Florida Getaway 2012

 

The day after Christmas, we packed up the boys and headed out in the rain for an eight hour drive to Destin, Florida.  We were all set for two days of sun and fun!

We arrived only thirty minutes before the sun set, but thank goodness for those thirty minutes. It was gorgeous!  And the boys were SO happy to be on the beach after a long day in the car.  There was running, jumping, leaping in and out of the water, and lots and lots of picture-taking of a spectacular sunset.

 

 

 

This is where we stayed.  On the eleventh floor!

 

 

I told you it was a spectacular sunset!

 

Our first morning there, Sam noticed a pigeon on the balcony. He went out to feed it and very quickly it was joined by several other pigeon friends.

That very quickly led to a giant mob of frantic seagulls hovering in a cloud off the balcony, screaming for food.  The boys threw pieces of cereal into the gull-cloud and the gulls would catch them in mid air and roate around so all the birds got a turn.  This turned into a morning ritual and the boys fed the birds each of our three mornings there.  They loved it, though it was a bit messy.

 

Later on the beach, the birds were hoping for more cereal.  It didn't happen.

 

We went on a dolphin-watching cruise our first afternoon there.  We rode the Southern Star, which was a very nice boat.  It was packed and very cold and windy.  But we did see lots of dolphins!

 

 

They were so friendly and approached the boat over and over.

 

 

 

The gulls also followed the boat for a long time, hoping for some Fritos, which some of the passengers threw to them.

 

Both boys were sick, which sure was a shame.  Benny had a cold and Sam had a raging sinus infection.  Though we were only there two days, I had to find a walk-in clinic and get Sam some antibiotics and steroids.  That was an unpleasant morning.  But we got what we needed, and went off to the Gulfarium on our last afternoon there. 

 

The boys loved it.  They watched a dolphin show, a sea lion show, and looked at alligators, fish, penguins, sharks, and otters.  We enjoyed the view of the ocean, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got to pet an otter!

 

After the gulfarium, it was dinner at Golden Corral, which was a big hit for everyone.  Benny even had crab legs!  Then it was one last wild romp on the beach (the boys went crazy) and then a night snuggled in with TV and blankets and Ipads and hot showers after getting so wet and cold.

The next day we headed home with our cold medicine and our sandy clothes and our photos and memories. I hope we get to go again next year!  There is something magical about kids and the beach.  And they won't be "kids" forever.  For now, it's so important to enjoy times like these.

 

 

 Happy New Year!