That was the tweet Russ sent out at 1:27 AM on the morning of June 2. Yes, we were awake at that hour. In fact, we were just pulling out of our parking lot headed toward the beach! I worked Friday until 6, and Russ worked from 5 PM to 1 AM Friday night. We made the decision a couple weeks ago to drive through the night, and enjoy an early day of vacation. Kristin and Lee decided they would join us. So Kristin and Lee arrived at our apartment around midnight ready to roll! Since Russ wasn't off yet, we made a last minute trip to Walmart looking for a few traveling necessities. When Russ finally arrived, we hit the road! Full force!
We arrived in Panama City Beach with a full day of sunshine and whatever we wanted to do! Worth the drive! We began our day by checking in early, reserving our beach chairs for the week, and some swimsuit shopping for Kristin. We ate a late lunch at Margaritaville, where Mama and Daddy met us when they got into town. It was so nice to have all the "little things" taken care of before our first day on the beach. We basically had one extra day of vacation!
When the sun rose on the first day, we were all up and ready to go! Unusually early. Mama cooked an amazing breakfast every single morning. Among our favorites were...bran muffins, cheese grits, breakfast casserole, and cheese danish. I began every morning with a delicious breakfast out on the balcony overlooking the beach. Now, that's the way I could begin every morning for the rest of my life! Heavenly!
After finishing our yummy breakfast, we made our way down to the beach for some sun, sand, salt water, and FUN! I'm sure you know by now...it's a ZOO anywhere this family goes! And, the beach was no exception...
A family friend saw these visors at the store, and she said she immediately thought of us. Mama brought them to the beach, and we grabbed our visor of choice. We had so many people stop to ask where we got them. Special thanks to Paula for thinking of my crazy family when you saw these visors! They were a BIG HIT!
We spent our first day on the beach enjoying the sun and watching the waves...
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| Daddy and Mama |
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| Who says you can't party and study at the same time!? Dr. Russ can! Ha! |
Dustin brought a new "honorary Smith member" on this trip, and I can say that Sheila hung in there with the best! I don't think we scared her off. In fact, she may have even had a great time!
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| Dustin and Sheila |
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| Clancy |
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| Kristin |
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| Kristin, Sheila, Clancy, and me |
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| Cousins |
Since all our Smith anniversaries are the same week so far, my parents took us all to eat at Louisiana Lagniappe in Destin. It was a delicious dinner. I think it was the best filet I have ever had!
Everyone ordered something different I think. Of course, Kristin and I ordered the same thing...filet mignon. We never venture too far from what we know. Ha! The guys always order enormous dishes and love to compare.
Since it was our actual anniversary, the restaurant brought out a piece of key lime pie with a lit candle for my parents and Russ and I. We blew out our candles and enjoyed a free dessert. There's always room for a little something sweet no matter how stuffed we were!
For those of you who are new to our blog, this Panama City Beach trip originated with my grandparents many many years ago. When we were very young, we vacationed here in Nonnie and Pops' camper. Then, they purchased a time share. They purchased two weeks...one week for them and another week for all the family. As the family grew in number and in size, our sleeping quarters became scarce. I remember my grandparents sleeping on an inflatable mattress under the kitchen table...all snuggled up. They used to always say they would never sell because it is the only time the entire family vacations together. And, I am SO thankful.
Now we changed the two week time share to two condos in one week. That way, we have more room. We are still growing, so next year the Smith side of the family will be able to enjoy a three bedroom condo. We are pretty excited. I know Dustin is, because he will finally have a real bed!
We count down and look forward to this week every year! It is NOT summer until we are on the beach! Over the last few years, we haven't ALL been able to join the family on this beach vacation. One year my mom stayed with Nonnie in the hospital and Russ and I were in San Francisco with Jimmy and Roan's family while the rest of the family joined Pops on the beach. Dustin has had school or work or other commitments. Russ has been working or had med school. Kristin and Lee were on their honeymoon, and Russ and I were on ours one year too. But, this year we ALL were able to vacation TOGETHER!
Priceless memories were made! Fun was had! Schedules have been marked for next year's date! No more missing this beach trip!
During the day, we spent HOURS on the beach. At night, we enjoyed yummy meals cooked by Mama, Jack, Howard, and Kristin. The "kids" enjoyed a little late night fun of our own.
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| Russ, me, Clancy, and Jack |
Walking down to the Tiki Bar is a staple in our Coon family vacation. The boys enjoyed unofficial ping pong tournaments, and Kristin and I found the most amazing deli sandwiches around! Lunch at the Tiki Bar will be a new staple to our trip!
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| Russ showing off his tennis skills |
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| Russ and Dustin in serious competition |
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| Sheila and Dustin watching a game |
You see, the forecast showed rain every day of our trip. But, the clear blue skies had other plans. We just couldn't leave. We opted, instead, to stop by Destin on our way home.
At night, Dustin and Sheila made a few walks on the beach searching for crabs. Mama decided to pick them up some helpful tools when she went to the store...headlights and a net. They lined a cooler with a grocery bag to keep their 10-12 crabs. We all watched from the balcony as they ran after each crab. Besides the one Sheila accidentally cut in half with her net, they caught quite a few. Knowing these two...the crabs may or may not have been named. Ha!
On our last day, one crab made his home right in front of our beach chairs. He spent his day playing "peekaboo" with us. Dustin and Sheila named him Herm. Herm had his home flooded once with a big wave, but Dustin and Lee helped rebuild it. Lee even surrounded Herm's home with "cobblestone" aka seashells for a cute decoration. Herm provided hours of entertainment for our group. It doesn't take much!
Our Aunt Patsy has always loved the beach! She never goes in for lunch. She always spends her early morning until the sun goes down laying in a beach chair as the waves rush over her. This year, she didn't spend too much time on the beach, but when she did, she was in that chair watching the waves rush over her.
She spent the rest of her days on the balcony overlooking us. She got just as much sun, and she said it was cooler. She may have even had a few naps out there.
Uncle Howard and Jack spent our last day at the beach on a deep sea fishing trip. They never miss it. They also went fishing off the pier one afternoon. So, the reason you may not see many pictures of Jack...and NO pictures of Uncle Howard...is because they were elsewhere a lot of the time. Enjoying their trip just the same, no doubt!
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| Sisters |
We spent a total of six full days on the beach. I kept saying that I just needed two more days. None of us were ready to leave. We could have stayed there all summer. We were leaving all our creatures...Bert the pigeon, Peg the one-legged seagull, and Herm the crab. We were leaving our crazy Coon family. We were leaving a zero stress environment and unscheduled days. We were leaving our paradise.
It was strange getting ready Saturday morning and getting dressed in clothes instead of swimsuits. It was a bit depressing packing up our cars for a long trip home. It was, as always, a day of wishful thinking...wishing we could stay just a little longer.
That's the joy of a family beach vacation. Never wanting to leave. And looking forward to June 1, 2013! We'll be back!
