A Beachy Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Destin, FL! When Steve proposed skipping the usual family Thanksgiving and heading for the beach instead, I was totally on board. We had been away from each other for 3 months and we were eager for our own family time. So, where better to do that than at the beach? But as it got closer we both had a lot of doubts. Going to Florida meant not being with the Izatts for the feast...the turkey, the rolls, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and oh, the pies. As the day approached, we debated whether to cancel our reservations and stay home...and then we looked at the pictures of our hotel and the view from our room again. Palm trees, sand and the blue ocean won. We headed for our one bedroom apartment at the Fort Benning Recreation Area on Wednesday night and woke up to sunny Florida on Thanksgiving morning. Steve had found this resort for military people with incredible rates, especially off season. It was really private and had pools, playgrounds and a pier. It was the perfect place for families. So, Thanksgiving Day, after exploring the beaches for several hours, we went and picked up our Crackel Barrel Thanksgiving meal. We then ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pies on a picnic table by the ocean. Ah, what a day! I'll never look at Thanksgiving Day the same again! We stayed through Saturday and spent as much time as we could playing on the beach. The weather was sunny and cool and breezy, but all we needed was a light jacket. As you can tell from the pictures, it didn't keep me and the boys from going up to our knees in the water and it didn't keep Steve from diving in. : ) There were hardly any people so it was perfect for marine life sightings. We saw dolphins, crabs, and sting rays so close we could touch them...of course, we didn't! (I have been to Destin probably 10 times in my life and have never seen any of these.) The boys absolutely loved the beach. Everytime we would go back, Oliver would say, "sand, more sand, more sand," and point all around. His favorite thing to do was throw the frisbee and dig with the shovels and buckets. Caleb liked looking for shells and experimenting with mixing the sand and water. And Peter would not keep his hands and feet on the towel he was on. He kept scooting over (he's almost crawling now!) so he could get at least one appendage into the sand. Thankfully, he didn't put any in his mouth. We had such a great time and made some really fun family memories. We were so enamored with the place, Steve made a reservation for a 3 bedroom villa for my birthday in May!