Destin

Just four days after returning home from Ohio, we packed up Papa and Mimi's Highlander and were off like a herd of turtles to gorgeous Destin, Florida.  With little bit being almost ten months old- and extremely active- at the time, we didn't think we'd make it to Florida in one day.  Instead of leaving early in the morning, we left mid-day and spent the night in Lafayette, LA.  She did great armed with a Backyardigans-filled iPad, lots of snacks, and an entertaining Mimi.  After a night in Louisiana, we were up early the next morning and hit the road for our final destination.

We'd never been to the beach for longer than a couple of days, but we were looking for a longer getaway than that.  Not being sure if a whole week would be too long, we went with five nights.  (In retrospect, a week would not be too long!)  When booking the condo, my only real requirement was that it was right on the beach.  It is too difficult with a baby to have to pack up and walk a long way with all the beach necessities.  I found an excellent condo in Miramar Beach, just barely east of Destin.  It was absolutely perfect.  Far enough outside of Destin to not be too congested and a first floor unit where we could walk out of our patio doors to the pool and the stairs that lead to the sand.  We will definitely stay there again and would recommend it to anyone!

One really great thing about our condo was that it came with beach service- beach umbrellas and lounge chairs.  We'd get down to the sand early each morning to stake our claim on chairs and enjoy the gorgeous view and perfect breezes.  Emily had so much fun!  The first day she wasn't sure about the sand, but by day two, she was loving it.  She especially loved eating it!  The weather was amazing and we spent most of our time on the beach.  We had two meals a day at the condo and ate out for the third.  Destin has some really fun restaurants.  Our favorites were The Back Porch, Hard Rock Cafe, and Cheeseburger in Paradise.

After a fun five days, we reluctantly packed back up and headed home.  We decided to try to do it all in one day and we made it home around 8:30 pm.  Emily was such a trooper!  Our next trip will definitely be a one day voyage.  We can't wait to go back to Destin!  Hopefully next year!

I LOVE the beach!

The view from our porch

Heaven on Earth

Emmy and Mommy in matching dresses at Fudpucker's

Emmy with Papa.  I love this picture.

Playing with the stroller Papa bought for her at Cracker Barrel

The girls!

Mimi and Emmy

Look at those eyelashes!  This girl was a busy bee in the sand.

Soaking up the sun with Daddy

Sleepy Girl

Yummy carrots at the Hard Rock Cafe

Papa and Mimi at The Back Porch

Our family of three

Loving the Mardi Gras beads from Mimi and Papa's night out

Yeah, I'm cute.

Such a refined lady in her wide brimmed hat

Papa and Mimi at Baytowne Wharf

Yup.  This is the best one we got.

My favorite people