Our Florida Getaway - Part 2

The beaches are amazing.  The sand is so fine and white.  It reminded us of the snow we left behind in Iowa.  The beaches were also full of shells.  The kids and I had so much fun finding the perfect shells to bring home.  We didn't have any luck finding whole sand dollars, but did find several good-sized pieces.

I'm still not sure what we are going to do with all these shells besides a few picture frames/shadow boxes, so if you have any ideas, be sure to let me know.  I've found a few ideas on Pinterest too that I may just try out.

We drove a out of town a little bit and found this beach.  The first thing we saw was this heart made of rose petals on the beach.  How romantic.  It made me wonder if someone was proposed to just hours before.....

The kids didn't care how cloudy and windy it was, they were so excited to be ON THE BEACH!  I think these photos show their excitement well!

While Pat was meeting with some clients down the road in Gulf Shores, Alabama, I took the kids to the beach in Gulf Shores.  It was a pretty nice day and Patrick snapped this photo of me on the beach.

Once we returned to Pensacola Beach we took advantage of the sun and hit our beach.  The water was really cold though!

I enjoyed watching this man feed the seagulls and how they would grab food right out of his fingers.

Pat and the kids decided to hit the lazy river at the hotel and I was blessed with some solitude on the beach.  It was just what I needed.  I loved sitting there doing nothing but watching the clouds roll across the sky, the waves come in and go out, and the sun drop down under the horizon.  It was absolutely breathtaking.

We took a drive down the road about an hour to Destin, Florida.  Destin is known as one of the best Family Vacation Sites and also known for their awesome beaches.  What we noticed while there was the water was sooooo blue (this photo doesn't even do it justice) and since it was kind of a bay area, it was so calm.  Hardly any waves coming in.  It was sunny and just gorgeous there.  But, the town itself was much more "touristy".  Pensacola Beach has a few shops and restaurants, but for the most part is pretty quiet, where Destin is full of shops, malls, restaurants, etc.  So, just depends on what your family is looking for.  I would imagine this area will be very busy during spring break and the summers!

Patrick had a ball running down the beach and leaping for the camera!  He got some air!

My parents had been to Pensacola Beach several years ago to visit family that were wintering there.  She told me we needed to find the "spaceship house".  I was like, yeah, right, like we will find that.  But, as we were driving, would you believe it was right down the street from our hotel???  So, I don't know who lives here or why they have a house that looks like a spaceship, but here it is.