Destin – 2013

Nothing says summer like the iconic family vacation. Weeks of planning and anticipation drive the frenzied excitement. Dreams of long, work free days, toes burrowed into the sand, salt water drying on sun drenched skin, the smell of Coppertone, the refreshing plunge into the cool blue waters of a beckoning pool flitter through your mind as you drag out suitcases, unearth summer clothing, beach towels and gear, get the house in order, make sure bills are paid to ensure electricity and water upon returning home, hold the mail, clean out the refrigerator, arrange care for pooches and kitties, clean and pack the car, and last but not least the palpable dread of shopping for a new swim suit.  Yet with all the chaos of trying to get out of town, the memories that are made are worth all the effort.

Saturday, June 15, 2013
Like most vacations, the first day is a day of travel and today was no exception.  You know, the whole the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and all.  After laying in bed all night thinking of everything that I had forgotten to do before we left, it was time to get our selves in gear.  Rising at the crack of dawn to frantically run around like chickens with our heads cut off, we finally hopped into our car, packed to the brim and met Dad, Janice, Josh, Jill and Levi at the Mickey D’s near the interstate.  Filling ourselves with carbs, cholesterol and coffee we were finally on our way.  Or so we thought.  After further discussion, Dad and Jill decided they had not had entirely enough caffeine to make it through the rest of the morning so we caravanned across the street to Starbucks and loaded them up on caffè lattes and cappuccinos.

With Dad, Janice and Levi in the lead, we turned the car south and headed towards the Gulf.  Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half on the road, we found ourselves parked on the interstate.  For some reason unbeknownst to us, both lanes of traffic came to a complete halt…not once, not twice, but four times.  No wrecks, no stalled cars, no construction, no earthly reason.  All in all it added over an hour to our drive time.  The monotony of the stops however, was broken by Levi calling us from the bird dog car to let us know that he was “bona fide” and sharing his great skill in creating motorboat sounds.

Are we there yet?

After an interminable amount of time driving, forced stops and bumper to bumper traffic into Destin, we finally arrived late in the afternoon. After checking into the condo and unloading all the luggage, Dad, Josh, Terry and I hit the grocery store. We filled two buggies to the brim and purchased a few spirits before heading back and getting settled in for the evening. We were all tired and just ready to eat, relax and enjoy the view. On the menu this evening was anything you could fix for yourself.

Josh, Jill and Levi retired early while Dad, Janice, Terry and I waited for Chris’ arrival via Southwest Airlines. As soon as he walked onto the lanai with his luggage, we greeted him enthusiastically and then all said “good night”. He was supremely disappointed that no one wanted to stay up and play with him.

Sunday, June 16, 2013
Terry was up early and slipped out for a walk on the beach. As I laid in bed enjoying the peace and quiet, Levi poked his little head in and said that Gigi said it was “time to wake up”. Grabbing a cup of coffee on my way through the kitchen, I joined Dad, Janice and Levi on the lanai and basked in the sunrise glimmering across the bay.  After an infusion of caffeine it was time to get this show on the road. Today was Father’s Day so we decided to do it up right by starting with a hearty breakfast.  What fun to celebrate a holiday at a destination!

Our gift to Dad this year from the all kids was a day of homemade meals, baked French toast for breakfast and a shrimp boil for dinner.  With the arrival of Roy, Leah, Lily and Elijah from Panama City we were all finally together.  As a side note, when I opened the front door to let them all in, Elijah completely forgetting himself, ran into my arms yelling “Hey!” with much enthusiasm. Shocked, I scooped the little guy up while Roy, Leah and I, amidst hugs and laughter, shared looks of confusion with wide eyed startled stares.  We all shrugged our shoulders as if to say, who knows? I kept my cool and just pretended that this happens all the time and tried not to break the spell.  I’m super chill like that.

In the kitchen, bacon and sausage were browning, the custard was ready for dipping, the brown sugar topping was awaiting and biscuits were ready to bake. I was thrilled when Leah brought in a tray of fresh fruit which was just what was missing.

We all sat down around the dining room table for a big breakfast.  I must admit, the French toast was so rich that no maple syrup was required. Note to self, reduce the amount of brown sugar next time.  After our delicious spread, Dad opened all the cards from the kids and grandkids and then we all got ready to go to the beach.

This was a special day indeed for it was Levi’s first time to the beach. He had been looking forward to this trip for months and it did not disappoint. He loved the waves and the sand and couldn’t wait to play in the water. It was also special for each of us as because we had never all been together as a family at the beach. Levi, Lily and Elijah loved it and had a great time. After playing in the sand and wave jumping we headed back across the street to play in the Lazy River.

Josh shark attack.

After playing in the surf and the pool, we were all water logged and tired so we eventually headed back to the condo for lunch and to take a break from the pounding sun.  Starving after all the fun in the sun, we descended on the kitchen like a swarm of locusts. While finishing up our lunch, Leah’s dad William showed up for a Father’s Day visit with us.  Always a great conversationalist, he regaled us with what was going on at his farm, what projects he was currently working on and other interesting tidbits of information about bees, snakes and turtles.  Due to a deadline, William had to head back to the ranch and sadly didn’t join us for dinner.

In between glorious naps and dinner, the kids decided they wanted to play in the bay which they loved.  The tide was low which made it easy for them to wade, swim and hunt for treasure.

For our special Father’s Day dinner, Dad, Janice and Chris went to the local fish market and picked up six pounds of fresh Gulf shrimp and other seafood snacks while I prepped the ingredients for chicken fettuccine Alfredo for the crustacean adverse. It was a perfect summer evening, music played in the background, cocktails flowed and people drifted in and out of the kitchen as Dad, Terry and I prepped dinner.  It was a hubbub of activity.  The kids were eating their dinner in the living room watching a movie while little coveys of conversations were scattered here and there. Leah, Chris and Terry were having a discussion, to this day I am not sure what about, when Leah, with great verve and gusto, reared back and punched Terry in the stomach. Terry, seeing the rogue punch coming, immediately tensed all his stomach muscles. Leah turned to me with great enthusiasm and said, “Michelle, you are so lucky!”. For a moment there was a stunned silence and then in unison, Terry included, we all doubled over in hysterical laughter.

Along with the Old Bay seasoned Gulf shrimp, Dad made his world famous cocktail sauce, which we served along with garlic bread and boiled red potatoes. We all sat outside on the patio, with the view of the bay and with fingers drenched in melted lemon butter enjoyed a beautiful Florida sunset.

While Roy, Leah and Elijah headed back to Panama City to stay at Fred and LaJuana’s , we squeezed our fat tummy’s back into our swimsuits for one last swim.  As soon as we returned to the condo from our evening plunge, Lily broke down into tears.  She was excited to spend the night with Levi but it just dawned on her that her Mommy and Daddy weren’t there.  She really wanted her Mommy and  wasn’t going to be consoled. While I dried Lily off, found Mr. Bun and put her in her jammies, Janice talked to Leah and they reviewed their options.  While they discussed possible scenarios and extractions, Dad offered her a chocolate doughnut and all was right with the world. As soon as she settled into Big Daddy and Gigi’s bed with a movie, she fell right asleep and sacked out for a good eleven hours.  Levi on the other hand, was completely despondent because he wasn’t allowed to have a chocolate doughnut at bedtime and cried at the injustice.

With the kids finally unconscious, Terry, Josh, Jill and I took the crosswalk across the street to the beach for a late night stroll. Walking along the moonlit tide trying to avoid jellyfish and other sea detritus, Jill with her eagle eyes spied the palest of pale hermit crabs scurrying across the sand. How do you see a white crab against the backdrop of white sand at night?

After a long day of food, fun and multiple water activities our feet were dragging as we lumbered across the sand. After we decided we could never survive the Sahara Desert we headed back to the boardwalk. The moon shown a silvery path along the top of the water and the evening sky was strewn with stars.  We could easily pick out the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper faintly and Josh thought he could just make out Scorpio.

Since Terry and Josh are more small boys trapped inside adult bodies, they thought it would be hilarious nay uproarious to soak Jill and I as we rinsed the sand from our feet on the boardwalk.  Soaking wet, we made our way back to the condo and finally to bed.

Monday, June 17, 2013
We awoke this morning to a drenching thunderstorm. Doesn’t that just make you think of that Bob Seger song, Night Moves, “I woke last night to the sound of thunder, how far off I sat and wondered,” but I digress. Terry, up early as usual, already had the coffee made as  I joined him on the lanai and quickly tried to remove and wring out the once dry towels and swimwear that were now soaking wet. Josh, asleep on the couch due to mattress/back issues, seemed oblivious to the commotion. Hearing the cracks of thunder, Janice soon joined us on the porch and we watched the rain, lightning and thunder roll across the bay. Once everyone was up and had arrived, Janice made a refreshing fruit plate for the kids as well as scrambled eggs while Jill toasted up the leftover garlic bread from the night before. Roy and Josh, the true seafood junkies, had shrimp cocktail for breakfast. How cosmopolitan.

Once the weather had cleared, we all donned our swimsuits and headed for the Lazy River. Since it was a weekday, the crowds were greatly diminished which made it much more enjoyable.

Don’t everyone smile at once.

Again water logged and sun soaked, we headed in for lunch. Dad had roasted a whole turkey the day before so we dug into that for sandwiches and set out the platter of deli ham, smoked turkey and white American cheese that Roy and Leah brought along with chips and leftovers from last night.

The boys decided they had the need for speed so Jill, Janice, Roy and I walked with them next door to Fudpucker’s to get ice cream while Terry, Chris and Josh looked into jet ski rentals. Alas, the ice cream truck was closed but the boys were able to rent their jet skis. While the guys finished up their paperwork, Janice headed back to the condo while we sat on wooden picnic tables arranged near the pier in the bay to watch them take off.  Once they had zoomed off across the water, we decided to walk back to the condo via the bay.  It seemed like a good idea at the time since the water we were in was quite shallow.  That is until we headed further toward our destination.  At first, the water was right around the mid calf region, no problem, soon it was at the knee and making us hinky, shortly it was at our nether regions and at this point nothing was going to prevent our undies from getting wet.

Afternoon was a time for napping. The kids fell asleep in Gigi and Big Daddy’s bed watching TV, Leah stretched out on the couch and the rest of us lounged in any spot we could find.

Relaxed on the lanai napping we saw Chris motor up to the sea wall and wave. With about 45 minutes left of their rental, the boys offered us an opportunity to ride.  Josh picked up extra life jackets then Leah took Lily for a ride, while Josh took Jill and Levi and Terry took me out for a spin.

Josh and Jill were on deck tonight for dinner which started with an appetizer of tortilla chips with a mango salsa and was followed with grilled chicken and steak kabobs with red onion, little potatoes, jalapeños, whole mushrooms and various bell peppers. Somehow Roy mistook a jalapeño for okra. This had a life altering affect…tides reversed, tectonic plates shifted and mountains crumbled to the sea as pain sensors were sent into five alarm territory.  Copious amounts of water were consumed along with a verbal lambasting.

Roy and Leah returned to Panama City around 7pm so they could get Elijah to bed. Not long after they left, Lily and Levi asked to go to the pool but the general consensus was that late night swimming was discombobulating for them. Of course, being told “no” really upset Lily because she really wanted to go to the pool. We sat on the patio with her on my lap as tears welled and poured down her face. Jill and Janice negotiated a compromise. Lily and Levi could take a bubble bath in Gigi’s big garden tub and then watch a movie with popcorn. A deal was struck. As Jill and I readied the kids, Dad and Janice went for a walk on the beach while Terry, Chris and Josh went out for a night cap.

After Lily and Levi’s bath we sat on the couch and read part of “My Little Pony” as Jill popped the popcorn. Jill put in the perennial favorite, Disney’s “Peter Pan” and they were transfixed. Dad and Janice went to bed early and Jill went to get the bunk bed ready and to shower while I stretched out and watched the movie with the kids.  After Jill’s shower, I too got ready for bed and after good night hugs from the kids, we all hit the hay.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013
We made another trek to the beach this morning, played in the ocean, built sand castles and walked along the tide line looking for shells.  Unfortunately, the Florida sun and heat began beating down on us all and urged us back across the street to seek cooler, shadier adventures in the pool.

After lunch, Terry and I made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute ingredients for dinner while Roy, Leah, Josh and Jill, went to the Surf Shop.  Because the shop had a buy one get one deal, they picked up an extra rash guard shirts for Terry and me. I was more than excited because I  had looked all over for long sleeved swim shirts before we left town.  When we returned to the condo, Leah and Roy had rented a couple of paddle boards and paddled around the bay and executed gravity defying yoga poses.  Namaste y’all

Paddling back to the sea wall, they hopped off their boards and let Jill and me give it a whirl. I had always wanted to try paddle boarding and quickly realized that I’m probably not cut out for surfing.

After the dip in the bay, I prepped dinner and headed to the pool to join the others. Going down the steps, Roy was coming back in with Elijah but informed me that Lily had stayed with Chris and Levi so I was able to rough house and play with them awhile before dinner.

Dinner tonight was your basic summer fare, hamburger sliders with grilled onions and crumbled bleu cheese, baked beans, Greek pasta salad, chips and dip. Yummylicious.

May, as usual, was a crazy busy month.  Everyone was traveling and out of pocket so as a result, birthday celebrations were all out of sorts.  Since Roy and Leah and the kids were heading to Dothan in the morning and we were finally all together in one place, we decided to have a belated party for Elijah, who turned two on May 5th and Lily, who turned five on May 29th.  We celebrated with the opening of presents and partaking of delicious cupcakes and vanilla ice cream.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013
With the influence of Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Peter Pan fresh in Levi’s mind, he had become somewhat smitten with the idea of pirates. With a little research, Chris discovered there was a pirate ship docked at the marina at the Harborwalk Village in Destin which we all thought he would love to see. Great idea, right? Well, hanging out in the sun, in mid-June, in Florida is always a questionable idea.  It was so hot on the pier…like Africa hot.  To Levi’s great delight he spotted the pirate ship, Buccaneer as it came into port firing its cannon.  He was spellbound.  After the purchase of souvenir pirate booty, a pirate hat, musket and the requisite bottle of gold, we headed to AJ’s for lunch and to take a break from the blazing sun.

Aaaarrrggghhh….

From the upper deck of AJ’s, we were blessed with a cool, ocean breeze. Mojitos for Chris and Josh refreshed their parched mouths, while Levi enjoyed a Roy Rogers that we renamed the Jolly Roger in keeping with the pirate theme. Hard to believe we could possibly be hungry but from our order you would have thought we were practically starved. Terry ordered a basket of fried calamari for the table while he and I shared a cup of She-Crab soup and an order of Mahi Mahi fish and chips, Josh and Chris both had fried crab claws, Levi a hamburger and Jill a basket of chicken tenders and fries. Seriously, there was no way we could finish all that food.

While at lunch, the afternoon sky turned turbulent and threatening so we headed back to the condo.  Before our return we made a quick trip back to the Surf Shop to exchange Terry’s shirt for a different color and I picked a bikini bottom that coordinated with my new top.

Josh was fortunate to get the time off from work to have an extended vacation with all of us but sadly he was due to catch a return flight this evening to be rested for work on Friday.  With goodbyes all around and a promise to Levi to build a pirate ship when he returned home, Jill and Janice drove Josh to the airport.  In one of those not funny now, but will be funny someday moments, they got lost on the way to the airport and Josh missed his flight. The blame was squarely placed on the Garmin and poorly marked road signs. After checking with Southwest we were assured that he would not be charged any additional fees or charges by catching a later flight. That was a relief.

With no plans for dinner, Levi, Chris, Jill, Josh, Terry and I went next door to Fuddpucker’s for a late dinner. But let’s be honest.  Levi had a secret agenda.  He wanted to play video games. After ordering, Levi and Josh took off for the game room.  They returned right as our order arrived and Levi was clutching his winnings, a plastic pirate, a self-inking stamp and a plastic dinosaur, literally shaking with excitement. Apparently, while we waited at the condo for their return from the airport, Chris had given Levi several chocolate doughnuts, three in all.  He had so much sugar coursing through his veins his little hands were trembling.

Our dinner was great.  Chris ordered nachos for the table that were outstanding and two slices of pizza for himself, while Josh and Jill ordered a custom pizza, Terry had a hot dog and wings while I had a Margherita pizza with lots of leftovers.

Thursday, June 20, 2013
Today was overcast and much cooler but after we enjoyed a breakfast on the patio of biscuits, scrambled eggs, watermelon, cantaloupe and green smoothie we sallied forth and headed to the Lazy River. By lunch time we were sufficiently chilled and headed back to the condo for a warm up.

Inspired by the mojitos Josh and Chris had at lunch and our Mexican themed lunch of burritos, rice, and homemade guacamole with chips, I found a recipe online for mojitos and whipped up a batch for us to enjoy.  Delicious and refreshing. Full and satiated, we retired for an afternoon siesta while Chris headed to the airport to catch his flight home.  With a big job beginning on Saturday, he wanted to get all his ducks in a row so he would be prepared.

It was such a beautiful evening we decided to take a walk on the beach.  Levi loved looking for shells and we all left carrying handfuls of his nautical treasures.  Our ultimate destination was the pier but upon learning they charge per person for the privilege we skipped it and went to fly kites instead. Janice had brought kites for the kids so Terry and Dad got them unpackaged and ready to go and Levi had a blast.  He is a most excellent flier of kites.

To reward ourselves for all our hard walking we stopped by the Bruesters ice cream trailer parked outside Fuddpucker’s. We took our treats and walked around the back and sat at a bayside picnic table. Levi ordered mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone that was half his size.  By the time it was said and done, he had it all over his face, forearms, shirt and even the brim of his hat. As we’re getting ready to head back, collecting napkins and such, we looked over and Levi was just gone. The picnic table had very high seats and he had taken a nasty fall. With audible gasps, we held our breath with worry until we heard Levi laughing. Fortunately for Levi, the picnic table was surrounded by sand. Whew! Crisis averted.

What a hot mess.

With a palpable relief that we weren’t making a trip to the emergency room, we took a walk on the pier so Levi could see all the docked boats.  As we walked and admired the various launches, wicked lightning lashed the sky and rolling thunder headed our way so we headed back to the condo. The skies darkened and the winds blew and rearranged the furniture on the patio.  It was a dark and stormy night.

Friday, June 21, 2013
Today was our last full day at the condo and we were in full relaxation mode. Jill made blueberry, banana, strawberry smoothies as a starter. While Dad fried up the rest of the sausage and cut up some watermelon, I toasted up some French bread and made a couple of pieces of cinnamon toast for Levi and myself.  Then we just sat back and savored our coffee and took in the view from the lanai.  Pelicans and herons drifted by, dolphins played and frolicked, while families waded in the bay fishing and netting.

We tackled the Lazy River, the waterfall, the big swimming pool and the little swimming pool and by 1pm we were definitely ready to head back in for a hearty lunch on the porch.  Since we were in refrigerator clean out mode, we scrounged through leftovers…turkey sandwiches, pasta salad, baked beans, new potatoes, chips and dip, watermelon.

After another late afternoon nap we headed back to the beach to walk on that powdery white sand one more time. Although it was well after 5pm, the sun was still bearing down as we headed toward the undeveloped and mostly deserted part of the beach. We saw a sting ray swimming in very shallow water, Jill found possibly the smallest sand dollar I have ever seen and Terry found a beautiful, tiny, white conch shell.

Levi again launched his pirate kite into the big blue sky and he was in hog heaven.

Prior to our beach excursion, Jill had asked Janice if they could watch Levi so we could go grab a bite to eat. Back at the boardwalk, Dad and Janice headed to the condo with Levi while Terry, Jill and I walked the beach to the Okaloosa Island Boardwalk for dinner. And it is here that the comedy of errors begins.  The Boardwalk has a vast assortment of restaurants, all beachside, and we thought it would be a snap to pick one and enjoy our dinner with a gorgeous view of the ocean.  Our first stop was the Crab Trap. We put our name on the waiting list, sat down and read the menu.  Neither Jill or I are seafood people so the menu was a little sparse for landlubbers.  We turned in our pager, took our name off the list and headed downstairs to The Black Pearl. Their menu was also seafood heavy and very pricey so we went outside and walked next door to Floyd’s which was, can you guess, all seafood.

Not to be thwarted, Jill thought we would enjoy Anglers but after we wandered aimlessly around the parking lot looking for the entrance we walked back to The Boardwalk and inquired at the visitor booth. They told us that Angler’s was great for a Friday night because it was less crowded and more for locals. Back outside we started off towards Anglers. As luck would have it, a complimentary golf cart shuttle was parked right outside that would take us to Anglers. As we were within shouting distance of the restaurant, our driver gave it two thumbs down and insisted that the Crab Trap was a much better choice.   So once again, we went back to the Crab Trap, put our name back on the list and grabbed a pager.

Finally, after another 15 minute wait we were seated upstairs at the railing with an ocean view overlooking a beach volleyball court where a lively game was in progress. All in all the meal was mediocre. Terry had a bowl of shrimp gumbo and fried clams, Jill had the Cajun Chicken Pasta while I had mozzarella sticks and a bowl of She-Crab soup. Jill’s meal was by far the best. My soup was lukewarm and even after requesting a reheat it was marginally appetizing and was left uneaten.

While we slogged from restaurant to restaurant, Dad and Janice took Levi for another mint chocolate chip ice cream cone and to the Lazy River for an evening swim. With Gigi and Big Daddy on either side of him, he swam all the way around by himself. Way to go little man!

Jill had ice cream on her mind as well. So catching the same shuttle, he dropped us off in front of the Ramada where we walked across the street to Brusters so Jill could get one last vacation ice cream.

Back at the condo, Levi had already had a bath and was in his pj’s as were Dad and Janice. They were also mostly packed whereas we hadn’t even begun. We started to go through the fridge, washing towels, etc. Levi laid in bed to watch TV as Jill packed proceeded to fall immediately asleep.

Saturday, June 22, 2013
The day you leave your vacation is always bittersweet and today was no exception.  Weeks of waiting, planning and anticipating and it was over to in a flash. We straightened up the condo until it was virtually squeaky clean, stripped all the sheets, cleaned out the refrigerator, folded towels, packed the car and were on the road around 8am. Levi found a terrapin as we were loading the car and was super excited.

After filling up at a Tom Thumb and a quick drive through McDonald’s we were on our way. Dad was in the lead with Janice, Jill and Levi. Again, following the Garmin directions we spent thirty minutes going in circles just to get onto US 123.

We made one quick rest stop before taking a detour to Culman, Alabama to walk through Southern Accents Architectural Antiques, a sprawling salvage emporium, and to have an early dinner at the All Steak restaurant before heading home. Standing on main street in this quaint southern town, we hugged and said our goodbyes with a melancholy wistfulness as we acknowledged the conclusion of our family vacation.

Thank you all for a wonderful week of memories.