Pensacola fun

On the Saturday between the week with my parents and the week with Robert's family, we spontaneously decided to head over to Pensacola for the day and see what we could see. We had to be out of the condo by 10:00, but couldn't check in to the beach house until 4:00. Our family coming in had asked if we could check in early, but there was only a slight chance we could get in by 2:00 or 2:30. So, we left the condo around 9:15 in search of coffee and Mucinex D for me (I developed a short lived (thankfully!) cold almost overnight our last night with my parents and really wanted to breath :)) and just decided drive along the coast to Pensacola.

We found a cute, local coffee shop along the way called Mojo Coffee where we picked up some delicious coffee for us and juice boxes for the kiddos. We continued on our way, following signs for the Naval Air Museum. We decided to stop by and see how much it cost to get in and all the info on the air museum. We quickly found it after our coffee stop and discovered that the air museum was free!! (Apparently this is pretty common knowledge, but it was very exciting news to us!) So, that sealed our plans for the day and we were thrilled!

Along the road to the museum, we stopped by a lighthouse to take some pictures. We didn't go inside, but it was fun seeing it from the outside. :)

Gift shop fun. I have no idea what this hat is all about.

 

 

After the lighthouse, we moved on to the main attraction...the Naval Air Museum! We had a good time roaming through the museum looking at the airplanes and reading the history. I'm kind of a history nerd, not that I know a whole lot of history, but rather, really enjoy learning about it. I would have enjoyed it more if I had been feeling better, but I still had a good time. We spent a few hours at the museum...even ate lunch at the little cafe on site. It was an enjoyable visit and one we'd like to go again.

 

Seriously, how handsome are they?!

 

 

 

On our drive home, we ran into some nasty storms...the severe weather alerts were all over the place. But, we agreed it was one of our favorite days. Just being together, doing something fun (and free!).

 

Until next time,

Kristal





Beach fun-part 2

Here are a few more of my favorite highlight pics from our first week at the beach. Hope you enjoy them!

 

 

 

Until next time,

Kristal

Five on Friday

It's time for another Five on Friday post! Here's what's on my mind this week. :)

1. Yesterday my parents celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary! They have provided such a great example of how to have a loving, God honoring, lasting marriage. I am so grateful for them and their influence in my life.

2. Am I the only person that has a hard time getting back into a routine after being away on vacation? On the one hand I was ready to sleep in my own bed, but on the other hand I enjoy the change of pace vacation brings. It just takes me awhile to get back in the swing of things.

3. This week I signed up for The Fresh 20 per the recommendation of this lovely lady. I am loving it so far!! I've only made a few meals, but they have been so tasty and so fresh! One meal Collin even went back for 3rds! I'm excited to head to our local farmers market this weekend and pick up the ingredients for next weeks meals.

4. Sometimes I can struggle with contentment. Do you ever struggle with that? Let me give you an example. I'm a beach girl through and through. I would love nothing more than to live on the coast and enjoy everything about it. However, the Lord has me landlocked in Oklahoma right now. And sometimes, like when I vacation at the beach, I wish so badly I could live there, that I forget to be content and usable where the Lord has me. But, He and I had a sweet moment the evening we got home. I took Maxi boy (our Great Dane) outside to potty and was struck by the beauty around me...the trees, green grass, beautiful sky, warm temperatures. It was just a sweet moment that the Lord gave me to remind me that I'm here, living in this place, for a reason.

5. My bestie and I have been completely spoiled with Snickerdoodle coffee from a local coffee shop. Seriously, this is the best coffee ever!! We were talking just last night about how much we look forward to morning just for our Snickerdoodle coffee. :) If you're ever in Tulsa, go to Mecca Coffee and buy a pound, or two, of it. You'll thank us! :)

What are your favorites this week? I hope you have a great weekend!!

Until next time,
Kristal

Beach fun

The last two weeks we've been at the beach. We had a wonderful time! Seriously, I can't say enough good things about Gulf Shores. This was our 6th year to vacation there and every year we're there, it feels more and more like home. It's just comfortable. Beautiful beaches, lovely people, small town feel...just wonderful!

We spent the first week with my parents. We stayed at a condo right in the heart of Gulf Shores. It's fun being close to the action of the city...close to good restaurants, shopping, other happy vacationers. :) Our weather was surprisingly rainy/stormy this year. We only had a couple days of really nice weather. One day was a complete wash out....I'm talking heavy, heavy rain all day! But, most days were a mix of sun and storms. And really, it was ok because we were at the beach!

Our last day with my family was beautiful!! The nicest day by far. We decided to go on a jet ski dolphin tour. It's a 2 hour jet ski tour with a guide who takes you all around the bay, showing you parts of Gulf Shores you can only get to by water, fun places to play on the jet skis and the best places to see dolphins. Robert, Collin and I went last year and had a great time!! This year, my parents and Emma went too. Let me tell you, I was nervous taking Emma along. But, we sandwiched her between Robert and I and she did great. I was so sore after the tour, though, from squeezing my thighs together and maintaining a death grip on Robert's life vest to keep her secured. But, it was fun!

Gulf Shores is only about 45min to an hour away from Pensacola. That being said, until this year we had never seen the Blue Angels fly by. But we got a real treat one day on the beach. They came by, on their way to Ft. Morgan, which is about 20 miles from where we stayed in Gulf Shores. They were doing all kinds of maneuvers and showing off. It was so, so cool!! I'm bummed, though, because I was wasn't able to get a single picture of them.

Well, that quickly tells about different highlights of our vacation. We're always thankful for time away with our family to slow down, reconnect and relax. Here are just a few pics from our first week at the beach. I hope you enjoy them!

This post became surprisingly long, so I might do a part 2 just more pics of our week. :)

Until next time,
Kristal

Duck Dynasty love

It's no secret matter that I, and my family, love Duck Dynasty! So this year we decided to change our route to the beach and stop overnight in West Monroe to check out Duck Commander and the town a little bit. I'm not gonna lie, I was really looking forward to this stop! Changing our route didn't really add any time to our trip, either. In fact, West Monroe was pretty close to a true half way point, making it a great stopping point.

Here we are...in our driveway about to head out. I promise, Emma isn't mad at the world here. :)

We arrived to West Monroe between 5-6. We had checked online to see when Duck Commander closed and found out they closed at 6:00. We really wanted to get over there before they closed in case we'd see one of the guys leaving. So after a quick stop, check in, potty break and diaper change at the hotel, we headed over to Duck Commander. We only stayed about a mile from there, so it didn't take long to find.

Something we were so surprised with was how many people were there!!! So many! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect but I thought we'd stop by, take a couple pics by the sign and be done. For some strange reason it never crossed my mind that other people would have the same idea and be there, too. Duh!

We lucked out getting there before 6:00. Although we didn't see any of the guys, we were able to walk through a "store" they set up in the warehouse with all kinds of Duck Dynasty paraphernalia. It was really fun just being there. Seeing what we see on TV, but seeing it in person. Remembering funny things that happened right where we were. It was just really fun.

We're here!! My brother followed us down to the beach, so he's the other guy in the pic.

 Yes!! The beards are back!! Very much looking forward to August 14! :)

Collin was very interested with what was in the hole. It was just a drainage pipe. Remember when they tried to fill this area up with water to test the duck calls on real ducks?! So funny!!

Collin really loves big trucks!

Remember the episode when they had the doughnut eating contest?! I'm telling you, I love the show!

After a fun time checking things out at Duck Commander, we ended our night devouring enjoying a cookie monster from Cheddar's. Yum!!!

While driving to the beach is always exciting, it was extra exciting this year with our stop in West Monroe. We plan to make it our new route to the beach from here on out. :)

Until next time,
Kristal