You might think I'm crazy, and you might be right, but this morning I awakened my babes at 5am, piled their sleepy bods into the car, and hit the road for the sunny shores of Destin!
I am so glad we chose to leave before the crack of dawn because we were able to hit the beach, pool and hot tub after our 8 hour drive and a quick jaunt to the local Publix for beach-friendly (read: minimal prep) meals! Happy, happy, happy.
We drove through the beautiful hills of southern Tennesse, through farmlands blanketed in early morning fog.
Through the mist the light of a farmhouse glowed and I wished I could stop and watch the farmer's world come to life.
We watched the sun rise as we crossed into Alabama and I consumed a giant cup of coffee to combat the consequences of a late night of packing combined with the early morning alarm. Kids slept off and on for the first few hours and then we stopped at Whataburger in Birmingham because, well, this mama loves Whataburger (childhood memories...I'm sure there is some Freudian explanation) and there is not a single one within three hours of home!
By this time, in the world of a 7 year old, we should certainly be "almost there," right? We got back on the road after eating breakfast and I am not even kidding when I tell you he asked if it was time for lunch! I had told him earlier that we would get there "after lunch" so I guess he was trying to speed up the process. We drove and drove...
and drove...
and I listened to talk radio. Lots of it. The little kids were zoned into their movie and the big kids had their ipods so it was just me, Glenn Beck, and Fox News with a little Dr. Laura mixed in for kicks. (If you had any question as to my political leanings, I guess I just answered that.) Getting fired up over politics and bad decision making is my guaranteed and preferred method of staying awake on long drives. Yes, I sometimes argue with the radio. Out loud. My kids are used to it.
Finally we arrived at beautiful Blue Mountain Beach. We checked in, unloaded, bought the above-mentioned groceries and walked out onto the pristine white sand. The kids ran to the water, screamed, and ran back...it was COLD! But, as any kid will attest, rarely is water cold enough to keep little bodies out for long. They adjusted to the temperature and were soon jumping waves and turning cartwheels as the sun descended behind the glimmering horizon. I snapped photos right and left and smiled as they laughed. We found a seashell and a section of sand dollar before they wanted to try the heated pool and then the hot tub.
At last we went up to our room and my sweet Katie said, "Thank you, mama."
"For what?"
"For bringing us here. It is so fun."
And it has only just begun, my girl.
Dinner was supermarket sushi and fruit, then we settled down to tackle a bit of school.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention this is a "working" vacation! I even packed my electric pencil sharpener! Little kids worked on math and big kids tackled science, math, and a little journaling. I face-timed my dear hubby who will be joining us on Thursday and teased him with a photo of tonight's incredible sunset. He responded with a photo of his office. Bless him.
Now the littles are in bed, the bigs are winding down, and here I sit journaling while watching an episode of Sherlock on my Kindle.
A good day, don't you think?
I leave you with this...a bit of inspiration after watching God show off in the form of sunset over the ocean. Being near the sea always, always brings this song to my mind and heart. There is nothing like Creation to draw us near to the majesty of our endlessly creative God!
And a couple more...just to rub it in.
Not that I would do that.
I am so glad we chose to leave before the crack of dawn because we were able to hit the beach, pool and hot tub after our 8 hour drive and a quick jaunt to the local Publix for beach-friendly (read: minimal prep) meals! Happy, happy, happy.
We drove through the beautiful hills of southern Tennesse, through farmlands blanketed in early morning fog.
Through the mist the light of a farmhouse glowed and I wished I could stop and watch the farmer's world come to life.
We watched the sun rise as we crossed into Alabama and I consumed a giant cup of coffee to combat the consequences of a late night of packing combined with the early morning alarm. Kids slept off and on for the first few hours and then we stopped at Whataburger in Birmingham because, well, this mama loves Whataburger (childhood memories...I'm sure there is some Freudian explanation) and there is not a single one within three hours of home!
By this time, in the world of a 7 year old, we should certainly be "almost there," right? We got back on the road after eating breakfast and I am not even kidding when I tell you he asked if it was time for lunch! I had told him earlier that we would get there "after lunch" so I guess he was trying to speed up the process. We drove and drove...
and drove...
and I listened to talk radio. Lots of it. The little kids were zoned into their movie and the big kids had their ipods so it was just me, Glenn Beck, and Fox News with a little Dr. Laura mixed in for kicks. (If you had any question as to my political leanings, I guess I just answered that.) Getting fired up over politics and bad decision making is my guaranteed and preferred method of staying awake on long drives. Yes, I sometimes argue with the radio. Out loud. My kids are used to it.
Finally we arrived at beautiful Blue Mountain Beach. We checked in, unloaded, bought the above-mentioned groceries and walked out onto the pristine white sand. The kids ran to the water, screamed, and ran back...it was COLD! But, as any kid will attest, rarely is water cold enough to keep little bodies out for long. They adjusted to the temperature and were soon jumping waves and turning cartwheels as the sun descended behind the glimmering horizon. I snapped photos right and left and smiled as they laughed. We found a seashell and a section of sand dollar before they wanted to try the heated pool and then the hot tub.
At last we went up to our room and my sweet Katie said, "Thank you, mama."
"For what?"
"For bringing us here. It is so fun."
And it has only just begun, my girl.
Dinner was supermarket sushi and fruit, then we settled down to tackle a bit of school.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention this is a "working" vacation! I even packed my electric pencil sharpener! Little kids worked on math and big kids tackled science, math, and a little journaling. I face-timed my dear hubby who will be joining us on Thursday and teased him with a photo of tonight's incredible sunset. He responded with a photo of his office. Bless him.
Now the littles are in bed, the bigs are winding down, and here I sit journaling while watching an episode of Sherlock on my Kindle.
A good day, don't you think?
I leave you with this...a bit of inspiration after watching God show off in the form of sunset over the ocean. Being near the sea always, always brings this song to my mind and heart. There is nothing like Creation to draw us near to the majesty of our endlessly creative God!
And a couple more...just to rub it in.
Not that I would do that.
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
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