Sisters Beach Trip

Sunday afternoon my sister and I loaded up for our annual sisters beach trip.  We've been going this time of year for 6 or 7 years now.  It started as more of a father/ daughter trip.  My dad has to go down for these meetings so each year in May just me and my sister would go with him.  It was always so much fun! So we had a 4 day window that we could get away so we did.  Now the drive to Panama City Beach is approximately a 5 hour drive.  My sister's best friend Amy is from Wilmer, Alabama.  Wilmer is a small town just outside of Mobile very close to the Mississippi state line.  Amy's mom is a seamstress and my sister had a dress that needed some work done for a wedding Friday (yes this Friday she is a bit of a procrastinator) so my sister thought it would be a good idea to swing by Wilmer on the way to Panama City and drop off her dress and then swing back through on the way home.  We also were going to pick-up Amy so she could enjoy the beach for a few days with us.  She practically a sister too!  I was not thrilled with this idea (not that I didn't want to Amy to go I just wasn't excited about driving 3.5 house out of the way.)

This is the map of our normal route to the beach.

5 hours; 294 miles

This is the route we took this trip.

8 hours 25 minutes; 460 miles

So as you can see it was really on the way!  I may or may not have complained about this for a week before we left and may or may not have continued to complain the entire trip!   We didn't leave Gardendale until 4:00 Sunday afternoon.  About 2.5 hours into the trip my Garmin GPS fell off the windshield and hit the gear shift and cracked the screen.  I totally freaked out.  I didn't know where I was going.  I didn't have a map or directions and my sister wasn't even concerned.  She said I was over reacting that we could stop and ask for directions.  I was not to keen on this idea.  Amy's mom told us to just get on I-10 and get off on 98 somewhere and we'd be able to find our way! We missed the turn to get on I-10 and called our Daddy.  (I may have slightly freaked out again)  He asked where we were...I wasn't really sure.  We were on a two lane road that felt like it was about a foot out of the water.  Dad said we were over Mobile Bay.  We turned around and were on I-10 headed East. 

No sooner than 3:00AM Monday morning we arrived at the beach!  We were all wired once we unloaded the car so we decided to go to Wal-Mart to get a few essentials.  We got back to the room a little after 4:00AM.  I seriously thought about putting on my swim suit and greasing up and sleeping on the beach but decided against it for fear that someone might get me! 

We were up pretty early and headed to the beach.  I was so excited because I got a new beach chair and towel.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  It was sunny and the sea breeze was perfect.  It was the perfect temperature.  I never got hot which is why I didn't notice the flesh on my stomach burning.  My tummy looks like a bullseye!  It hurt so bad!

My burnt feet. 

This little guy hung out with me for awhile.  He actually started posing for me when I got my camera out!

Monday night we went to dinner at The Back Porch.  It was pretty good.  I didn't get any pictures!( I didn't really take a lot of pictures the whole trip)  We were going to get in the hot tub but was to hot.  I know it's supposed to be hot but I felt like my flesh was being burned off my body.  So we got in the pool instead!

Tuesday we decided that we'd just go shopping at Pier Park.  It was so nice I got a really cute shirt for $6.49 at Old Navy.  The plan was to go back and sit on the beach in the afternoon sun but it started raining. so I watched some TV.  Mom and Dad came down they didn't get down there until about 10:00.  The room we stay in is small. Like an efficiency with one bed and a fold out couch.  When mom & dad got there we had to swap up our sleeping arrangements and my sister, Amy and I slept on the fold out couch.  

Here we are all tucked in and ready for bed!

I didn't get the memo that we were smiling in this shot.

Wednesday we got up and there were two huge schools of manta rays (well we think that is what they were) right at the shoreline.  It was so neat to watch them.

We went to lunch and then loaded up and headed home.  It was a nice trip even if drove 16 hours round trip! I wish I could have stayed and stayed.  I was so happy to see Ally last night and Patrick this morning.  I missed them both so much!