VACATION! (part two)

Day 6 (Wednesday, July 7, 2010): Today we spent the morning packing up and loading up.  Said our goodbyes to Pops and Momma and then went by Nana's house to give her one last hug on our way out of town. 

Then we were on our way to Destin! 

Etta only took a 20 minute nap on the way down which stressed me out because we were planing on going to dinner and I knew she'd be a pill.  When we got to Destin, we got a little lost and frustrated, but finally made it.  I knew that I had booked a condo in the same neighborhood as Kimi's apartment, but I didn't realize that we would literally be in the complex across the parking lot from Kimi's unit.  CONVENIENT!  About an hour after we arrived, Dad and Chris arrived.  We spent a little while visiting and unloading and then we all went to dinner at The Crab Trap. 

It was nice to see the ocean and see that it was clean and still beautiful.  Etta was pretty fussy the whole time (saw that one coming!). After dinner, Keith took Etta down to the water and before I knew it, Etta was soaked!  She LOVED the ocean and screamed at us if we tried to lead her away from it. 

After we wrangled her into some dry clothes, we headed back to the apartment and got her into bed (after a bath, of course).  Chris and I headed back out to make a quick grocery store run and a stop at Alvin's Island for some cheap beach towels because I forgot to pack some in the commotion to get out of the house on Friday.

Day 7 (Thursday, July 8, 2010): Etta was kind enough to wake us around 5:15 when the sun started shinning through the poor excuse for mini blinds.  I wish there was a way to take travel black out shades with you on vacation!  We put Etta's crib in the LARGE master closet hoping to block out some of the light, but we leave the door cracked because there isn't an air vent in there.  Anyway, so we were up early.  So, we got ready early and went to the beach early!  We found this great little spot behind some jetties.  The water was so calm and so clear and so perfect!!  It was a beautiful morning!  E had fun playing in the ocean and playing in the sand. 

We left the beach around 9:45.  We got home and Etta had a bath and Keith had a bath and then we went to lunch at Hooters.  Keith has been dying for wings from Hooters for a couple of weeks.  He tore them up!  When I wasn't looking, Keith let Etta take a bite of one of his wings SMOTHERED in hot sauce.  yikes!  It took her a minute and then she was NOT happy!  Keith got an earful from me too.  haha.  We finished up lunch and Keith and I took her back to the condo for a nap and Dad, Chris, and Kimi went shopping.  Keith and I also took a nap today.  ahhh... vacation!  By the time we got up, the rest of the crew was back.  We hung around here for a while and then went to Alvin's Island for an outing and Mellow Mushroom for dinner.

Day 8 (Friday, July 9, 2010): This morning, we went down to the beach to try and get some family photos.  Mostly we got pictures that look like this:

and this:

but there were a couple of gems in there.

After pictures, we went to an oyster bar on the water.  This place was a dive, but they made some mean baked oysters!  Etta was mostly a pill because she needed a nap, but she did find a hula hoop to play with.  :) 

After lunch we dropped Etta and Keith off for a nap and he rest of us went out and ran a few errands.  Dad and Chris left around 3:00 to head over to Deanne and Todd's in Pensacola. Kimi took a nap and Keith, Etta, and I went back out to the beach.  We didn't stay too long because it was very overcast and the water was a little cooler. 

When we got home that evening, I made a call to "Aunt" Becky so I could check on "Uncle" David. She said he wasn't doing well, and he couldn't talk, but she put the phone up to his ear so I could tell him that I love him. Aunt Becky asked him if he loved me and she says he nodded. I also got to talk to Paul for a few minutes, but had to go because I was getting upset, but Paul promised to give him a hug just from me. About three hours later, I got the call from Aunt Becky. "David is gone." Then she handed the phone to Jill who filled me in a little. I made sure they knew I loved them (they knew, of course) and hung up the phone so they could make more phone calls. I called mom, who was on her way up to Tennessee to be with them, and passed the news along to her. It was a sad night.



Day 9 (Saturday, July 10, 2010): I was surprised to wake this morning feeling at peace, knowing David loved me and knowing that he knew I love him. Also, the knowledge that he passed peacefully and without pain and surrounded by his family brought me comfort. Soon after we got up this morning, we started packing up and loading up, said goodbye to Kimi and got on the road to Pensacola. It was great getting to see Deanne and Todd.

I gave my little cutie some Vinegar and Salt chips at one point and she loved them! BUT, she made this face:

HAHAHAHA! I swear she LOVED them! :)

Keith and Todd were cute together. They played video games all night and Keith helped Todd make ceviche.

In the early evening, we let Etta play in the baby pool and then just gave her a bath out there. It was maybe a little redneck... She passed out around 6:30.

Day 10 (Sunday, July 11, 2010): We got up this morning and went to breakfast at IHOP before heading back home to Tennessee.

I was anxious to get back and hug on the Perry Family. We left Pensacola around 10:00 and arrived at about 4:45. I helped unload the minivan and then hopped in the Sentra and went over to see Becky. My mom was already there with them and so was Aunt Becky's sister, Karen, and of course, Grandma Marsh (Aunt Becky's mom). I was emotional at first, but then Becky took me into their bedroom and sat on her bed with me and my mom and started telling me about David's final days and moments, reassuring me that he died peacefully They all kissed him and told him they loved him and then he just let go, surrounded by love. Eventually Grandma Marsh came into the room and we hoisted her up onto the bed with us and then Karen joined us. The five of us just sat on the bed and talked and laughed and remembered. Later we had some dinner and discussed Judaism and eventually, mom and I came home.

I plan on heading back over there tomorrow afternoon when E gets up from her nap.