Day 3 in Sweet Home

Note: This is part 3 of our Alabama trip... scroll down to "Sweet Home Alabama" to start from the beginning and work your way up (you will actually have to click on "older posts" at the bottom of the page and it should be the first one) or just click HERE.

Day 3

Our third day in Gulf Shores was the warmest by far, and yet we didn't start the day on the beach. Instead we drove into nearby Fort Morgan and took the ferry to Dauphin Island. Since the ride was across Mobile Bay, the water was very calm. We saw a few interesting ships, and some of the off shore natural gas drilling rigs. We even glimpsed a few dolphins swimming, though they didn't come very close to the ferry. The boys - especially Eli - were in HEAVEN. Eli later said that the ferry ride was his favorite activity of the entire trip.

Old Fort Morgan

Tree frog I found in the outhouse of all places!The ferry ride

The reason for the Dauphin Island trip was to tour the Estuarium. We learned a little bit about the various habitats in the region and the importance each plays (river deltas, swamp and marsh lands, fresh and saltwater). The most interesting thing we noted is that the Island itself was literally cut in half by hurricane Katrina. Though the storm itself hit New Orleans, the effects of the storm (winds and waves) were felt along the coast. Apparently, they are working on "fixing" the island... I have no idea how that is done. The kids loved seeing the various marine life in the Estuarium, and so did Brad and I really. I for one am a kid at heart when it comes to the ocean and aquariums... I love it all!

A favorite at the Estuarium was the play boat. Owen was the Captain and Eli the fisherman!

Waiting at the pier for the return ferry was interesting as well. The beach was littered with little crabs. We joked that they must be like the ocean's cockroaches, as they scurried around munching on tiny particles, and scattered like bugs when we got near.

A great view of a pelican flock, as well as some other sea birds.

The boys decided to watch the ocean rush by through the railing while on their bellies... I think they were just too tired to stand anymore!

Double stroller on a budget - also the only thing that will fit in our tiny car when we are traveling with luggage.

There were entire neighborhoods of these elevated beach homes along the coast. Seriously - I want one (though I'm sure hurricane insurance is something else)!

We drove through a nature preserve and saw a lot of swampland and tropical foliage such as this.

The road through the nature preserve ended at this GORGEOUS, natural, secluded beach. There were two little beach homes right there, and then nothing but miles and miles of ocean and sand. The dunes and the sea oats growing on them were gorgeous. This part of the trip was my favorite... my own personal paradise!!! Oh, and we were the ONLY PEOPLE THERE!




The kid in me is obsessed with shell collecting... not that I have any use for them once I get home, but I love looking for them along the beach and picking up ones that strike me. There was no shortage of them here.

My dream home: an Italian villa by the sea. Maybe someday...

Because the beach was a little more secluded with a lot less tourist traffic to till up the sand, we were able to see a lot more of the oil damage. You don't notice it right at first, but as you walk along and realize your footprints are pure white, it is because that is the color the sand is supposed to be. The top layer is stained with oil for miles around. What a job the cleanup effort will continue to be.

The boys enjoyed some good "digging with lizards" in the biggest sandbox they've ever seen.

Some portraits of our lovely selves.

We stayed until sunset again. It was a beautiful end to our final day.

The only reason the kids agreed to leave this beach (aside from the fact we were all starving) was because it suddenly started pouring! The downpour was shortlived, but it was enough to soak what was left of our dry clothes. I had to run back out on the beach to find one of the toy lizards that got left behind... thankfully it was red and I spotted it!


The rain left as abruptly as it started, and the clouds parted enough for us to get one last longing look at the beach at sunset.

A little video of Paradise =).

We took the kids back to the condo and cleaned all the sand, saltwater, and unseen oil traces before hitting the town for one more dinner. This time we tried the Hangout, another open air restaurant with live music right on the water. This one was even cooler looking than Lulu's, but the food was nowhere near as good (in case you are ever down there and trying to decide between the two)! The boys enjoyed dancing with Brad after dinner while I ran across the street for postcards at the giftshop. We had to force ourselves to go to bed that night!

Leaving the next morning was sad for all of us, so we did not get as near of an early start as we had hoped. Thankfully, this is what we saw in our backseat for at least the first four hours of the drive!



As I mentioned we drove home through Alabama instead of Mississippi... it really is a beautiful state (so was Mississippi, but we went through much of it in the dark). There was so much dense vegetation everywhere, and some beautiful autumn foliage. You gotta love the Confederate flags flying here and there (I really do wonder culturally why people still fly that? After all, isn't it a symbol of cessation from the Union and pro-slavery? Or am I missing something?) Anyway, my FAVORITE thing was a GIANT billboard with a little red dancing devil on it that read "Go to church or the Devil will get you!" I laughed out loud, but didn't get a picture.



We rolled in close to 1am. Overall, I think it was the best possible way I could have spent the last few days of my 20's!

Day 2 in Sweet Home

Day 2

After a short night's sleep, day two started with a GORGEOUS morning at the beach! With the storm blown over, it was sunny and warm.... and STICKY! I'm glad we went in October! After living in the Midwest, I thought I knew what humidity was, but the tropical air of the Gulf Coast has redefined my understanding. We all ended up a shade or two darker by lunchtime. We had a repeat of the hysterics when it was time to leave the beach for lunch, but Brad and I were prepared this time and made sure we each had our hands free enough to drag a screaming child back indoors. At times like these I wonder how people survive with more than two kids without a nanny =).

The most exciting treasure of the day - a washed up rope!

Race tracks in the sand.

A tar ball from the oil spill - I grabbed it out of the waves when reaching for shells. It was fairly solid, but it sure smelled like oil!

After our morning at the beach, then lunch and resting, we all got cleaned up and went down to Gulf Shores State Park to explore the fishing pier. It was neat to walk out so far over the water, and get a bird's eye view of the waves. Speaking of birds, there were hundreds of them on the beach, in the water, and in the skies! Quite a few were catching fish. We saw flocks of seabirds everywhere - including Pelicans - it was amazing! On the pier, we watched some people fishing. Most didn't catch anything exciting, though there was a group of them down at the end that kept hooking something really strong and having to cut it loose before ever reeling it to the surface - they all claimed it was likely a black tip shark, though we never got to see actually see it. They boys LOVED watching the guys fish, and catching glimpses of what they'd reel in.

Here's my hottie on the pier.

And me of course.

And the boys hoping to see fish in the water! All the little white specks near the water are birds.

Checking out the catch of the day.

This guy kept stalking the bait boxes, hoping for a snack.

The Beach Boys

Sunset is my favorite time of day on the ocean!

Video of the boys saying "goodnight" to the sun.

After the sunset, we had the most FUN dinner experience at Lulu's.... it's an open air seafood restaurant right on the water... with live music, a giant sand pit, and all kids of atmosphere. Apparently the owner is Lucy Buffet, sister of Jimmy Buffet. It was a lot of fun and the food was great - peel 'n' eat Gulf Shrimp anyone? I wish I'd gotten a picture.

The wind was blowing pretty hard again by the time we got back to the condo, and we were all exhausted, but Eli and I managed to squeeze in one more adventure. Owen could not be convinced to come back outside, so Brad stayed with him while Eli and I took a late night stroll on the beach, hunting for crabs! There are little tiny white crabs that come out of their holes at night and skitter across the sand like bugs when they see you coming. They blend in so well they are hard to see. We caught a few and put them in a bucket to show Daddy and Owen.

We saw plenty of these creatures on the beach during the day, but I was a little more concerned about them on our evening walk, due to the darkness. The first one is an ordinary jellyfish... we only saw a few of these washed up. The one with blue tentacles is a Portuguese Man o' War, and apparently very poisonous. There were hundreds of them on the beach after the storm. We were sure to instill fear in our children so they would avoid stepping on them =). These pictures were taken at night with the flashlight trained on them.
Overall, the perfect ending to a perfect day! In spite of the wind, we were able to relax to sleep with our door open and the sound of the waves crashing right outside.

Sweet Home Alabama

I apologize for my long absence... first there was the lost camera, then our computer actually died and we had to get a new one (thanks to my genius brother in law who built us one from scratch!) Things are up and running now so hopefully I can stay in better touch. In other news, the rumors are true... I'm 30! Just typing it makes me cringe... yes, of course I'm grateful to be alive and healthy and happy etc, etc. But I still just can't wrap my head around 30! It feels like I got here waaaaay too quickly, which means that 40 is looming large and right around the corner - aaah! I feel like I'm mentally stuck at 25, though my body is already feeling the effects of gradual, but steady aging. *sigh* I suppose we all wrestle with one aspect or another of the human condition.

One fabulous thing about this birthday though, and the entire reason for this post, was the trip we took to celebrate! If you recall, we visited New York City for Brad's 30th a year and a half ago. Although we only lived 3 hours from the Big Apple and were able to stay with friends, the fact that HIS 30th was spent somewhere awesome gave me leverage for a special 30th trip of my own... even if it was a 15 hour drive this time! If you haven't already guessed from the post title, we ventured into previously unexplored territory for us - the South. Why, you ask, would anyone want to go to Alabama for their birthday??? If you are like me, you might not initially think about the fact that Alabama is on the GULF COAST, right next to Florida! That's right! We hit the beach for a few days in Gulf Shores, Alabama... and let me tell you, in spite of the disastrous oil spill and the ongoing clean up efforts, it was HEAVEN on earth for us! The road trip itself was exciting because we were able to see a lot of country we've never seen before.

We drove south through Memphis, TN and made a stop at Graceland - home of Elvis! We really didn't have time to spend on a tour of his home, so we settled for a stop at a gift shop just outside the gates, and I scored a cute Elvis shirt. I can't say I'm his biggest fan, but my Grandma Maxine has always had a crush on him, so I think of her when I wear the shirt! From there we went through the entire state of Mississippi, passing through towns such as Jackson, then crossing into Alabama via Mobile, and then into Gulf Shores. On our way home, we drove through Alabama instead, passing through Montgomery and Birmingham. Being the start of Autumn, it was really a beautiful drive!

In Gulf Shores, we were able to stay in a condo right ON THE BEACH - something neither of us have ever done before, and we are now officially addicted to! And as always, a travelogue is best told through pictures (of which there will be many, possibly requiring a second post!), so here we go....

Day 1

Sunrise and view from our Window/Balcony

Inside the Condo

We arrived after 11pm, and the kids were so excited to see/hear the ocean that we had to sit out on the balcony and watch it until after midnight! In spite of the late night, Eli's eyes cracked open as soon as the sun peeped in our window, and he immediately flew out of bed and said "it's daytime we can go to the beach!" I asked him to show me how happy he was to be there, and this is the face I got. I've never seen a more excited child!

Owen checked out the view for us as we ate breakfast.

Our short little walk to the beach. Of course we got out there as soon as we could eat our breakfast and get our suits on!

Both kids enjoyed the sand and water, but Eli really surprised me this trip. He LOVES the idea of the ocean and all the creatures in it, but has always been afraid of swimming and water in general. When we've gone to the beach before he was always terrified of the waves... it's amazing what a year of growing up can do! He was running in and out of the water and chasing waves like he was a born surfer! He had the wind blown white blonde look to go with his new beach bum identity!


We had an oil spill clean-up crew on our beach that first morning. It was interesting to watch them, and really drove home how wide spread the effects of a catastrophe like that can be... and just how sad too that a human caused accident could wreak such havoc on the beauty of the world. Anyway, no one could tell me WHY they were digging there, just that they are told each day where to go dig. They would stand with a partner and one would dig and put it in a sifting net for the other person to sift and pull out any oil balls. The bulldozer is full of some of the larger ones... it reminds me of dipping a giant catbox! The oil turns into hard balls with sand all rolled up in it, looking like cat turds. Kinda gross! Luckily we didn't see them laying around everywhere, though I did find a few in the surf when grabbing for sea shells.


After a lovely morning on the beach, we took the kids back to the condo for lunch... and let me tell you, it was like dragging a couple of rabid, wild animals off that beach! They were both kicking and screeching like mad cats! The combo of hunger and the late night was a lethal one... by the time we got them inside and rinsed off, Brad and I both were wondering if this getaway was going to be worth it! They wouldn't settle down for a nap, so we just strapped them in the car and went for a drive on over into Perdido Key, Florida. Of course they both sacked out in the car, and we got to sight see in silence... a win-win if you ask me! When they woke up, they were at least pleasant enough to take into a restaurant for Pizza... The Mellow Mushroom has the BEST pizza ever, if you happen to be down that way!

A beach and boardwalk on Perdido Key, Fla

Trying to get a cute picture of ourselves =)

Shrimp Pizza!

There was a big storm with some groovy winds that night, so we opted to sleep with our sliding glass doors shut! The next morning was sunny and beautiful, with lots of interesting things washed up on the beach from the storm.

Random Bits from Lately

My camera is lost! I had it outside to take pictures of the sandbox we put in under the swingset, as well as the new flower garden, and haven't seen it since! That was a couple of weeks ago... I'm worried that it's gone forever, and as you know - I feel paralyzed without it!

Anyway, in absence of any new pictures to upload, here is an awesome read about ways you can connect with and cherish your little ones on a daily basis. I know I'm not alone in having days where I get to the end and realize that even though I was here with the kids all day, we somehow managed to go the entire day without really "connecting" (especially with all the time spent trying to unpack and organize lately!). The blog is called Bloom and I highly recommend it!

In other news, the boys had Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus AGAIN this summer! What??! Aren't you supposed to only catch that once? Apparently we are just that lucky. At least it wasn't as bad as last year (which you can relive in this post).

Also, today was my last "official" physical therapy visit. I am SO THANKFUL to the friends who have watched my kids week after week so that I could get treatment. I'm still not all the way better, but at least now have the tools I need to get there, and am in much better shape than when I started out. Apparently the right side of my body (mostly back, hip, leg) is much weaker than the left because of dysfunction from the original injury (so we're talking like 15 years of misuse), so things get thrown out of whack just walking around and carrying heavy kids. I'm working on strengthening it, but it's easier said than done quickly... it's hard work, and it hurts. I went in with a back problem, and now it's a "hip and leg" problem, lol. I'm so very, very glad however, to have been put in the hands of a gifted therapist who has me on the right track.

We had the 2010 National Biker's Roundup here at the fairgrounds this last week, in which motorcyclists rode in from across the country! We saw some interesting folks and motorcycles around town, but I won't miss hearing the roaring of bike engines all hours of the day and night... we live about a mile from the fairgrounds, but it sounded like it was in our backyard!

And that sums up what's been going on around here lately! I hope to get a "milestones" post up for Eli and Owen as we've flown past their 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year marks this summer!