Florida Getaway!

So, after 11 1/2 years of marriage, Cubby and I finally were able to get away for some R&R!  I tagged along with him on one of his adviser trips to Pensacola, Florida.  He met with the client Friday morning for 3 hrs and then we had the rest of the weekend to ourselves!  It was awesome.

Now, who is watching our darling children??  Cubby's parents drove all the way from Michigan and held down the fort while we were away!  No small task, mind you.  But, having raised 8 kids of their own, they were well-versed in chaos and we couldn't have been more grateful that they would sacrifice so much time, money, and even sanity to give us some time away. 

Now, the great thing about NOT having been on a non-kid vacation for quite some time (bc let's face it, vacations with your kids are not vacations, they're just a lot of work wrapped up in kid-centered fun times) is that even getting delayed in an airport is still a vacation bc you don't have to entertain anyone!  And, coming out of Omaha we were delayed, but honestly, it was great bc I got to sit next to my best friend and read a book.  Yup, sounds like a vacation to me!

While Cubby was in his meeting, I went running, got showered, and got ready.  Then, I watched a little TV.  Sound typical?  Not so.  I got to do all of these without having to meet anyone else's needs first!  And, on my own time and at my own pace.  (It's seriously the little things that make me happy!)

After Cubby's meeting Friday afternoon, we drove down and had lunch at a funny little place called Flounders.  They had all kinds of old fisherman's boats (yes, boats), fishing gear, and other all things fishing related.  They had this coconut dipping sauce for their shrimp that was to DIE for.  Unfortunately, they were not giving out the recipe.  (I asked.)  Boo.

 After lunch we walked out the back of the restaurant and onto some of the softest beaches I've ever been on!  Now, even though it wasn't sunny (or all that warm by Florida standards), it was still just so beautiful.  Cubby was thrilled bc no sun/heat meant no sunburn for his delicate skin :-).

 As we were strolling down the beach, we started noticing the shells!  Shelling turned out to be one of our favorite things to do on this vacation!

We also met little friends like this sting ray while we were shelling!

Cubby was a GREAT sheller!

Me and my Honey!

Friday night we met up with some old church friends who had moved down to Pensacola the year before.  We ate a a very happening place called McGuire's.  Inside the restaurant/bar there are dollar bills pinned up EVERYWHERE.  Our waitress told us that there is 1.8 million dollars in $1 bills!  Crazy.

Saturday morning, Cubby and I did something previously unheard of...we woke up EARLY.  On VACATION.  We got up at 6:00 in the hopes of seeing the sunrise on the beach and nabbing some whole sand dollars!  And, according to our friends, the Hogans, the best beach for shells and sand dollars was about a half hour drive to Navarre.  Well, it was too cloudy to see the sunrise, but we did luck out with some great shells and sand dollars!  It was just amazing to hear the ocean, feel (and hear) the sand (it squeaks in your toes!), and to see the miles of vastness in front of you.  It was a very serene and humbling morning.

We made a new friend on the beach!

Saturday afternoon we drove out to the end of the peninsula to Fort Pickens.  It's an old army fort that reminded me a lot of LOST.  Very neat to walk around.

Cubby the Lamanite.  (Yes, I am aware that he is too pale to be a Lamanite :-)...that's why this picture is funny.)

Saturday night, before dinner we headed out for a little shopping (had to bring the kiddos back a little something!).  I found a hat!  Normally, unless it's cold outside, I'm not a huge hat person, but this little fedora was too cute to pass on.  (This pictures is blurry, but it shows "the hat" :-).)
After shopping, we went to a fancy restaurant called The Grand Marlin.  The food was fresh and very yummy.

Sunday morning, we checked out of our little hotel and headed for the airport....back to reality!

On the last day, the sun came out!  However, it was only about 40 degrees so it gave us a preview of the chilly weather that awaited us upon our return home!  (Well, now 40 degrees would feel balmy, but for Florida, it was freezing!)

A final picture at the airport!

I can't find the words to say how wonderful a complete getaway felt.  To be "Kathleen" and "Cubby" rather than "Mommy" and "Daddy" was really nice.  To spend time with my best friend was awesome.  We are so grateful that Cubby's parents would come and watch the children for us so we could do this.  It made me realize that I don't want to wait another 11 1/2 years before we do this again!!

(On a side note, we almost had to take Miss Juliana with us as she wasn't weaned until about a week before we left!  But, thankfully and almost miraculously, she got weaned and we were able to leave her with Gma and Gpa.  Good thing too, b/c the travel days would have been horrible with her b/c of the delays and 2 layovers!)