Spring Break

A favorite destination spot for Kentuckians is Destin, Florida. So after living here for almost 10 years, we finally decided it was time to check it out.

Using Brad's hotel points, we stayed at a wonderful Marriott Hotel at Sandestin Resort.

 

The first beach we went to was the Sandestin Beach, right next to the resort hotels.

This beach was quite busy, with lots of families, and plenty to do, like para sailing.

There were also plenty of great places to eat,

like "Hamburger Paradise",

and "Bayou Bill's"

which had the most delicious grab legs,

and interesting decor!

But on Easter Sunday, we ate in.

Also on Sunday, we did some sight-seeing at a quaint little town called Seaside  (unfortunately the "Duckies" shop was closed, so Aubrey could only dream about the various duckies inside).

But there were plenty of other sites to see,

and beautiful beaches to explore along the South Walton coastline.

On Monday, we had fun shopping at the Silver Sands Outlet stores, and did more sight-seeing along Old Scenic Hwy 98 and the Emerald Coast Pkwy where we explored all of the Fort Walton Beaches.

Everywhere we went there were amazing beaches, oyster bars, and souvenir shops where you could find anything,

even a bottle of shells with Brittney's name spelled correctly!

The girls had fun watching the surfers

and walking the beaches, boardwalks, and peer of Okaloosa Island.

The thing that surprised me the most was the varied landscapes,

  and unique shrubbery along the beaches.

The other wonderful thing about the beaches of Destin was how different they all were.

You could spend a day with tons of tourist and people doing a million different beach activities,

or enjoy the peaceful tranquility of beaches that were almost deserted.

The kids, of course, enjoyed the latter of the two!

The sand was so fine and soft along the Santa Rosa Sound,

and the water was the perfect temperature.

The kids also enjoyed sun bathing, body surfing,

and just soaking up the sun after a very long, cold Spring in Kentucky.

Destin Harborwalk and Marina was also so fun to explore with it's 

many hotels with interesting architecture,

cobblestone paths,

more oyster bars,

and super fun family entertainment. . .

There were also plenty of things to do and see that required no money at all,

like checking out the yachts

(and dreaming you owned one)

  watching the fishing boats come and go

with their large 

and small catches of the day,

watching the pelicans eat the discarded fish,

bonding over fun photo moments,

and exploring yet more beaches and awesome bridges.

We had the time of our lives at Destin, and even Brad, who was sceptical about going, said he would go there again in a heartbeat!

Expose: Holiday Celebrities Tell All!

 Merinda was the Thanksgiving Turkey in her middle school play, "Expose:Holiday Celebrities Tell All".

 Here "The Big Three" or Santa, Easter Bunny, and Thanksgiving Turkey, are expressing their celebrity woes to the world. 

Then two over zealous hunters, "Betsy" and "Bubba", accidently shoot Rudolph's nose off into the sky,

and "Sky" and "Moonbeam" try to put the Easter Bunny out of business because "Animals are people too".

The Thanksgiving Turkey, in cognito, tries to attend an addiction support group (for eating too much corn) and ends up fleeing for her life while being chased by a room full of hungry, disgruntled addicts.

Merinda's good friend, Lily Thomas, played the group counselor.

The Toothfairy (and yes, this young man is only a 7th grader!) is tired of wearing tights and a tutu, and dealing with needy people.

The Leprechaun (Also a middle-schooler) is tired of everyone thinking he is rich with his pot of gold, or belongs on the front of a cereal box.

Cupid's argument is certainly understandable, how come he has no Valentine to call his own?

And the problems just escalate as another spoiled child (who stole her classmate's two front teeth in order to get 50 cents) demands payment,

poor little Leprechaun's dreams of owning his own retaurant are crushed,

  Cupid fails to find his true-love despite repeated attempts at "speed-dating",

 

and the Bald Eagle, who is finally able to conect with someone who understands that he isn't really bald,

is once again rejected after nosey tourists expound on the fact that Bald Eagles are bald, and thus the reason for the name. 

In the end, all the holiday celebrities go on strike in hopes of living a "normal" existance.

Brad and I absolutely loved watching this play. The middle-schoolers did a phenomanal job, and we couldn't help laughing through the entire play.

There are also a few things I learned about casting middle-schoolers: they can really act, and are about as diverse as they come. You have your middle schoolers who look like they belong in second grade, and others who can grow full beards, which made the play that much more entertaining!