Family Vacation

 How do I even begin this post as my heart is so full?

I have had a hard year since last June. The events of the last 12 months have taken a toll on me, and I am sure it is obvious even here on the blog where I try to post my happiest of days and thoughts. I certainly got my cup filled and my body and mind recharged this week. I am so grateful, so indulge me while I post tons of pictures for my family to relive our vacation.

We went to our favorite place to recharge on the beach and bay of Cape San Blas. It is a unique place left in a state that looks so different even from my 60+ years. The bay is not fed by a river, but is actually Gulf of Mexico waters so it makes for a unique ecosystem and such amazing beauty. Over the years we have stayed on the bay and gulf side of the cape. This year we actually stayed at the bottom of the U which is shown in red on the following picture. This area was breached by Michael which is coming up on its 6th year anniversary in October. It will always be easy to remember its date due to Tucker being born a week later, but honestly, here in the south we know our storms by name.

We arrived to the rental on Wednesday about 4:00 and immediately the boys wanted to go to the water, but the adults were thinking what a view we had. We really didn't know we were going to be that lucky.

The screened in porch was across the back and became a hot spot of activity when we were at the house. You could hear the waves and soak up that salty air. I only needed a bed out there and I would have slept there each night.

One only had to walk down the boardwalk and then sandy trail to the beach. Even Gus got to see the beach for the first time. He only gets to go by boat to our bay, but dogs are not allowed on beaches here.

The vibe and the amount of people is nothing like our beach. It is not prettier, just a whole lot less crowded. More about that in a bit.

As soon as the word was given after unpacking and getting supper on the table, the family headed down and although the boys were in shorts from the drive they were in the water despite any objections from parents.

Now, Jeff did not try to walk that path to the beach, but he was able to do so much. He just didn't want to try and wade through the sand with his foot which is a story too.

In this next picture, you may notice Palmer's head is under water. I am not sure if he meant to do that, but he never said a word. Katie noticed it after the pictures were made. He is right in front of Tucker. 

Gus got to go down 2 days and swim and walk. He behaved very well and was very good at the house. I think he had a good time too. He didn't particularly like getting left for the boat rides, but he and Hallie (Lindsay's elder dog) did well.

The next 2 days we got up and after breakfast headed out for a boat ride on St. Joe Bay. All we had to do was drive to the state park which on the map is the northern third of the cape. We loaded on our pontoon boat and on the first day went to multiple spots on the bay. Paul Allen and Tyler handled everything so Jeff got to sit back and enjoy the ride. I truly can't say enough about how grateful I am for my children. They have helped me so much and made this trip one for my history book.

The second day we pretty much anchored at one location that was shallow enough for swimming and near the grasses for snorkeling. The darker water in the pictures has grass with tons of life in it. Scallops, sand dollars, starfish, and sea urchins to name a few.

The pictures of our boating are in no particular order...

When we left on the first day out on the boat, the guy at the launch kept talking about how crowded it would be. We smiled and were polite. I know he thinks it is crowded. He just has no idea. We go there to see the old real Florida; the Florida that Jeff and I remember. We may have seen 40 boats over the course of the day. Fort Walton Beach and Destin have exploded. That is nothing like what we have here. 

We boated from 9:30 to 1:30 and actually less the second day. Children are supposed to take naps. Not a lot of that happened but truthfully, they were amazing and so happy.

Each of the kids and their family took a night to cook supper, so no one had a ton to do. We ate sandwiches for lunch. I started breakfast each morning, but everyone chipped in with clean up, so it was not too much on anyone. That is the thing about the cape, if you go there you will not be going out for meals. There is one restaurant on the cape and a store for beach gear. It is full of houses to rent and camping grounds. 

We put puzzles together and played Phase 9, a card game. The kids played some game outside Paul Allen brought, used bubbles, and made up lots of fun activities led by Tucker.

                                     

Lindsay brought sparklers for the 4th. Since, CSB is on Eastern time, no child could wait until dark. Even the adults didn't wait up after a day on the water.

Much fun was had by all of us. The boys played hard, the kids relaxed and much more than I am sharing occurred, but I think enough is here to remember that it was a wonderful family vacation. I hold all plans these days loosely and this is one that I will be forever grateful that we got to do together.

The biggest news came on the first evening, with this being found first by Jeff and Lindsay. It didn't take me as long this time to catch on....

Paul Allen and Katie are blessing us with grandchild #4 in January. Truly blessed!!!!!!!!!!!

A few individual family shots to end up this post.

Palmer had worn himself out but he was doing his best to hang on for the grandparent picture.

I can't take credit for the cute pajamas. Lindsay got them.

I did get the cute shirts though. 

That is a wrap on a family vacation. We arrived home today and leave for Jacksonville on Monday to go to Mayo. I am hoping for lots, but at the same time I don't know what to expect if anything. We just have to find a way to move forward with hope that there are still good days left for Jeff. I won't go into more than that at the moment. For now, I am just thankful for the family time we had.