Much-Needed Beach Vacation

We did something a little out of character for us...we took a spur-of-the-moment, last-minute vacation.  And we LOVED it!  I say "out of character" because I am a planner.  I plan all our vacations out to the minute detail and to do something spur-of-the-moment is slightly unnerving for me.  However, we desperately needed a vacation and decided to go for it! (It was the "official" last week of summer as school was starting the next week.)

I found a house on St. George Island that was available for the week and we headed out!  The drive was slightly excruciating (15 hours with a 2 year old) but we made it!  Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the new movies and entertainment for Luci!

 St. George Island Lighthouse

We spent a delightfully relaxing 4 days on the beach with no plans other than eating fresh seafood, splashing in the waves, and digging in the sand.  We had never been to St. George before but it was well worth the drive!  The beaches were beautiful and VACANT!  I don't know if it was the scare of oil, the time of year, or just how they always are but the only people we saw on the beach was each other...just how I like it!  It was Luci's first time at the beach and she ate it up! 

Beautiful, VACANT beaches!

Where did my feet go?!

The other thing she ate up was all the fresh seafood!  This girl would eat fish and shrimp at every meal if she could.  She typically doesn't eat that much but on this trip she was a little pig!  I couldn't blame her though...the food was delicious!

One anecdote and then I will leave you to enjoy the pictures.  Each day we drove to the end of the island that was designated as a State Park.  To get into the park, you drove through a booth and paid the rangers a small fee.  We had been doing this all week but the final time we rolled the window down, something clicked for Luci.  She looked up ever so innocently and asked "french fries?"  I couldn't help but laugh at her association with the drive-through.  It also made me realize how often we must have been through a drive through for french fries this summer.  Oh well...school should put an end to that lunch time routine!

Digging in the sand with Daddy

The perfect beach spot to lay, dig, and splash!

I'll be right "back"!  I'm going to go chase this bird!

An unsuccessful chase but not for lack of trying!

Playing in the waves at night