Fresh Air, Sun and the Sea...

Well, another successful family vacation is in the books! We spent a lovely week at Beyond the Sea in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

I'll summarize the highlights for those of you who are curious as what occurs on a Hall Family Vacation -

• After 8 long hours in the car, we always begin our adventure with a walk over to Goatfeathers for dinner. It is across from our vacation home and never disappoints with it's surf and turf offerings, and the fact that kids meals are served on frisbees is a bonus! Goatfeathers also has a great fresh seafood market we visit on the nights that we fire up the grill.
• The first full day of vacation - Ahh, imagine waking up at 7:00 am to the fresh Florida air...and the sound of Morgan walking around on hard-wood floors wearing rubber flippers with Emri singing at full blast. (I'm convinced Emri has voice immodulation disorder)
• Most mornings were spent at the pool, with afternoons on the beach and picnics, movies, bike rides and "quiet time" in between. When you are vacationing with three energetic girls, you learn to love quiet time!
• Since we were vacationing during the Olympics we all had to try our hand at new swimming strokes. Chassi mastered the butterfly and Josh swims fine, but floating is still a challenge for him. I'm thinking he may need to add more fiber?
• Traditionally we cook most evening meals together at the house and this year Anna Belle, 8 years old, was a big help in the kitchen. Anna has learned to successfully crack eggs and make blueberry muffins with out adding crunchy shells in the batter!
• Morgan ran a high fever on Tuesday and was down for about 24 hours, but she rallied and enjoyed the rest of the week. Morgan is very good at keeping us all organized and letting us know when it is time to transition to the next activity.
• We rented bikes for the week, except for Emri - it was cheaper just to buy her one at the local store. Emri's first question when she hopped on her new bike was "how soon can I pop a wheelie?" To which Chassi responded, "first you have to learn to ride the bike, and then get your training wheels off". We are taking applications for X-game sponsors for her future now.
• Jenni and I had a mission, it was to come back slightly darker than the white sand beaches, yet not sun-burned. I am proud to announce, we were successful!
• Bryan rode his bike, Chassi ran on the beach and Josh who is still training for his nutty "death race" worked out several times a day.
• Jenni, Chassi and I enjoyed a gals morning out - shopping for art along 30a, and stopping for a delicious brunch at the Hibiscus Cafe in Grayton.
• At night we enjoyed watching the sunset on the beach, visits to Seaside and of course, crab hunting.
• We tried a new restaurant The Local Catch, which I highly recommend, and ended our week with a trip to the infamous Red Bar in Grayton. I say infamous, because that means MORE than famous - right?

All in all a wonderful family vacation!