Seaside Retreat- Part 1

Beach Town, Change of Plans and The Cottage

Seaside, Florida. Just minutes from Destin, this little town has become our annual retreat. A small, quiet, town of vacation homes and cobblestone roads, right on the beach, with a mandate of no buildings over 3 stories. This place was not only perfect for our vacations as newlyweds, but it is built with families in mind and is certainly going to be a place we go frequently as the kids grow. Its pretty easy to get to, its quaint, and it offers loads of great local food, beautiful beaches, perfect seaside pools, decked out homes with plenty of room for us and another family too, and a kids club with free activities and crafts, a kid's library, field trips, parks and fountains. The grocery store is a quick bike ride away, and the town center offers local dining ranging from fancy five star to rooftop bars, to taco stands and ice cream sold out of old, silver Winnebagoes.

We intended to fly from home to Memphis, Memphis to Florida on Saturday. The XNA-Memphis flight was so delayed that we were going to miss the connection. Reluctantly, I agreed to fly to Memphis in the company plane. Years ago, the guys had a good sized jet we used occasionally, but since Beau got his pilots license, he wanted something smaller he could fly himself. They purchased a small four seat plane and sold the roomy jet. Imagine: two door Honda civic with four captain's chairs and wings. Though, it is brand new and equipped with state of the art digital flight control technology, and they hired a young, ex-commercial pilot, I still am nervous to fly in it.

As soon as we got to the hangar, Zach said "Mommy, cool! Can I PLEASE ride with the pilot?" He didn't get his request filled, Daddy rode up front, but he did get to wear the headset and listen to them talk to the tower, which he found a fair compromise. And since the plane is so small, he could see all the controls from the back seat.

We spent the first sunset in Florida letting Z play by the water and Reece experience sand for the first time. Reece was none too thrilled with the sand, but loved the waves washing up his toes. Zach had learned his lesson in the Bahamas last year and chased the waves in and out WITHOUT getting knocked down by any.

The house was spectacular. 4 bedroom, two story cottage, just a 3 min bike ride, 4 blocks from the shore. A trail lead out of the back of the house to a lake with piers to run on and lily pads covering the surface of the shores.


Sunday, our first full day, began with a quick rain shower and then clear skies. 85* but the humidity brought the heat index up to 111*. Seems hot, but the sea breeze and the ocean/pool kept us cool enough to enjoy the day.