One Last Summer Hoorah!

At the beginning of the summer some of our good friends who lived 2 houses down from us relocated to South Alabama.  Lucky for us they are not too far from our family who live down that way, so we knew it was not a forever good-bye, but more of a we'll see you next time we get down that way.  With the summer being as busy has it has been this year the only time either of us had a chance to make it down that way was when I went to PCB my mom and dad a few weeks ago, so had not seen them all summer!

The closest we came to a group picture....the guys never did cooperate like we wanted them to!

Lucky for us the boys had been scheming the past few weeks and this past weekend we were able to sneak away for a few days before the official start of football. We left Friday after lunch and headed down I-65 ready for some R & R.

We spent the weekend relaxing and enjoying each others company.  Another couple came too, and Eric's brother and his wife drove over one evening for dinner, so we got to see them while we were there.

I am pretty sure all of the kiddos enjoyed the trip as much as we did!

Saturday while the guys golfed, the girls headed down to a little town called Fairhope.  I'd been there before but it had been several years.  We walked around the downtown area that was lined with shops and restaurants.  After we found several things we could not live without we settled in for some wine and sushi (great combo if you ask me!) at a restaurant call Master Joe's.  I had a Titanic Roll with shrimp tempura and cucumber, stopped with crab, shrimp, avocado, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and tempura flakes.  It was fantastic and I wish I had one right now!  As with all good sushi meals we all got something different and passed the rolls around so we could try a bite of everything.

My Titanic Roll (soooo good!) and Kenzie kisses!

Sunday the guys went with Eric's brother to try their luck snapper fishing.  We decided we weren't in a rush to do much of anything so we piddled around the house before packing up the kiddos to head toward the beach.

The plan was to go to Orange Beach where the guys were so we could meet up with them when they got back, but we never actually made it to the beach.  After making a pit stop at the outlet mall (because it was there of course!) we were headed to the beach until Eric called and said they were coming in from fishing.  Instead of going to the beach we detoured to the marina to see what they caught....a few red snapper, not too shabby.

I would have loved to have continued on to the beach, but Eric and I had to hit the road to get back home, so we jumped in the truck, went back to their house to pick up our stuff (and Beau), and headed north.

The only pic I got of us all weekend....he just loves pictures so much!

Why did we have to get home Sunday night? Well because football season officially started at midnight, and the team was having a midnight practice.... Yes midnight practice. I think he got maybe an hour of sleep from the time we got home until the time he had to leave for practice, and then got home about 2:30 a.m.  Although the public was invited, I told him just to let me know how it went because I had to be up at 5:15 a.m. the next day. He said it went well and that they had a nice little crowd, so I guess it was a success!

Sunshine selfie...we need to get the two littles some sunglasses!

Now we are officially in football mode for the next 4 months.  We're really kicking things off with our 5th Annual Football Coaches Cookout at our house on Saturday. For the 5th year in a row Eric is going to attempt to beat our head coach's ribs. He has come extremely close every year, but has come up short.  He's been scheming how to win this year, so we will see. As for the ladies, we've done potato salad and mac and cheese contests before, but last year we did dessert which turned out really great!  Since the only classic BBQ side dishes that were really left were slaw and beans and none of of want to deal with the aftermath of eating large amounts of either we deiced to do desserts again.Who doesn't want a table full of desserts to sample?!?

What started out as beginning of the season cookout has now become a tradition that we all look forward to every year, and I can't wait for this year's edition!

Beachin' It

A couple of weekends ago I snuck away to the beach for a few days.  Well I didn't actually sneak, it was planned, but still...  Eric had fishing trips to run that weekend so he opted to stay home.  As much as I hated to leave him, I needed some beach time desperately, so I joined Mom and Dad in Panama City Beach for an extended weekend.....and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Beach bums!

We got down there on Saturday evening and after spending hours in the car we opted to walk down the beach to grab dinner at Sharkey's for some delicious seafood.  You really can't beat fresh gulf seafood.  I never really ate fish until Eric and I started dating and now I can't get enough of it!  Of course it probably had something to do with the fact that we lived in Memphis and the seafood there wasn't exactly what you would call "fresh."

The next three mornings looked almost identical.  After donuts for breakfast (there was a new place right across the street from us) Dad headed off to golf while Mom and I got in a 4+ mile walk where we window shopped in Pier Park and solved ALL of the worlds problems....we get a lot done on our walks.  After we got back we'd head to the beach and stake out a spot to lay our chairs and sheet, and R-E-L-A-X. Dad would call when he got home and we'd meet him upstairs for lunch.

Sunsets, good company, and a wall of donuts....makings of a great vacation!

Our afternoons varied slightly, one day we beached all day and one day it rained so we checked out the Panama City Beach Winery and sampled some delicious fruit wines before beaching in the later afternoon.  We absolutely LOVED the winery.  The owners were really nice and very helpful!  I think we tried nearly half of the wines on the menu, and there were a bunch.

This is the third year we've been to PCB (Year 1, Year 2), so we're learning our way around, and discovering the best ways to enjoy the city. One thing we discovered last year is that going away from Front Beach Road is a good thing, especially if you want some really delicious local food. With traffic as bad as it is on the beach road, it takes just as much time to go elsewhere.

After dinner sunset at Uncle Ernie's

On Sunday we opted to head back to a restaurant that is becoming a favorite of ours called Uncle Ernie's.  It was recommended by a concierge last year, and did not disappoint!  It's on St. Andrew's Bay in Panama City (next to PCB).  We fell in love with this place last year when we celebrated Mom's birthday there.  They have a-m-a-z-i-n-g fried crab cakes (which was had to get again), and really delicious seafood dishes.  And the view from their outdoor patio is incredible!

Right: Crabcakes and grouper from Uncle Ernie's; Left: Southern goodness from Boondocks

Monday night we went for some southern seafood fare in the form of a little place called Boondocks. It's on West Bay - just north of PCB. We heard about it on a local tv program about hole-in-the-wall local restaurants and had to try it.  You can get just about any kind of seafood one of three ways: grilled, steamed, or fried.  We went all in and got everything fried because we could, so we shared platters of grouper, shrimp, crab claws, deviled crabs, and scallops, and then waddled home. I almost forgot, we did get one thing that was not fried - their Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.  I could have made a meal off of those alone!

The view and some of the local residents at Boondocks

I had to head back after lunch - perks of living 3 hours from the beach - so I did not get to partake in dinner that night at Shipyard Grill on St. Andrew's Bay, but some little birdies told me that it was amazing, too!

Besides the good food and beach I had some fantastic company in my parents! Whether we were on the beach, at dinner, sitting on the balcony in our condo watching the waves roll in, or sitting in the car trying to turn on to Back Beach Road watching all of the vehicles roll by (you have to catch it at the right time or you wait forever), it was so nice to get to spend some time with them.  The only thing that would have made the trip better would have been Eric and Matt there......next trip guys, next trip!

Until next time Gulf!

Cheers to 7 Years!

Today we hit big #7 on the anniversary log!  I still can't believe it's been that long.  I'd spare you the cliche "It seems like it flew by, but then it seems like yesterday" spiel, but it's true!  Some days it really seems like we've been married forever but the details from our wedding are always in the back of my mind...and several are in albums on facebook so I can relive them whenever.

Since our day fell on a Monday this year we celebrated over the weekend, on a boat - where else?! We set off for the Middle Pond so Eric could scout some crappie on Saturday. He said he wasn't leaving until he caught a fish.  Thankfully he caught one at the first hole he fished so we didn't have to stay all night.

We took the young pups with us - it was a little too warm for the old boys.  It was LG's first trip back to a boat ramp since Eric brought her home about 6 months ago. I wasn't taking any chances of her getting loose either.  As long as her feet were on dry land where she could run her little booty was on a leash.  But she did get to play off the leash and swim with Beau for a bit.

 She enjoys sunbathing like her Momma

They did a little fish spotting for us

I decided that a boat is no place for a hyper-active pup though.  She can't sit still on dry land, and the boat was no different....she was climbing and pacing the whole time, but I think she enjoyed it.

Sunday we celebrated with brunch at Springhouse, where we had some fantastic drinks and food!  This was our first time, but I think we both agreed it won't be our last. It was a really unique place with a ton of character near the lake.  It's kinda out in the middle of nowhere, so unless you're around that area of the lake you wouldn't know it was there.

When we got back from brunch we changed and headed down to the river for a few hours.  The cool water was just what the doctor ordered on a steamy afternoon. We even got to see an engagement on the sandbar!

It was a pretty fantastic way to kick off year 7 and I can't wait to see what it has in store for us!

A Weekend on the Water

After a particular cool, rainy start to the summer we've been hit with oppressive heat the past few weeks.  It started 4th of July weekend and it has not stopped.  Luckily the afternoon rain showers have reappeared, bringing with them a nice breeze and bearable temps, but the days have been hot.

Instead of trying to fight it, we gave in this past weekend and spent our entire weekend on the water; we just didn't see any other logical solution other than staying inside all weekend (which is what I did last Sunday when I finished up by book after about 7 hours on the couch reading).

Our view Saturday at the Lake

Saturday we headed up to Lake Martin to help a friend break in his new pontoon boat.  We cruised the lake for 3 straight hours and it was glorious! We had the top up so we could sit in the shade and enjoy the boat-made breeze and it was perfect! We cruised up the lake to pick up our friends who were camping for the night, then back to the other side of the lake to look at some cabins, then back up to drop our friends back off at the campsite and then back to the other end to head home.

I wouldn't mind hanging out at this lake "cabin"

The guys contemplating life and discussing the upcoming football season.

Chimney Rock

Well almost....were so close we just had to swing by Chuck's Marina for pizzas since we hadn't had any yet this year. Pizzas in hand we headed for the house. It's amazing how much 3 hours riding on the water will take out of you!

Captain Beau made sure we didn't get lost.

Sunday we were in full-out beat-the-heat mode and headed down to the river where the water stays in the 70s even in the heat of the summer.  We packed the boat down with coolers, a tent, and a grill and drove until we found a sandbar - which was quite a ways down since they had 3 turbines on at the dam.

#riverlife

We set everything up and sat down at the water's edge enjoying ourselves, until we realized the water was creeping up toward our tent.  We moved our things back a few feet, and then a few more feet, and then we gave up on sliding it back and just moved everything to the tree line.

That gave us plenty of time to grill the burgers and hot dogs, and enjoy them along with a little more time in the water.  Unfortunately the water did not seem to be receding any time soon, so we packed everything back up to head home and finished off the evening with a swim in the pool.

We did get to enjoy the view though....I still think the river is one of the prettiest places around!

This view on the Tallapoosa never gets old!