Cut Short, But Still Sweet

Originally, we planned to stay at the beach until Sunday, and then drive back in the late afternoon. But because Chris was not feeling much better, we decided to come home a little earlier. But before we left on Saturday, we packed in as much fun as we could on Thursday and Friday!

Thursday night was maybe the most fun of our entire trip. We went to a Pensacola Wahoo’s baseball game. If you ever find yourself in Pensacola, Florida, you definitely need to check out a game. The tickets are ridiculously cheap, the food and beer are so inexpensive compared to what you would normally pay at a ballpark, and the stadium is beautiful. The game was sold out because we tried to get tickets at the very last minute, so we bought the $5 standing room only seats. I was a little worried about that, but after going, I’m never paying for any other seats there. It was perfect!

Standing room only means that you are in the outfield where there are bar tables and seats (all outside, of course). You just grab a table and enjoy the game. You can also choose to sit on the grassy knoll in the outfield, too, and that’s what we did. We brought a big blanket and spread out on the hill. It was perfect with the kids because they could walk around, and I liked it because we didn’t have to sit in a row of seats, so we got to talk to everyone and not just the person sitting next to us. My mom, my grandma, Chris, me, and the kids met Chris’s mom, Jackie, up there. My sister and her hubby were there (in real seats) with John Michael’s family, so they came by for a while, too. It was a blast!

The kids spent the night with Jackie after the game, so Friday morning my sister, mom, and I headed to the golf course. It was our first time ever playing with just the three of us, and we had a hoot!

My sister is a riot on any given day. She’s one of the funniest people I know, mostly because she’s over shares so darn much! If you think I have no filter, you should meet Ginny. She kept us laughing the entire day. She told us that when she plays golf, she pictures the entire PGA tour on the course. Photographers, other golfers, fans, officials, etc. So, anytime she hit a bad shot, she would hold her hand up to the “gallery” and nod her head, as if in appreciation for their sympathy. I almost wet my pants.

We came home from golf and I did a quick vitals check on Chris. He actually went to the baseball game with us the night before (we had to prop him up against a wall to keep him upright…), and I was afraid the outing had killed him. He slept all morning while we were golfing, but he was feeling a little better by the time we got home. He rode with me to pick the kids ups, and we came home and played in the pool until dinner. Well, we did. Chris went back to bed, bless his heart.

(Can you see Bean cannonballing here?)

That night, after Chris rested, my mom, Grandma, Chris, the kids, and I headed down to the Margaritaville Hotel for a cheeseburger in paradise at their outdoor bar and grill called “The Landshark.” It has been voted one of the top 20 best beach bars in the world, or something crazy like that. And it was pretty cool (though, they never brought Chris’s meal and we ended up having to get it in a to-go box… thumbs down for that). The bar itself was awesome!

They had live music, great bushwackers (a frozen adult beverage that tastes like a mocha milkshake, y’all… to die for and a Pensacola Beach specialty), and big ol’ cheeseburgers!

After dinner, we tried to get a decent family picture out on the beach. Our kids were not cooperating. I believe I even shouted, “If you don’t smile RIGHT THIS MINUTE, you are going into time out!” That’s good parenting right there. Makes for good pictures, too. I’m pretty sure this will be our Christmas card picture this year. I kind of love it, actually…

All in all, our visit to Pensacola Beach was wonderful.  If Chris hadn’t been sick, I can’t imagine how much more fun we would have had.  I told him we would have to come back again this summer for a redo trip so that he got to enjoy the sun and seafood like us!