Ah, life’s a beach—well, it was this week anyway!

The Dillards took a drive down scenic Highway 30-A for a week in the sun.  We found a little quaint area between Destin and Seaside called Blue Mountain Beach and made it our home for the week.  By quaint, I mean quiet (really, really quiet).  Since we were late taking vacation this year, there weren’t many families vacationing at the same time. Let’s just say that Max livened the place up for the local retirees for the week.

 

 Lots of fun firsts and other learning experiences from the week.  Here’s my top five!
1)     I saw my first real-life, not-confined-to-a-tank shark.  Albeit only about three feet long, it is unnerving to say the least when you are standing in the ocean watching it and knowing that the other 2/3s of your family is further out playing in the surf.  I get points for not impulsively waving and screaming “SHARK” for the other dozen people within ear shot.  Two more sightings later, and we took the hint and moved up the beach a bit.  I have seen way, way, way too much Shark Week in the last four years.

2)    Max got to experience his first real trip to an arcade.  This is as touristy as the Dillards get, but what else do you do on a rain day?  Forty dollars later, we have a fabulous stuffed snake to show for it.  I’m sure you’ll be able to find it in next summer’s garage sale!

 

 

3)    Who knew that water spouts were real??  I’m from Lawrenceburg--when I see a funnel cloud, I run for the basement.  However, at the beach, it is apparently perfectly normal to stand, watch and take pictures.  Totally odd.

4)    We learned that pools are totally overrated.  One week of vacation and we entered the pool once for about 15 minutes.  The little man quickly learned the complete excitement of a boogie board and everything else just paled in comparison.

5)    Max really is 50/50 Dillard versus Alexander.  Although I’ll own the fact that his dramatics come from yours truly, his germaphobic tendencies are all-Daddy.  He is a walking, talking contradiction.  The kiddo will be so filthy that he can make soup out of bathwater, but get a speck of sand in his flip flop or a drop of syrup on his shirt and the world stops.

Our drive home was just as entertaining--Max sang along to "Hakuna Matata" about 413 times and announced just north of Birmingham that his "bottom hurt".  He's not used to all that sitting--or really even sitting at all:)

Such a fun and restful week of recharging!!  Brandon will now be recouping from the 8 hours of close confinement with this two of us:)