Ft. Morgan, AL Beach Vacation: Part 2

After we returned from dinner, we lit some candles and celebrated Mykayla's birthday. Then it was time to head out with flashlights and nets to hunt for crabs. Jake was fearless and fast. He could have caught every crab on that beach if we had let him. Grace was still cautious after the events earlier in the day and said, "I don't fink dis is a berry good idea." After a little time though, she warmed up to the adventure. Wes had already gotten all of the screaming like a little girl out of his system the night before when the adults had snuck down there to hunt for them without the kids. Kaylee got a little frustrated with one of the feisty creatures when he refused to let go of her net.









Tuesday was when we had a chance to meet a few of the local seagulls. They were more than happy to eat our box of Cheez-It's and pose for a few pictures. Tim told everyone to hold their arms in the air with a Cheez-It in their hand and the birds would come take it from them. Tim lied, but they still managed to get awfully close to us. We also caught some more jellyfish that we had Tim promptly bury in the sand. I also managed to get Grace back into the ocean. I was beginning to stress out that the jellyfish sting was going to scar her for life. I imagined her being a college co-ed and her friends inviting her along for a trip to the beach over Spring Break and her saying something like, "Well, I'll go, but just to lay out. When I was 4 I was stung all over my body by a jellyfish, so I don't get in the water." Instead she was happy to get in, though this time without an inter tube.









Have I mentioned the view from my lawn chair?? It was spectacular...The entire time we were there. As Tim said so simply on the first day, "It just makes you happy being at the beach."




So, that evening we put on our coordinating clothes, and headed out into the not-so perfect light to capture some family pictures. Tim photographed our family and I photographed the Moore's. Then we each took some pics of our kids and spouses after the family shoots were done.















And here is the collage I made of some of my favorite pics. The collage maker cut off some heads and feet, but it still turned out pretty cute in my opinion.
So, Wednesday we finally had a chance to meet up with Wes' family. We met them at their condo in Orange Beach then headed out to grab a bite to eat. Hunter and Seth (Wes' cousin Lindsey's son) were excited to see each other and we were all happy to finally meet baby Jack (Seth's little brother).




After lunch, we headed back to the condos and visited by the pool while the kids swam. As much as we hated to say goodbye, we all needed to pack for the following day's departure.





When we got back to the house, the Moore's were down on the beach. They told us they hadn't seen a single jellyfish all day, but Tim caught a blue crab and saw two stingrays. Pretty cool, huh? That nmight as we sat out on the porch with him Wes put into words what we were all feeling. He said, "It feels like we're just waiting to be executed." He was right. We were all dreading the drive and the return to our regular lives in Mesquite, Texas. Of course we missed our friends and some of us missed the internet, but it was soooo nice to be able to breathe some fresh air and to see stars for a few days. Oh and it was also nice to get drunk during the week and not have to feel guilty about it. Susan and I packed most everything up that night so we would be prepared for the drive back when morning came. We stopped and grabbed some souveneirs that morning, then we hit the road. The longest freaking road EVER!!!! And it rained A LOT. I snapped a picture of the USS Alabama. And saw a sign that said Texas Street. It got of got me excited about going home, until I realized we were still in Alabam and had a LONG way to go. Man, what a difference the stop in Mississippi on the way down had made. We left Gulf Shores around 11:00 a.m. We stopped for lunch and a couple 5 minute bathroom breaks. We didn't pull into our driveway until around 10:30 that night. The kids were great. They slept a lot..BUT it completely sucked being in the car for that long. Lesson learned..