In the Kitchen
We look forward to good meals when we are at the beach. Most people might think we are talking about eating out....but not in this family....to many good cooks. We do eat out a couple of times but mostly eat in. Everybody takes a night. I didn't get pictures....not sure why....of Brady and Kim's meal.....yummmm...his special Northport Diner meatloaf recipe and a table full of fresh garden veggies, Josh and Meredith.....Royal Reds, Meredith's own recipe of West Indies Salad and oysters....so good....making my mouth water now....and the traditional.....Uncle Dave Pizza Night....soooo yummy and good!

Josh and Meredith in the kitchen

waiting to eat

grazing

Helping Uncle Dave make pizzas

Ice Cream Night

Usually this would mean homemade ice cream. For some reason this year we never got around to the, time consuming, homemade ice cream that has to be cooked because of Lawson's egg allergy so......I gathered up Emma and Abby and we went down the road to Publix......with a list of everybody's favorites. Each Grandchild got a gallon of their favorite and then we bought the flavors yelled out to us from the adults lounging on the condo balcony.

This may become a tradition....the girls loved it and I did too. We had so much fun in front of the ice cream freezer and boy did that ice cream get attacked when we got back to the condo.

Just "Grand" Beach Babies

Lily

Abby

John Brady

Lawson

Abby and Emma

Elecronics Central

Family Beach Picture

We always make our family beach picture the 2nd afternoon of our trip. We learned this lesson early. Nobody is tired and the kids haven't had time to get "raccoon eyes". Well, the weather was great for pictures the first two days but we couldn't have kept our hair or the sand out of our eyes. So, this year the picture got made on the 6th day of our trip. Everybody was tired so we didn't spend as much time on the picture but I think it turned out pretty good anyway! 

  The whole family......Meredith was behind the camera snapping!

  

 an outtake of......The Real Lawson Family!!!!

The Great "Lawson Family" Crab Hunt

Meredith's 1st Crab Hunt

We only found really "small" crabs this year! In years past we have found really "big" crabs. We all wondered if the storm had anything to do with it?

The kids did not mind....in fact I think they enjoyed the little crabs....they were not scared of them

Let's Go Home

We have had the tradition of eating at Sea N Suds on the day we check out but......they keep making the time to be out of the condo earlier and earlier....so with small children, that have been on vacation for a week, we just can't justify waiting until Sea N Suds opens and having ill and tired children on the trip home. Brady's family left out first because his kids wanted to stop by the "shark" souvenir shop and then they ate breakfast/lunch at Cracker Barrel. John and I had to get into all the Saturday traffic and take our keys back to Meyer ugh........

Lawson was riding back home with us because there was not one spot for him in his "jam packed with baby stuff" car. Lawson is a picky eater...getting better....but if you can distract him he will eat without thinking...sometimes....so, I thought he might enjoy having a roll "throwed" at him. We stopped at Lambert's and even though it was impossibly crowded we had to stay because Lawson wanted to catch a roll. Believe it or not we got in pretty quick.....those people know how to manage a crowd!

Josh and Meredith were going to meet her parents on Dolphin Island for their family vacation. They rode the ferry across. I want to do that , someday!

The 2013 Lawson family vacation.....this little girl will be walking and talking!

Can't wait until next year. I love our family beach vacation.

MAKING MEMORIES!!!

GONE.....in a flash!

ROSE TOWERS
I do not like change. But, by the time you are my age you get used to it. Change is necessary and has a cycle. When I realize that something is changing, I think about how I don't want it to change, I gradually get used to the idea, I accept the change and then......WHAP....it starts changing again! So goes the ebb and flow of life.
Once your children are out of college...your life is a constant change ...they have all been great changes but a signal that they are no longer your babies....so, the college years are very dear to my  heart!

My 3 children lived in many dorms on The University of Alabama campus. I was a big believer in dorm living. I think it is part of your education. I realize that my opinion is not popular but it hasn't changed. I need to make a list of all the dorms that Lawson's lived in and do a blog post. I know that Brady's dorm, Paty Hall, is gone and I think at least one hall that Courtney lived in is gone.
Josh spent his Master's and UofA Football Graduate Assistant years living in Rose Towers. He has some stories.....helping tend to the new recruits! He had a nice little apartment....it was old but we "homied" it up and he seemed to enjoy living there.

As I was  walking to the parking lot to view the "implosion of Rose Towers" I kept having the same memory run through my mind of us walking through the front doors loaded down with all of Josh's things for his room. I always loved moving in day. I loved any time on campus and moving day always had a "charged air of anticipation".

You know me.....yep, I got a little teary eyed!

I got to the parking lot, that they were letting spectators use, at 7:00 PM for the 8:00 PM implosion. Glad I got there early because I actually had to park in a no parking spot....but it was okay since school was closed for the 4th. Many people right after me had to walk a long way. I got a spot and sat down to wait. At the 30 minutes mark they sounded an alarm that truly hurt your ears. It was the beginning countdown warning, it went off again at 5 minutes and then it went off and announced less than 1 minute. Everyone got ready and things got very still and quiet. You could hear the charges going off before you saw any movement. It was like time was standing still! Then you began to see it crumble and it was gone in a flash! 

43 years of memories.

Phase II of the Presidential Village Residential Community will go in it's place.
Well, Rose Towers is gone and I am used to it. Now, I will admire the new building that goes in it's place. If I am still here in 43 years (please try not to roll in the floor laughing!).....Josh has to take me to see this building being tore down!!!

Thanks for the memories!

Hey.....just found out that Paty Hall is still standing. That's one change I didn't have to worry about!!!!