Forever Young: July 2013

So I'm a little late posting, but for the week of July 4th, we went on the annual beach vacation with Andrew's family. The "annual" beach vacation was skipped last year due to our wedding and this year was the first year I got to go with the Young family clan. The beach is just about my favorite place in the world - even when it rains five out of seven days you're there. Which is what happened on this trip. We still had a wonderful time and it was nice to just get away and have time to relax. Even if I didn't come back home with the suntan I had hoped for.

The tunnel through the Mobile Bay is our favorite part of the trip to Florida. There is something exciting about coming out on the other side and seeing the water and knowing you are that much closer to smelling the salt water and feeling the way the thick ocean air sticks to your skin. The sun shone on us that day and we were blessed to spend the first two and half days in the sun. We had seen the weather forecasts so we were able to make the most of it! We spent every minute we could on the beach, went golfing, and took beach pictures.

Andrew's brother, Christopher aka "Chur" and his sweet girlfriend, Emily

Andrew's precious parents, Joey & Lori

Andrew's brother Nic (middle) and two of his friend, Jackson & Ryan with Mrs. Lori

Putt putt golf night - Jackson, Ryan,. Nee & Andrew

The beach house where we stayed on this trip was right across the street from the beach house that my family rented in August 2011 - the first time Andrew and I ever went to the beach together. We made so many memories on that beach trip and it was fun to get to relive those. See below - top picture - beach house from 2011 and bottom picture - beach house from 2013.

Then - the rain started. And it wasn't the typical afternoon beach showers, this was a monsoon. It rained so much and so hard that it made it difficult to get out and do anything.. we braved the outlet mall for a bit but got drenched just walking to and from the car. So we spent a lot of family together time... and played lots and lots of Yahtzee.

And because they got tired of Yahtzee (I was addicted and would have played all day every day), we also ate way too many Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

I also celebrated my 25th birthday on this trip - I was excited about spending my birthday on the beach but the rain forced me to spend the day here instead...

It was too bad really. The fact that I had to spend the day getting pampered. But oh well - that's the way it happens sometimes :)

Andrew also woke up and made me homemade cinnamon rolls. He was the designated "breakfast chef" and made breakfast every morning, which was wonderful. He is the best cook and for that I am very, very grateful.

We also had dinner at The Red Bar, one of my personal favorites, and then had cake back at the beach house afterwards.

The rain let up one night for a few hours and we were able to make a few more family pictures in our official vacation t-shirts, designed by L. Young Studio, Andrew's mom herself.