Paradise found...

That's how I feel every time we pull into Sandestin... ahhh, paradise! My in-laws were so sweet to let us use their condo last week before our little family of 4 becomes 5. September/October is one of my favorite times down there because everyone has gone back to school, the weather is perfect, and it is so peaceful.

I've often said I could live there... that is, if every member of my family and all of my friends since birth uprooted and moved. I would also need Dr. Coffman from Highland Pediatric, all of the preschool teachers at Hixson Presbyterian, my adored OB/GYN, and my favorite drive thru teller from Regions.

The only thing lacking in Destin (besides all of those people) is a Captain D's. Believe me, I have scoured the city and nada one in sight. I did find an adequate replacement for my sweet tea fetish in McCallisters, but I don't know how long that would last. The drive thru window is technically just for "call-in orders", but I claim I'm from out of town and keep forgetting, and then secretly feel them scowl at me as I pull off.

We did the typical "Florida" things... pool, beach, playground, golf (I just drive the cart), eating seafood, shopping. Can you believe I only bought Gerby two little $8 outfits down there. I'm trying to pace myself. It's hard... girl shopping is SO much more fun than boy shopping. I may have to go back to work to support my habit! ha!

This time we ventured out onto Jolee Island (which is in Sandestin) and discovered we had it all to ourselves! So I went back to the condo and got Ginger and she got to swim in the bay. She loved it!
Jimmy got some good baby bump/big brother pictures on the point one night before sunset. I turned 20 weeks while we were there, so she's halfway here!


After our photo shoot, they did a little fishing...

Trace played his first "official" hole of golf once Sisty and Granddaddy got there at the end of the week. They even kept his score on the scorecard. He shot a 23... 14 in the fairway, and 9 on the green.

They asked us to join them on the last few holes of their round one day and it took nearly 2 hours to play 3 holes... don't know that we'll be invited back again. He loves it though and of course they think he's just wonderful.

The next Phil Michelson. (I used to say Tiger Woods, but... shame on you Tiger)

Teeing it up...First drive...
Begging for Daddy's juice...


It's goin' that way...
Yes... sunk it!
He's more of a "dragger" than a putter. Not much of a backward/forward motion yet, it's more like a slow drag to the hole. The greens keeper probably cringes watching from the clubhouse.


BP, in an effort to make nice with the Emerald Coast, scheduled a free "Back to the Beach" concert with Vince Gill while we were there. The day of, they shut the whole place down, and went to work preparing the driving range of the Links golf course for 10,000 people. There was a shuttle running that took people in and out the one and only entrance into Sandestin. It was wild!

Trace was so excited to go to his first concert. He met a little girl named Hannah on the golf course, and after they played and ran, he gave her a big hug and said, "See you at the concert!" It was like a little date... so cute!!

Waiting for Vince (self portrait)...

Minutes before he was to go on, the heavens opened up and it poured, soaking everyone to the bone. The shuttles started up again and most everyone left. We sat, drenched until it cleared out and then went back to the condo to change clothes and waited to see if it was canceled.

Jimmy and I went back about an hour later and walked right up in front of the stage. 10,000 people had quickly become less than fifteen hundred but the show must go on, and he didn't disappoint! I would have sat there for hours, soaked to my undies, to hear him sing Go Rest High on that Mountain.

THE TRAIN! THE TRAIN! This was probably the highlight of his trip.
The boys rode the train that runs through the middle of Destin Commons.

I passed.

Honestly, I was afraid I'd get stuck in the little door you had to climb through to get in. (Now that would have been a Kodak moment.)

When I called my mom to tell her we were home safe and sound, she said her and my dad had been laughing about "poor Jimmy" having to drive his 5-month pregnant wife, 14-year-old geriatric dog (that birthed 6 puppies) and a preschooler drinking Sonic slushies home. It's a miracle we made it back to Chattanooga without catheters and a Route 44 cup full of tee-tee!

God willing, the next time we go to Destin, we will have a healthy baby girl to tote along... along with a pack and play, breast pump, stroller, exersaucer, bouncy seat, blah, blah, blah, blah...