This is the view from the back door of the condo. We put Henry's pack n' play in here so that when we put him to bed at night with his sound machine we could still be awake and watch a movie or TV in the bedroom. That couch pulled out to a queen size bed too which is nice because I am sure we will be back here and bring some family or friends.
This is the view from the front door. The hallway to the right had the full bath with laundry and bedroom and there are twin bunk beds further down the hall.
The bedroom.
My cute little family had a blast here. We immediately got in our swim suits and headed down to the water.
Later we went to the Publix and got a bunch of fresh fruit a frozen pizza and some snacks and drinks to have at the condo along with stuff for lunch and milk for Henry. It was amazing to have our own kitchen and fridge and stove so we could eat there if we wanted to. We made breakfast and lunch there each day and just played on the beach, then showered and went out for dinner each night and came home and watched a movie with Henry before bed. Talk about relaxing.
I got that UV protected 2 sided beach tent on amazon for $24. It was such a great buy because it folds up easily into a tiny little bag and pops back out just as quickly. It was great to get out of the direct sun if needed and have a place to put our stuff.
This water was incredible. Those who know me, know that I DO NOT do dark water. Not even a toe put in. I can't bear it, it freaks me out and if you think I would let my baby go in there either, you're crazy. So this vacation was perfect for me. I was in neck deep at some points in the trip and wasn't scared because I could watch every fish, jelly fish and shark (yes shark). It was perfectly cool in temperature but not cold and calm and clear. Almost like pool water. My kind of ocean.
This was mid day. The beaches were mostly empty.
We loved the seclusion and privacy and it was far more relaxing than a crazy busy touristy beach.
Henry hated the sand at first. We have it all on video tape taking him down to the beach for the first time and it is HILARIOUS! But we got the toys out and showed him how to dig and knock over the sand castles we made and he had an absolute blast.
Ahhh, sandy toes. The best.
But not better than baby sandy toes....
We went to the village of Baytowne Wharf (a cute little marina and area with tons of bars and restaurants and shops to walk around. It was 95 degrees though so we didn't last long. We got some candy and treats from the candy maker which is a fudge and candy store my sister worked at each summer when she lived in Destin.
They had a fun playground for the Hankers.
Then we went to the Shrimp Shack. It's a little place right on the sand in Seaside, FL. We sat in a covered patio right on the water and Taylor had shrimp and I had crab claws. YUM!
The atmosphere was amazing and relaxing.
The company was even better.
Back at the condo for jammies and movie snuggles. The condo had free netflicks so we caught up on lots of Disney movies that we don't own. Henry loved that part.
And I loved the 9 strait nights of snuggles before bed.
Back at the beach the next morning.
Hard to believe but the water was even better the next day. Just more calm and clear.
Henry was using a piece of driftwood as a phone.
Oh hey there baby. I see you!
The next day we went to the Gulfarium Aquarium. It was hot and all outside (another vacay fail) but it was fun and Henry liked watching all the animals.
The dolphin tank was high enough up you could see the ocean in the backround. Such a cool view.
Henry loved the dolphin show. He kept saying GO! and holding his fist in the air and clapping for the dolphins when they jumped and did tricks. Hilarious.
The baby dolphin was SOOO Cute. She wasn't "in" the show but she was practicing doing what her momma and daddy did with her own trainer at the same time.
We came back to this view and I couldn't wait for Henry to wake up from his nap to go down and play!
He did great with the transition and slept 2 hours every day for nap just like at home, which meant momma and daddy slept 2 hours each day too. Yay for family naps.
Someone loves the beach. He was absolutely fearless and would play in the sand for a bit and then just run in a dead sprint to the water. We had to constantly chase him so he didn't just dive in without help. Goober.
A little more seaweed that washed in, but I'm not complaining.
The brown building in the center was our condo. It was such a short convenient walk to the beach and so nice to be able to go up and use the bathroom and grab another drink or whatever.
And the whole time we had a secret we were dying to share!
But we waited until the monday we got home to have our 12 week sono and make sure baby was okay. That didn't stop us from taking fun pictures for our announcement and writing in the sand.
That's me way out there which is HUGE for me that hates water. I took this pic for my cousin and mom and sister so they would believe I went out that far.
We went to the food trucks that stay parked on the street in Seaside. It was only a 10 minute drive from the condo and so fun to try the different things.
I had a pulled pork sandwich and mac n' cheese and it was so good.
Here is the cute little BBQ truck.
The next night we stopped at a fun open air place called pickles that was supposed to have amazing burgers and shakes and world famous fried pickles. Turns out they were the same pickles that come ready made that we get at our little BBQ joint down the street but they are my favorite ones and it was a good taste of home.
This guy is the absolute cutest.
and this post office was almost as cute. I could fit it in my pocket.
We drove into Destin and went to fudpuckers to see the gator beach. This was one of the little guys you could hold.
And they had big kibbles (which I'm sure were big dog food kibbles that we paid far too much for) that you clipped onto a rope and that was tied to a cane pole and fed the gators. Taylor was more interested than Henry.
And back to the beach.
More seaweed and TONS of jellies this day but not the day after. It's so weird how the ocean changes every minute it seems.
And my favorite meal of the trip (and the reason I go to florida) the grouper sandwich. This one was phenominal!
We ended the trip with a beautiful sunset thanks to Hurricane Erika rolling in.
We drove home the following saturday and stayed in Nashville again, not without stopping off at the loveless cafe again. I got us another 2 room suite for a whopping $109 so we could let Henry sleep like normal.
And were thrilled to come back home to our comfy little house that is full of dog hair tumbleweeds instead of sand and our fluffy pup instead of jellyfish and crabs. We had the trip of a lifetime but it's always good to be home.
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