  So we got ready and headed out. 

In front of our cottage, Angel in the Dunes

You probably can't tell in the picture above, but Andrew made the mistake of sitting out in the sun without sunblock.  I tried to convince him to put it on, but he said he would just be out in the sun for a little bit.  And it wasn't that long, but the burn happens quick down here.  I still got burnt even after I put sunblock on.  He sunglass line was pretty funny.

Dinner was delicious.  I think we were both glad we decided to try it out.  On the way home we had to stop at the store and get Andrew some aloe vera gel.  Then we just walked around Seaside for a while.  Further back in the community, it was very quiet and the stars were bright.  The weather in the evenings was always very nice, so we enjoyed our strolls.  The next morning I woke up to the sound of rain on the tin roof.  Even though I was sad we couldn't head to the beach soon, I do love that sound.  So it was another lazy morning and when it stopped for a bit, I decided to hit up some of the stores to get some souvenirs for the kids and our babysitters :-).  The lady in the kids store was asking me about sizes and when she found out I had five kids, she said, "You have five kids? Well dear, you look like you are just out of college."  It was a sweet compliment to hear as I am getting older and feel like I am looking older.  And then I imagine my time in the sun here probably isn't going to help.  And I also felt out of place in those stores because I know I am not going to buy hardly anything except a few tshirts and am aghast at the prices.  Little girls swimsuits were on sale for $60 and dresses on sale for $60-$80.  Crazy.  No one should pay that much for a little girls dress.  Especially the little cotton ones they were selling.  They were cute, but that is outrageous.  I hardly ever buy anything for me that costs that much.  But I digress...  after shopping, I decided to pick up some lunch for Andrew and I at Modica Market, the precious "grocery store" in Seaside.  If you have ever seen The Truman Show with Jim Carrey, it was filmed in Seaside.  And the little grocery store his friend works at is the real thing. 

They had some yummy sandwiches that they put in the panini press for you and I even splurged and picked up a slice of red velvet cake for us to share.  Again, delicious food.  So we ate at the cottage and by then everything started to clear up.  The beach was starting to look a little better at this point and it was another wonderful day of relaxing and reading on the beach.  I was able to finish almost three books over the five days we were gone.  I used to love reading and haven't had much of a chance lately, so it was nice to get back to it and to be able to do it while relaxing in the shade at the beach or in our sunlight-filled cottage. 

Saturday evening we tried another new restaurant called 723 Whiskey Bravo.  Another good meal and it had a nice view of the beach.  Our waiter was a little odd though.  He seemed to linger just a little too long every time he was leaving our table.  It ended up being entertainment for Andrew and I.  Also that evening we tried stopping by the bike shop.  We were supposed to have bikes (already paid for) delivered to our cottage on Friday morning and they never showed up.  I called many times and left a message.  Andrew tried calling too.  We went by a few times and no one was ever there.  They ended up leaving a message on our home phone about needing our address that I had given them in an earlier message. So getting our refund is definitely on my to-do list when we get home.

Sunday was, sadly, our last day at the beach.  It looked so promising.  The water was getting even closer to the emerald green and the day was beautiful.  We got down to the beach and found our chairs, only to notice there were flies all over them, the biting kind.  I went back to get some bug spray but it didn't really help at all.  They seemed to congregate more in the shade, so I tried laying out in the sun a bit, but knew I shouldn't stay out there too long.  We took a couple of walks on the beach, leaving our chairs in the sun.  When we would come back the flies would be gone, but they would quickly find their way back as soon as we sat in our chairs again.  Finally we went for lunch at the Pizza bar.  I was talking to Lissy after lunch and remembered that Bud and Alley's had a web came.  She got online and talked us through where we should stand and the kids finally saw us.  Then Lissy had me running down the beach to stay in the camera's view.  After that we stayed down on the beach for a little while.  Andrew spent most of the time killing flies and even broke the strap on his cap doing it.  I was able to ignore them every now and then.  Eventually Andrew gave up and headed back to the cottage and I retreated to one of the pavilions and found a shady spot with a breeze to read some more.  It was our last day at the beach and I wasn't going to give it up so easily. 

Last day at the beach :-(

My view everyday

Our house was just down this street-Pensacola Street

Had to get a picture of the cottage we stay at during our honeymoon

Sunday night we stayed around Seaside and ate an early dinner at The Great Southern Cafe.  As I have said, all of our meals were delicious and this was a nice way to end our vacation.  After dinner we drove over to the house my family is staying in next year when we all come down here.  We had driven by it a couple times, but there were always cars in the driveway.  But they were all gone this night.  We probably weren't supposed to, but we were actually able to walk up on the decks, the big back yard, and the beach pavilion.  I think it looks pretty promising for next year and should provide for some wonderful memories.

This is the back of the house from the beach pavilion

The rest of the night was spent walking around Seaside, eating gelato, and enjoying our last night there.  Funny thing, when we first got to The Great Southern that evening there was a big van from Kanakuk parked out front with Missouri license plates.  I noticed it had some car seats in it and from then on we were trying to guess which family was using it.  It was still there when we got back from looking at the other house and we both noticed a family when we were getting gelato that we thought may fit the bill.  Then we saw them loading up and I almost went up to say something to them but didn't want to seem stalkerish.  I only saw the mom and kids earlier and this time I saw the dad and realized that he was a guy that was on leadership at K-7 when I was a counselor there and they are now the directors at K-1. 

Here are a few more shots from the trip.



The beautiful sunset on our last night!

Watching the sunset



Ruskin Place

The new stage at the amphitheater

Today was so bittersweet.  It was an amazing vacation even if it was just four nights.  Andrew and I were both so sad to have to leave all of it.  I was seriously sick to my stomach to have to leave all of it.  We walked down to our pavilion one last time this morning and it the most beautiful it had been since we got there.  I can't complain to much though because we had such a wonderful time.  We are hoping to do this a little more often than every 6 years because it was really good for Andrew and I to have this time together.  But we are ready to get home and see our kids that we are missing.  As I finish up, we are waiting on our connecting flight in Houston.  The beach is behind us and it is time to get back to reality. Which reality already overwhelms us :-) Two soccer practices tomorrow night, small group Wednesday night, football practice Thursday, football game Friday night, and two soccer games Saturday morning.

Our kids were well taken care of while we were gone.  We received several pictures of their adventures at Grandma and Papa's.  First off, I think Miles and Bennett will weigh about 10 pounds more when we get back because my dad has been feeding them everything.  They are loving table food now.  I think the kids kept them all busy though.  Plus it was my mom's birthday on Thursday (Happy Birthday Mom-take my kids please ;-))  Jackson had his football Thursday and Friday and then Jackson and Ellie had soccer games on Saturday.  After their games were done, Andrew's mom took them out to the ranch for a bit to play.  I think the plan for Saturday night was to roast hot dogs and s'mores and watch a movie outside at my parents and then they got to go to the air show on Sunday.  And other exciting news, Ellie won the Tiger Trophy for her grade on Friday.  She was so excited and Jackson was a little disappointed since it took him until second grade before he won it. 

And lastly, a wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to my parents and Lissy for taking the kids while we were gone. I know it is a lot of work and we are soooo grateful especially since we left on my mom's birthday and are coming home on Lissy's birthday.   And thank you Andrew for a wonderful vacation.  Happy Anniversary and Birthday and Merry Christmas:-) !!!