Summer is Almost Over

Bailey and I went to visit my favorite Brother (I only have one:)) and my SIL down in Destin for Labor Day weekend. They live in Niceville and only 5 minutes from their driveway to the mid-bay bridge so they are super close to the beaches and shopping centers. I thought with Blake being gone this summer Bailey and I would go to the beach every other weekend, but this was actually our first trip of the summer going to visit them. I didn't even realize how pale I was or that we hadn't been to the beach until the Summer was almost over. Bailey and I had Friday all to ourselves. We arrived at 5:00 PM and went strait to the beach. Bailey is a beach girl - she loves the sand, the birds, the waves, and everything in between. We walked around and played in the sand for a while and then headed to dinner. We ate at my favorite place and made it just in time for HAPPY HOUR - $1.99 for a dozen oysters. That is my kind of HAPPY HOUR. We also arrived in time to get a balloon made with face painting by Giggles the clown. Bailey was ecstatic and loved every minute of it. Then we went to her stores at the outlet and picked out a few things before going to Keith and Lauren's house. My brother took Bailey and I to the bay to go crab hunting on Saturday. We used retractable nets with raw chicken tied in the center. It was fun to spend half a day with just Keith - he travels a lot and lived in New Mexico before Florida so it was just fun getting to be with him by ourselves. That night we met up with my sister and her boyfriend and went to a sports bar to watch the Tide Roll! The next day we went crab hunting again but this time my SIL was able to come. That night we went to a $2 theater (who knew those still existed!?) and watched "Despicable Me" - that is my new favorite cartoon movie. I loved it! On Monday we hit up the overly crowded outlets, ate a late lunch at "Cheeseburger Paradise" as a big group again, hit up the splash pad and play area at Destin Commons and headed home.

This summer has flown by do to my fabulous over scheduled calendar. I wanted the summer to go by so fast that I wouldn't have time to think about the days and weeks left before Blake's deployment ended. Bailey and I had a fabulous summer filled with lots of fun things but recently I realized that I have put some very good friends and seeing my family on the sidelines during this time. It's like I made this summer all about Bailey which isn't a bad thing but I wish I had taken the time to see my grandmother in Georgia and spent time with my best friend who was going through a hard time. I know you "can't do it all" but I have the mentality of "I can do it all" and to be honest I did everything I wanted to do this summer but looking back I see things that could have been scratched off the list to spent time with people that matter most to me.