Refreshing Lemon Water

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery pics are from our first day at Sandestin. Beautiful day. Amazing pictures. I had so much fun with the new camera. Life is good.

Sandestin - Day One - Tar Balls, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Seaweed... Oh, My!

Our trip down was as uneventful as uneventful could be. And since our last road trip a couple of weeks ago was ten hours long, the ride to Sandestin was absolutely painless.

We arrived late afternoon to beautiful blue skies, yellow flags (Code for TONS OF WAVES), and the most gorgeous ocean I have ever seen (Code for NO TAR BALLS).

The yellow flags and waves were there because of Tropical Storm Bonnie's recent departure. I assume the excess seaweed may have been there for the same reason. However, today is another day, and as anyone who has ever been to the beach knows, the whole seaweed/wave/yellow flag thing could be history.

I'm not a seaweed person, as you might imagine. And with my new camera, I excused myself from body surfing and took 1,021 pictures instead. (I even pretended I was a real photographer and took pictures of other people's children... until a few parents asked me to stop. Oops!)

We then headed to the pool to rinse the green stuff off our bodies. The pool was not huge, but it could definitely hold the Faulkner Five. However, it could not hold the Faulkner Five and three other families with small children when THREE of the Faulkner Five started "water wrestling." We needed the whole pool to ourselves for that activity. (And I pretended it was acceptable pool behavior... until a few parents asked me to get my family out of the pool. Oops, again!)

Finally, it was dinner time. Instead of trying something new, we headed to Acme Oyster House. We had eaten there last year, and enjoyed it very much. It didn't disappoint last night either.

Oh, and NEWS FLASH! There is a zip line in this little entertainment district. A real zip line. It doesn't go over a canopy of trees in the rainforest though. Actually, your bottom is fastened into an unflattering harness, and you're sent sailing over the heads of poor people trying to eat a nice dinner. The week isn't over, but I don't think I'll be truly happy unless I zip line in a real rain forest. I have very high standards, you know.

We finished the evening with a Faulkner Family Movie Night. Actually, Mikie and I finished the night with a Faulkner Family Movie night. The kids opted to stay up a little longer.

We are anxious to see what today will bring. Only one thing is certain. I won't be taking pictures of other people's kids playing in the waves... no matter how carried away I get with my new camera and my new unbelievable photography skills!

DISCLAIMER - Please tell me you know me well enough to know I did NOT take pictures of strange children on the beach? Please? (I was tempted, but their parents were standing right there!) Unfortunately, the "water wrestling" part totally happened... but I was the parent who sent the Faulkner Five to their room! (It's really hard when all three of your kids look just like you! Mikie can walk away, but when it's all said and done, it's pretty evident those kids are MINE!)

Refreshing Lemon Water

I found this simple recipe on a blog a couple of weeks ago. Since I have recently started adding a bag or two (or four) of Splenda to my lemon water when I order it in a restaurant, this caught my eye.

1 gallon water
2 1/2 teaspoons citric acid (found in the pharmacy section of the grocery store or health food stores)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 3/4 cups sugar

Mix all ingredients. Serve over ice. Add sliced lemons for garnish.

Sounds lovely, doesn't it? I'm making a pitcher when I get home... or maybe I'll make it here at the beach. Hmmm.

Have a terrific Tuesday. Wednesday's Wisdom and Traditions are all about the beach! I will also be sharing a couple of hints about our August Special Guest. That's right. It's that time again... and this chick will be a BIG surprise.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting (and Semi-Professional Photographer Extraordinaire) Belinda

"At the Beach" Beach Party

Good Monday morning!

The Showcase Pic is of Roxie and friends completing the 5K at the Pink Ribbon Run Friday night. They had an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction... and heat exhaustion. However, there are HUGE grins on all of the faces. It was a Friday night well spent.

The Gallery Pics are more of the same... the Pink Ribbon Run. It was a very well-documented event!

RANDOMNESS #1 - We're headed to the beach in a couple of hours (more like FOUR), so I was mistaken when I said all of this week's posts would be coming to you live from Sandestin. Sorry. I got a little ahead of myself.

RANDOMNESS #2 - Wouldn't it be a "kick in the pants" if I saw a manatee swimming in the Gulf this week? Wouldn't it? Or if a dolphin swam up to me and playfully nudged me with it's nose? (I have to be honest. Both of these events would probably be the end of me... literally. I don't think my heart could take it!)

RANDOMNESS #3 - Why don't we have Baywatch lifeguards on the Gulf Coast? They do a great job. In only three days, they assisted us TWICE. They aren't an eyesore. (Just the contrary!) And even though they don't run in slow motion up and down the beach, they are still a comfort to have. Is there someone we could talk to or write? I think I'll start with David Hasselhoff. He probably knows the right "people."

Beach Party

I've used my new "friends" at www.passion-for-parties.com once again. Being on vacation is the perfect time to use some of the ideas they have listed in their Beach Party Plan (and I've thrown in a couple of my own for good measure).

Plan a specific time to have an "At the Beach" Beach Party with your immediate family during your vacation.

Decorate Flip Flops - Have the kids decorate flip flops with fake flowers, fuzzy yarns, rhinestones, foam shapes, or anything else your imagination can come up with! (If you have guys, have yarn or ribbon in their favorite team colors for them to use.)

Festive Lunch - Break away from seafood and plan a lunch with theme plates, napkins, etc. Serve submarine sandwiches, Goldfish crackers and have fresh fruit kabobs with fruit dip. To stay with the theme, use coolers or ice buckets to serve the drinks from. You can use this as a centerpiece with two or three brightly colored balloons tied to the handle.

NOTE - You can even take it a step further and serve the food from frisbees lined with paper plates! The frisbees could then be used for another party activity.

Music - Have "beach" music (Beach Boys, etc.) playing throughout the festivities.

Beach Volleyball or Ultimate Frisbee - Get a little volleyball game (or Ultimate Frisbee challenge) going on in classic beach fashion!

Sand Castles Competition - Mom and Dad participate, too. When you are finished with your creations, stop a "beach walker" and ask them to pick the winner.

Cupcakes - Go to the website and look at their cupcake ideas. Pick one and decorate the cupcakes as a family!

Okay... The evening after your "At the Beach" Beach Party, have everyone throw on their pajamas and have a Family Movie Night with a theme movie (Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid, Swiss Family Robinson, etc.).

Switch things up a bit. Let the girls sleep together in one room (Mom, too), and let the guys do the same (including Dad). Or, you can all sleep in one room as a family!

Have a great Monday. Hopefully, I'll have pictures posted Tuesday using my NEW camera... and if I haven't figured it out by then, I'm taking the point and shoot (just in case)!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda