Orange Beach Escape

This week, I got to escape "life" and head down to the beach for a couple of days.  My mom's job took us down to Orange Beach as a vendor to display at a conference.  At first she and I were going to go down there and stay in a hotel and head right back. But once we got the schedule we realized we would have free afternoons each day.  So we decided to bring my girlfriend Lorie as our au pair for the mornings.  Her daughter Whitney (6) and Rob always play so well together.  Then our afternoons would be vacation days.  Here's how it all went...

Day One -- Arrival, Set-Up, Check In

It was so incredibly humid as we were unloading our wares into the exhibition space.  But we didn't think much about it.  Until this happened:

Needless to say, we were so afraid this was going to be the tone for the weekend.  Ugh-uh...

Nah.  We got checked into the condo next, and it wasn't long before the kids were itching to hit the beach.  I love the shore at dusk.  The beach is quiet and the water is usually warmer from the day. The kids loved it too.

Day Two -- Work and Play

Keeping in mind that this was a working vacation for Mom and me, we had to get up the next morning at 5:45 AM!  And let me tell you, that was one early wake up call!  I didn't take any pictures of our set up this time, but I wasn't all that pleased with it, anyway.

While we were working, Lorie took the kids to the Gulf Shores Zoo.  While there, Rob apparently overcame his trepidation of interacting with and feeding live animals!

Soon enough it was time to play, and we had beautiful weather! 

By the way, do you remember my sweet Rob took swimming lessons?  Well they paid off!  He swam like a fish!

That night we had a delicious dinner out at one of my all time favorite haunts in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. 



Day Three -- More Work, More Play

This was the last day of our conference and of our quick little vacation.  It marked another early wake-up call for mom and me.  It was odd leaving the condo while the others were asleep.  We kind of snuck out each morning.  On this day Rob, Whitney, and Lorie went to an arcade for a few hours until we were through with our responsibilities.

The afternoon marked more pool time for the kids.  Have I mentioned that since Rob discovered his newly acquired skills and love of swimming, he wants nothing to do with the beach?  Yeah, that's not going over very well with this beach-bum mom, but we'll work on that later.  Quiet night in the condo.  The kids watched Dolphin Tale and attempted to watch We Bought a Zoo but they were fast asleep quickly.  All this playing truly wore their little bodies out!

Day Four -- Home, James

It's true what they say, all good things must come to an end.  This almost felt like a marathon of a trip.  We squeezed in both work and play.  We loaded and unloaded the car, we beached, swam, watched movies, ate, and more!  By the time I got home, I felt like I was wearing 10-ton weights around my shoulders and ankles.  But I think the kids enjoyed themselves.  Lucky Lorie and Whitney got to check out of our condo and check into another one with their family for a (much more relaxing) few days.  But I know I will be back to the coast really soon!

Until then, enjoy your summer!