A Three Hour Tour....

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from this tropic port,
Aboard this tiny Ship...

Briley and I ventured over the Captain Anderson's Marina to take a Three Hour Tour to Shell Island.

Luckily our three hour tour didn't end quite like Gilligan's did, and we had a wonderful time on the cruise to Shell Island.

On the boat ride over to Shell Island, the Captain told us that the sea gulls LOVE to eat Cheetos...and they do! It was the funniest thing, as soon as a bag of Cheetos was opened, the sea gulls swarmed the boat. We were on the open upper deck of the boat and were able to hand feed the sea gulls.

Just as the boat was arriving at Shell Island and we were all about to leave the boat and walk up the boardwalk to the beach area, the Captain announced that we had a visitor, or a greeter of sorts! Uh... YEA... right! I wasn't about to offer to shake hands with this - I don't know if the boat folks feed him or not, but it was obvious that this fellow wasn't leaving the dock area as long as we were there! This thing hovered and swam all around us, the entire hour that we were docked.

I didn't realize before we left the marina, that we would be able to actually play in the sand and surf at Shell Island, so Briley and I didn't bring our swim suits along with us - you can see by her facial expression that she wasn't too happy with me at this point! The water was absolutely gorgeous and there were tons and tons of sea shells just waiting to be picked up, but Briley was not about to 'get wet' with her clothes on! It was enough of a challenge for me to convince her to even wade out into the water - I don't think I will ever hear the end of that! The good side of this is that she has quite a collection of sea shells that we were able to dig out of the sand and the shallow water.

On the way back from Shell Island, we were greeted and entertained by the dolphins! There were several that swam back with the boat and played around the boat. I'm sure in all likelihood, the boat folks were probably dropping dolphin food under the boat, just so we could get a good look at these beautiful creatures, but who cares - we were able to see dolphins up close and personal! This was a great way to spend the afternoon... now just so you won't think that we were leaving Bailey and her dad out of the fun -they spent their afternoon riding jet skis in the Gulf of Mexico and ended up getting stuck behind some big shrimp boat and had to ride out some pretty tough waves! LOL... let's just say- they were both pretty sore from holding on and trying to stand up to keep from hurting their hineys in the rough wake!

Vacation Pics - Part Three

Bailey and her friend took a ride on a Virtual Roller Coaster... They had a blast! Bailey had done this previously, but she never gets tired of these rides, but then again - I guess I didn't tire of them either when I was 13!

Even Briley got in on the virtual roller coaster ride - she LOVED it! I was a little concerned at first since they basically lock you up in this compartment and then you flip and flop around in it while 'watching' a roller coaster ride, but Briley did great and came out laughing!

Point of interest in this picture: Notice the HUGE Goose Egg on Briley's forehead... this happened the first day we were in the Condo. She dropped something on the bathroom floor and when she bent down to pick it up, she hit her head on the marble counter top - UH - yes - she had the goose egg.. ALL WEEK... and everywhere we went, folks were asking her about it! At least her story didn't change? LOL

On another note - The Lovely Plastic HOOK - well that is what you get after you spend $30 in tokens playing goofy little arcade games! I guess it's safe to say that we did our part to stimulate the ailing economy! We left a lot of our money there for the arcade to use! LOL Oh well - it's vacation!

Briley and I taking a turn at the go-karts! Let me just say - those youngsters are rough and really do bump into you... Briley and I were not expecting to have whiplash! LOL But it was fun, nonetheless!

(I'm slowly coming to terms that this is my body and it's going to take a lot of work to change it! I'll be 40 in less than a month - I guess the ole' metabolism has just completely stalled out on me! It's time to get busy, if I want to slim down? Or maybe I could just embrace this whole 'new' me in the next phase of my life? I'll let you know later what I decide! I'm not necessarily motivated at this point to do much of anything!)

I don't know why we only go to these sorts of places when we are on vacation? I mean... they have these fun places in the metroplex, but we NEVER go... probably because it's a huge money pit!

One evening we spent the time walking and looking around at the 'outdoor' shopping mall - which luckily they had a bungee jumpy thing set up and both of the girls felt the need to give it at try.

It was fun to watch - some kids really got into and figured out how to do several flips, however my girls weren't quite as adventurous, but it was fun, just the same. The next day Briley mentioned that her stomach muscles were sore? Hmmm??? I wonder why? Could it be that she had pulled them in all sorts of directions? Ha Ha!

Vacation Pics - Part Two

Here are a few shots of our trip along the way ... nothing too exciting, but the fact that we made it in one piece without any major meltdowns, is always amazing!

We passed by the Casinos in Shreveport, La...you'll notice the picture appears to be a bit blurry? Well that's because the individual driving (herein referred to as HIM)-absolutely refused to slow down and let me get a good shot....once we start out driving - the only thing that would deter HIM from his mission was a small voice from the back seat that needs to potty, or he's out of snuff! LOL

So with that said - you'll understand why so many of my pictures look like I took then while traveling 70mph - because I DID!

We made it to Alabama - The USS Alabama is absolutely HUGE! One of these days I would like to take the tour of this battleship - but then again -I'll have to be the driver, in order to stop!

Next up is the Tunnel going through Mobile, Alabama. I just really can't explain the fascination we have with this ugly ole' tunnel, but even the girls stopped playing their DS games and turned off the Ipods to watch as we drove through the tunnel. OH, and yes... we honked as we drove through the tunnel? Why do folks do that?

We aren't exactly the happiest gang of early risers when we've been traveling for so many hours, cooped up in a car - so getting started the next day was tough. In this picture Briley and HIM were catching up on a Sponge Bob Cartoon. None of us were overly enthused about climbing back in the car for another 7 hours or so. Oh, I suppose we could have made the 13 hour trip in one day, but really.... how would I have decided who would come back in the body bag?

SHONEY's are EVERYWHERE in the South! There maybe some in the Dallas area, but I can't recall where they are? Not the case in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida... just find any truck stop on the Interstate and I can guarantee you a Shoney's sign or better yet, the restaurant isn't far off! We did make one obligatory stop for Breakfast at Shoney's - how you can go on vacation without at least one stop at Shoney's? It's UN-American!

This pretty much how Briley spent her time on the road - plugged in to a DVD player! Oh what I wouldn't have given to have some entertainment all the years my parents drug me on vacation! At the very best, I had a word search and a coloring book! These kids don't have a clue what bored in the car is! Briley built her little nest around her with pillow and blanket and was nested most of the way!

I did get HIM to stop once along the way at the cutest little road side produce stand. So of course I had to buy something? What kind of weary traveler would I be if I didn't? I found a yummy jar of Red Tomato Preserves and a basket of peaches (which need to be put in the freezer before they ruin).

All in all, the horrible traffic jams getting to the beach and the never ending miles of highway with no decent radio reception were definitely worth it! And - no body got hurt - huge accomplishment!

Vacation Pics - Part ONE

Oh where to begin? I won't bore you with all of the daily details of our trip, but you know I can't keep the fun to myself?

Let's start with the REAL reason we went to Florida -USFA National Tournament - for those of you not in the 'know'... it's SOFTBALL - for which everything in our lives revolve around! I can guarantee you that if Bailey's team had not qualified to play in that tournament, our family would have been vacationing in the front yard with a water sprinkler!

And even though it may not look like it from her facial expressions - she really does enjoy playing and had a great time!

Bailey's team played some very good ball games, but sadly we didn't come away with a trophy! All is not lost, it was a great experience for so many of the girls that had not been to a National Tournament such as this, and there were many great memories made among new and old friends!

What else is a little sister to do during a boring softball game, when we all know she would much rather be at the beach playing in the waves? Briley adapted quite well - she just took a nap on the picnic table bench! LOL

(On a different note - my pictures didn't turn out a great as I had hoped - I took the wrong lens with us to Florida and left my good ole' stand by lens at home, so I wasn't nearly as practiced with the new one, and unfortunately the quality of my pictures reflects that.)

REALITY IS:

1) Vacation is over and I am back at work;

(yes, these are my ugly feet in the sand)

2) There are stacks and stacks of work waiting in my in-box to get done; and

3) The Back-to-School commercials are running on TV and it's inevitable that school will be starting in less than a month - which means SHOPPING for back-to-school clothes. Luckily we wear uniforms, and once I figure out the style and size, I can order the majority of the clothes on-line.

(These two can't be trusted! They are partners in crime!)

But in the meantime.... I'll share some pictures of our vacation.

The waves were absolutely wonderful -clear water and no seaweed, PERFECT!

Both of these pictures were taken from the balcony of our condo!

I have about 400 more pictures to download, but don't worry - I'll be back with more of our fun times in Panama City Beach!