PCB/Boston

Just want to document some of this summer's adventures before I forget.  I'm thinking I might start using this blog as a journal and post something daily to keep up.  Time flies when you're having fun (or feeling stress, or being over-committed).  I recently heard of time being referred to as the great equalizer.  Every single person has exactly the same amount of it.  Mine is mostly mismanaged, and I wonder at my lacking sense of urgency.  I'm an avoider and a procrastinator.  I like to check out of schedules and waller in non-productivity.  This piece of me is becoming more dominant as I get older, and I recognize the frustration it adds to my life (mostly in my relationships); however, I don't care.  I'm seriously completely apathetic toward the subject.  I don't want to be relied on.  I want to be a free entity.  I love my family deeply, and to them I try to stay present; but otherwise, eh. (Insert shoulder shrug.)

Anyway, I way digressed.  On to the adventures (that I fantasize about and plan in the midst of my wallerings with apathy)...

June 3-11:  Panama City Beach, FL

Absolutely beautiful.  I love, love, love this area.  I love it.  The water is teal, the sand is white, the vibe is relaxed, the shopping is great, the food is delicious, nightlife is abundant, clothing is mostly optional...It's just the ultimate place to be free.  We went with my parents and the Chronisters (family of 6 with #7 on the way).  We all split a beach house which made the trip very affordable.  Here are the highlights that I don't want to forget:

• June 3rd--left after school was out.  Drove all night.  GPS was a little glitchy (for example, at one point it led us into an alley with no outlet).  Arrived at 8 am earlier than expected.  House was ready.  Yay!
• (No more dates.  Can't remember now.) Gulf World--Dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, sharks, penguins, tropical birds (one talked to us), alligators, snakes, magic show.  Tori and Grammy swam with "Maya" the dolphin at the "Dolphin Encounter".  They shook her fins, swam with her, and got hugs and kisses from her.  This was amazing.  My Tori is very into whales/dolphins right now, so we did this to nurture the little marine biologist in her.
• Orca puzzle--Kacey, Mom, and I (and the girls somewhat) put together a 1500 piece puzzle that I kept to frame for Tori's future bathroom.  So fun.  I love puzzles.
• The beach.  I've started craving it.  I really think that no matter where else we take our kids on vacations during the summers from this point forward, we must also seek out the beach.  
• Pier Park--We ate at Margaritaville here, shopped, rode rides in the carnival part (carousel, airplane, ferris wheel), ate at Reggae J's, got the kids a light up sword and dolphin necklace.  I'd like to mention here that my childhood fears are resurfacing.  I'm becoming water-phobic and ride-phobic like when I was little.  The ferris wheel about did me in.
• Date Night--Mom and Dad kept the kids for us one night, and we went on a date.  We ate at Hammerhead Fred's, listened to terrible live music (it was really bad), walked around Pier Park (G didn't go the first time b/c he was having dinner with friends), then walked out onto the pier.  The pier was very cool.  It was 9ish when we went out, so it was dark.  Night fishermen and their kids were camped out.  Kids were sleeping with pillows and blankets.  One guy caught a small shark that he and his sons were trying to figure out how to get off the hook.  Garon and I determined that if he or I jumped/fell off the pier, we'd drown before making it to shore.  It's a LONG way out there, and the ocean is hard to swim in.  I had no doubt that I'd drown, but I was surprised that Garon thought he would, too.  He's a strong swimmer, so that made me appreciate the distance and power of the ocean even more.
• Shelling--The best shelling was when Mom and I went out alone.  There aren't really any big shells at PCB (I don't know about morning time...that's my sleeping time as I am FAR from a graceful riser) , but lots of neat stuff...shark teeth, sand dollar pieces,  hermit crabs...Mom found a piece of drift wood that had a crab living in it.  She wanted the wood, so the poor crab got evicted.
• Boating--Dad arranged a boat trip out to "Shell Island" where we could swim with wild dolphins, snorkel, and look for bigger seashells.  There were dolphins everywhere.  The water out there was  clear and absolutely beautiful.  G dove in one spot to get a live sand dollar.  We let it go.
• Parasailing--Dad, Garon, and Tori did this.  All I saw was a picture, but they had a blast.
• St. Andrew's State Park--We mistakenly ended up here one day thinking it would lead to a Shell Island excursion (it did, actually, but this version was a boat over, abandonment, no facilities, and no shade...not ideal for the family trip), but we stopped at a trail around "Alligator Lake" so that Garon could plant a geobug.  We did not find the geocache on the trail, but we did find a live gator.  It was sitting right next to the edge of the water just looking at us.  I don't know if it was tame, waiting for us to feed it, or waiting for us to get close enough so it could eat US, but we didn't stay long.  The park was really pretty, though...shrubby trees, palm leaves/trees everywhere, lizards, tiny little frogs, sand dunes...I would have enjoyed a day of hiking there.  Maybe sometime with just G.
• Lots of giggling, playing in the gameroom, swimming at the beach, cooking, eating, lounging, relaxing...we did the trip home in two days.  We didn't make a reservation, and we went through 3 hotels before we found one with a vacancy. 
• Awesome trip.  Wish I could fold the US like a map to enjoy more of it more frequently.  I am so thankful for the extravagance of travel time.  It feeds my soul.

And, I am tired now.  I am sitting in my hotel room in Boston, and my goal was to write about THIS trip before I forget the little things, but I am tired.  So, in posts to come...the Davises, Boston, American Idol, and PICTURES!

Night night.