Destin with Friends!!!

We got back Sunday night (well, more like early Monday morning but I'll mention that in a bit) from a wonderful trip to Destin with our friends the Hubbells and Brawders from Louisiana. We left mid-week and stopped in Atlanta to see my fabulous friend Kelly and her family. We enjoyed watching Drew play with her boys, Clay (almost 4) and Austin (15 months). They are adorable and super sweet! We devoured two huge pizzas and some wine and had a blast talking and laughing all night. It was a great start to the vacation! Thanks Kel for your splendid hospitality! Can't wait to see you in Columbia for the LSU/South Carolina game in October!!!

When we left Atlanta we made a stop for George to check out some work stuff before heading to our destination, beautiful San Destin, FL. We were thrilled to see our friends and I was almost brought to tears by Cristina's beautiful pregnant belly!!! She is due in November and looks like a million bucks! We enjoyed a few days of perfect weather on the gorgeous beach. I forgot how much I love Destin. I have to say the water was every bit as beautiful as the Bahamas. We met a family that owns a place in Destin and said it was the most gorgeous conditions they've ever seen. Maybe it was the calm before the storm? Who knows but we are thankful we got so lucky! The water was perfectly still, a refreshing temperature and we never saw a cloud in the sky. Drew had the time of his life playing with Brendan, the Brawders two year old son. They became fast pals and played very nicely the entire visit. I recall only hearing a couple of "no's" and "mine" which were probably brought on by the watering can they both loved. Our days were spent getting to the beach early to build the "nest" of umbrellas, one tent, chairs, sand toys, and coolers. We took turns sitting in the condo while the boys napped and then we spent the afternoon and evenings back on the beach. We left Sunday morning just as the wind and rain was coming in from hurricane Gustav. Fortunately, all is well in Louisiana and our friends don't have to worry about returning to devastation. The ride home wasn't as relaxing as the ride there because we decided to drive straight through. We made a long stop in Alabama for George to do some more work so our drive home was over 15 hours. Ouch! Drew was an absolute angel until hour 12 and then he was miserable - who can blame him? He couldn't get comfortable in his car seat so never fell asleep. We stopped to get Bailey at my sister's house after 11pm and he was devastated to find out that wasn't our final destination. He was beside himself when we backed out of her driveway, we assume he hoped Cristie would save him! Poor guy! When we pulled in our garage after midnight, he got out of the car seat and gave me the biggest hug I've ever received. He was truly thrilled to be free and George and I felt terrible for putting him through such a long ride. After sleeping till 10:30am Monday morning and then taking a 5 hour nap Monday afternoon, Drew is back in action!!! What a trooper!

I've posted quite a few pictures below from our trip. They got out of order somehow...

Playing with the watering can. This provided endless moments of fun for the boys. They loved pouring the water on our feet. It was also a way to keep them busy so we could sit in a beach chair and enjoy a beer before it boiled.
"Booooaaaaat" as Drew says it! This was really fun for the boys and they loved being pushed and pulled through the water.
Enjoying the sandbar. It created a perfect little "pool" for the boys to play in.

Drew and Brendan planning their next move.
The dudes!
Drew loves wearing adult shoes, even at the beach!

Drew and I with Kelly and her darling boys Austin and Clay.
Brendan and Drew chillin' on the couch.
The boys are ready to pack the cooler and get to the beach!
Taking a break for a snack. It's the only way to keep Drew seated in the shade so we had plenty of snack breaks!
Drew takes his truck obsession to the beach.

One more thing to mention...We left Drew's lovey, a blue duck from Aunt Betty, in the condo. I have heard horror stories from others about leaving a lovey behind and now I've experienced the blow. The duck was on top of Drew's suitcase while George and I were taking trips to the car. We assume Drew grabbed it and then left it in the bedroom. We didn't notice until we were a couple of hours down the road and I leaned over the backseat to grab the duck. My heart sank when I didn't see it. We pulled over and searched the entire car. After a call to our friends, we learned it was left at the condo. Thankfully they are planning to Fed Ex it to us but nighttime and nap time haven't been easy without it.