The ocean was calling.....

We have always taken a 4th of July family trip to

Gulf Shores

It has to be during the 4th so that Josh can vacation with us

during the summer college break

We really agonized over this trip because of my Mother's

health and the oil spill

We actually called to cancel a month before

and we were going to lose $850.00!

So, we finally just decided to go and make the best of it

Brady, Kim, Emma, Abby and John Brady were already in Panama City

with Kim's parents

and

Courtney, Dave and Lawson were also in PCB with Dave's parents
I so dreaded calling them to give them the news about

G-Mama

News like that needs to be given when you can easily all get together

but sometimes it just can't be helped
They all came back home
I know it was a long hard trip

After the funeral we decided to go on down to the beach since we were already paying for 3 days that we weren't there
We stayed in a 4 bedroom condo at Phoenix West. It was beautiful and the pools and Lazy River were fantastic

This was the weather the 2nd day we were there

Weather and Oil

But, the beach was what we needed as a family

It is calming and healing

Big Blob of Oil

After a walk on the beach

The boys playing on my iPhone

Uncle Josh and Erin playing with Lawson

Zero entrance pool

(I wish I could make my pool zero entrance!)

Lobby of the Phoenix West

Playing at The Hang Out

The great water slide at the condo
I think this is Emma

and this is Abby

MeMe's Electronics Central

computer, iPhone and Nintendo DS

The second day when it was so cloudy and rainy

during the morning

We decided to take the kids to the

Gulf Coast Zoo

or if you saw it on the TV special

The Little Zoo That Could

We all loved it

All the animals loved Kim that day

Dave and Lawson feeding the goats

Playing with the Kangaroos

Holding a baby

once again, they all loved Kim

We stopped by the State Pier after the Zoo

The water was too brown to see anything

Walking on the beach

It seemed like the sea gulls were desperate for food

Abby in the lazy river

We grilled steaks one night

The kitchen bar in our condo

Look how empty the parking lot next door to our condo

was on July 3rd

nobody on the beach