If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been lately the answer is… Florida [at least it was for a couple of days]. I joined my family for a last minute vacation in Destin a few weeks ago.

It was divine.

It had all the elements of a proper family vacation, such as:

The Ocean

Mom and Dad enjoying the view

We were visiting during peak tourist season so the beaches were full, but we still had a lot of fun. We set up our shelter and spent hours enjoying the ocean. We brought our boogie boards and our kite.

Bike Riding

We rented bikes and had a lot of fun riding them around the little community where we were staying. One of the bike paths took us down to Baytowne Wharf, a little town square of sorts. In addition to the bike paths my Dad and I rode our bikes to Winn Dixie one morning (where they did not carry Red Vines!). We also found an abandoned set of shops while we were walking and biking around. We were fascinated by the little ghost town.

Some of our neighbors, we were by a different little bay. We stayed in a house instead of a high rise, which was really nice. Our neighbors were quiet and the house was very comfy. There was also a pool for residents to use, which we took full advantage of. One night we even had it to ourselves!

Reading Time

I managed to read four books on my vacation including:

• City of Bones (Slightly addictive. I can’t wait to read the next one)
• Between the Lines (Meh, not my favorite Jodi Picoult book)
• Splintered (Fun take on the Alice in Wonderland story)
• Gone Girl (Intriguing, but also a bit dark w/some harsh language… maybe I’ve just been reading too much fluffy YA lit lately?)

Waffles

Of course every vacation needs good food, especially breakfast food.

Good way to start the day

I cannot express how happy Gabby was to go to waffle house. It was how we got her out of bed in the morning. We designated the day Waffle Wednesday!

Our eyes may have been bigger than our stomachs haha Not even we can eat that much

Other yummy food we encountered in Destin: Graffiti, yummy jumbo shrimp and homemade key lime pie at a beachside restaurant, pizza night, and a homemade meal from Dad.

Shopping 

Destin has some outlet malls so of course we had to make a stop. It didn’t hurt that we were all sunburned and needed some shade for awhile. My Dad hung in there [we can really marathon shop] and later Gab and I went with him on a more Dad-friendly activity: watching Pacific Rim.

Airport Adventures

I had a five hour layover on the way there which meant there was a lot of time to experience the Houston airport . Too bad all my Houston family was taking that time to drive to Destin! However I found plenty of ways to keep myself busy [including a Parks and Rec marathon via Netflix].

Plus there were some good snacks on hand. I mean, Whataburger and Shipleys in the same terminal? Yes!

Whataburger!

A less fun airport adventure was my poor parents trying to find the Destin airport. The GPS lead them astray (a fact the friendly security guard told me happens all the time), but in the end they did find me.

Oh, and did I mention I got upgraded to first class on the way home?? This was a first for me and I definitely enjoyed flying in style.

Soooo much leg room.

And the most important step for a proper family vay-cay….These amazing people:

The fam!

It was lovely to get away and just spend time with the people I love. I can’t wait to see them again [thank goodness school is starting and they’ll all be driving up here soon].

Currently: taking it easy after a fun weekend where I finally saw The Way Way Back [Loved it!] and attended a bridal shower for my good friend Teal [Love her too].