Vacation '08

Well, we're back from our week of rest and relaxation.....yeah, right! Ha ha! We didn't rest nearly as much as we thought we would, but we were able to unplug from work and all the day to day stuff and enjoy spending time with each other. We spent 6 wonderful days in Destin, Florida and yes, we weathered our first (and pray our last) Tropical Storm, Hurricane Gustav. The Lord truly intervened and kept our family safe. We had some wind and the surf was bigger than normal, but it only rained from about midnight Sunday until lunch on Monday. From what we heard upon our return, conditions were much worse here while we were away.

We want to give a shout out to our Floriday buddies, The Ekensairs. While we didn't travel with them, we happened to be in Destin the same week and met up one evening for shaved ice and to let the girls play together.

Here are some pics from the trip.

Looking East along the coast on Sunday morning...before Gustav.

Looking West along the coast on Monday...during Gustav. The boardwalk in this picture is the entrance from our building to the beach. It is usually about 50 yards from the water's edge.

Face off...Graice and Lexie were the bird police while on the beach. They shooed the birds away whenever they got too close.

John and the girls walking in the water

Dinner at Hard Rock. The girls really liked the oranges!

The girls with their new pets they made at 'Build-a-Bear'. Gracie's elephant is Sally and Lexie's puppy is, well, Puppy.

Just hanging out in the condo before dinner

Gracie absolutely loved being on the beach and in the pool.

Lexie liked the beach too, as long as she could hold someone's hand!

John and Gracie riding go-karts. They had a blast. Lexie will be tall enough next year.

For now Lexie has to make do with the Merry-Go-Round.