To the Beach and Back Again!

At last, the laundry is finished, most of the luggage has been put away, and the pictures have all been downloaded. Finally, I can take a moment to tell you about our wonderful trip! My parents, B, C, E, and I all spent last week in Seagrove, Florida. It is about 20 minutes away from Panama City Beach, and we all highly recommend it. It is removed from the more crowded areas and the tourist attractions, but it is close enough to them if you want to hit old favorites like Captain Anderson's restaurant, Pineapple Willy's for a shrimp basket, and the ubiquitous miniature golf. Our condo was super cute, had an amazing huge pool that the kids loved, and was right on the pristine beach with umbrella and chairs provided. There...I sounded like a travel brochure.
We spent the first few days lounging at the beach and in the pool. Both boys adored playing in the sand, and C especially loved jumping and splashing in the waves. The waves got even more fun as the week progressed. Hurricane Ike didn't mess up our trip, but the waves did get humongous (C's word) by the end of the week. By the last day or two, they weren't playable anymore, but they were wondrous to watch.

We did hit PC Beach a couple of times for the above-mentioned
pursuits and to stroll around Pier Park. While at Pier Park, C
and E took on the Bungee Bounce and LOVED LOVED LOVED it!

C was doing backflips and shooting up over the frame which was around 20 feet high. When E got off, he put on his best cocker spaniel eyes and kept begging, "Jump? Jump? Jump?"


One of the cool things about Seagrove was that it is nestled right in the midst of several planned communities, the most recognizable of them being Seaside. Seaside is the unbelievably picturesque town where The Truman Show was filmed.
We spent a day there, wandering through the quaint town circle, hitting the shops, and riding in our surrey bike through the community to see all the uber twee little houses



and the chapel- or the interfaith,
nondenominational place of worship and spiritual growth without specific religious symbolism.









We also visited Rosemary Beach, another planned community near Sea Grove. It is fairly new, but it was beautiful and made you feel like you were strolling streets in Europe.

Some noteworthy dining occurred at Flip Flops Grill where we ate some of the best chili dogs of all time. We also really enjoyed the legit Cajun fair at Blue Orleans. My Dad said it was good, and if HE says it is Cajun, trust me, it is Cajun.

We hit Grayton Beach State Park for some prime family photo opps. It was so beautiful there. There were these groves of trees where you were just walking through a tunnel of foliage. The boys got to climb into some trees, so they gave the park two thumbs up.


All in all, it was a wonderful week. We had some good family time. My parents watched the boys in the mornings so that B and I could sleep in a bit. We all relaxed, rested, and revived. B got some much needed sleep and some even more needed time off from his grueling work schedule. Alas, all good things must come to an end. We are back at home, and B's back at the office. I hope you missed us!