Vacation blues

I'm suffering from a very bad case of vacation blues today! I don't want to be home... I still want to be sitting on the beach, book in front of me, toes buried in the sand, listening to the sounds of my children and husband lauging above the roar of the waves. It was such a fun and relaxing week!

We actually left out of town early. Barry had to go into work in the middle of the night on a Thursday night, but he only had to work for a couple of hours before he was off for vacation. So, we decided to let the kids skip school (something that they have NEVER done before!) on Friday so we could leave early. We headed to Atlanta that morning. We surprised Kyle, our Atlanat Falcon's Football Fanatic with a tour of the Georgia Dome, their home stadium. I don't know if I have ever seen him so happy! The tour was fun... it was just our family, and we got to go from the highest point in the dome (the observation deck) to the locker rooms (including the shower area!) and finally to the field. Here are a few of my favorite pix:


We got up early Saturday morning and headed down to Destin. We made great time, and by 11:00 that morning, we were looking at the ocean! It was still a little early for us to go to the house, so we hit a bookstore so everyone could grab a "beach read", walked around the outdoor mall, then grabbed some lunch. In no time at all we were at the house, unloaded, dressed in swimwear, and in the water!! The ocean was beautiful, the waves were high (and fun!), the sun was warm, and everyone was happy!! It stayed that way for a few days, then it rained for 2 days straight. We took advantage of those days to go shopping at the outlet mall (right across the street from us... that was probably not such a great thing for many bank accounts!). Our last 2 days there were cool and cloudy in the morning, but the afternoons were sunny and warm. On the morning we had to leave, wouldn't you know it, the sun was out and shining early! That was a bit maddening, but typical! While there, we also took the kids out to eat several times, and went to their favorite place on earth... The Track! This is THE place to go for go-carts, arcade games, putt-putt golf, and kiddie rides. We usually skip that part, and head straight for the go-carts. Kayti hates this place, and has managed to escape going the past few years, but we made her come along this time. She got to hold cameras, cell phones, and babies, though, so that made it worth it! We also took a night for just the adults to go out and eat. It was great to just sit back and socialize with everyone, and not have to stress over the clock, and running kids somewhere. I managed to read 3 books while we were there... Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (my favorite romantic author... and Barry's nighmare!), and I broke down and started reading the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers. Kayti has been trying to get me to read it for a long time, and I finally decided to go ahead and do it. I am so hooked on these books! I love them!!!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the beach:


Sunday was a funny day. After the morning session of conference (we went to the tiny Destin Branch to watch it. I think the Mayfield clan took up about a fourth of the chapel!) and a big Sunday dinner (roast, mashed potatoes, salad, carrots, rolls), most of the adults went to take naps. Barry and I were restless, and walked down to the beach. Barry could actually hear the waves crashing from the house, and wanted to go take a look. Several of the kids followed us down to the beach and were trying very hard to NOT get wet... hee hee. Moms and Dads of said kiddos... you cannot get mad at these cuties now that you are seeing these pictures. Really, they tried hard! :)


Can you tell what this is a picture of?


Those are dolphins! They were out pretty far, and it was hard to get a great shot of them, but it was fun watching them "play" together. There were two of them, side by side. The kids were so excited to see them.

Here are a couple more shots... one is of Megan and her cousin, Savannah. These two were inseperable, and you could always either find them at the beach, or in the swimming pool. The last one is of the beach house. I love the leaning palm tree in the foreground!


Barry was home today, so he got one more day of vacation time. He has needed a long break for a very long time, now, and I hate for him to have to go back to work and get all stressed out again. He has taken the kids to soccer practice for me tonight, and let me take a quick nap. Thanks, hon! Kayti is busy making dinner (frozen pizzas... yummy!), and I'm feeling a bit guilty for being lazy here in front of the computer. But, truthfully, reliving all these fun memories has brightened up my disposition!

So, here is to vacations!

Only 6 more weeks until Thanksgiving Break, and 10 more weeks 'til Christmas Break! Whoohoo!!!