Oh Destin, how we missed you! Your warm weather, powdered sugar soft sand, and splashing waves. When Shane suggested a road trip over Thanksgiving break, we all said "YES"! Despite having to spend over 20 hours driving, we knew it would be well worth it.
So once again, we loaded up our crew, plus the ever-so-helpful Uncle Jason, along with all the things we would need for the week into a giant Ford Transit and took off in the wee morning hours. We rolled into Nashville late that evening and then headed off again the next morning to our final destination, Destin Florida!
We stayed at the same VRBO as last time - a 3 bedroom house in the gated community of East Destin, complete with its own heated pool and golf cart. Every day we'd spend hours splashing away in the pool. It was as warm as a bathtub which meant we could enjoy the water from the early morning hours well into the evening.
While everyone else swam, Owen, in all his teenage glory, simply could not be pulled away from his computer to come take a dip. He spent so much time sprawled out on the couch that by the end of the week, there was an Owen shaped imprint in the cushions.
The weather was a bit colder than on our visit in March so we weren't able to enjoy the Community Pool. It was just too cold compared to the warmth of our private pool. But Cole and Uncle Jason did venture over to enjoy the hot tub.
Cruising around town on the golf cart was another highlight of the trip. Everyone loved loading up to go for a drive. It was just a 4 seater so we had to really squeeze to fit all 8 of us on. There may have been some disagreements about who got to sit where when it was fully loaded.
Our rental house was just a 5 minute drive to the beach, and the golf cart was the perfect mode of transportation - no wet, sandy bums getting in the car! We cruised over to the beach every day. The weather was nearly perfect with gentle waves and powder soft sand.
A couple days into our trip, Owen discovered that the current had created a shallow plateau in what would appear much deeper waters. Of course Rose had to explore along beside him despite our calls to get closer to shore. I'm pretty sure I got a few more gray hairs while they were on their little adventure.
Aria would get tired sitting on the beach for such a long time every day. But on the last day of our trip, Owen had the genius idea of digging her a hole to sit in. It gave her just enough trunk support to help her sit up without having to work so hard.
This trip, we decided to take an excursion to try something new with the kids - a sail boat ride! We set sail with Captain Pam on a chilly morning. The water was too choppy to go out of the bay, but we still had a good time (although a few more gray hairs with too many non-swimmers on a very bouncy sail boat!)
Captain Pam was dead set on finding us dolphins and that's exactly what she did!
We had an amazing week in Destin. It was as relaxing as a vacation could be with 5 kids. We can't wait to return. Until next time, Destin!
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