Destination: Destin

A few days ago, Jeffrey and I got back from our vacation with my family to Destin, Florida. Mom and Dad have spoiled us rotten by paying our way to two summer vacations since we got married—the first to New York and the second to Florida. We had a great time there and are so grateful for the time we got to spend with our family. Here are a few memories to share:

We drove to Destin. It took about 13 hours to get there and 13 hours to get back. As most of you probably know, 26 hours in a car can inspire even the most level-headed people to imagine that the suitcases piled in the back were closing in on them, so to help combat the crankiness from being cooped up in the car so long, Mom devised a plan--surprise bags! Gift bags were received every 100 miles or so and contained anything from a little snack to a couple of dollars to use at a gas station stop to a more sizable amount of money to use while shopping. It was a great idea and it made the trip seem shorter.

One of Mom’s less fortunate choices on the trip involved her attempt at using SAT vocabulary words in conversation with us. Mom is an English teacher, so she must often feel compelled to broaden our horizons by using such word choice in conversation, and while most of the time she succeeds, this time she did not. She said something to the effect of, “Look at that bridge! It must have taken them so much time to erect that!” This simple, seemingly innocuous exclamation led to quite a number of jokes made (in poor taste) by my brother and my husband using the formerly harmless word “erect.” Welcome to family vacations with children over the age of 18…rated PG-13.

Speaking of age, my sister, who is now 18 years old, came on the trip. As is required of all 18 year olds, she made a solemn promise to herself and the entire teenage race that she would, under no circumstances, have any fun with her family. Somehow, though, the happy sun and my brother’s unending barrage of jokes broke through that exterior within minutes and she had a good time. (But don’t tell her friends.)

There will be more stories about the trip to come, but I’ll leave you with this little one….

If you’re ever down in Destin, you should stop at Dewey Destin’s (a restaurant that I consistently referred to as “Dewey Decimal System”). Dewey Destin’s is a seafood restaurant on a pier that has the most INCREDIBLE shrimp I’ve ever tasted. Everything they cook was freshly caught that day or the day before, and the pier was the perfect setting for a nice meal next to the sea waves and cooled by a sea breeze. Pictures below.