Vacation in Orange Beach

June 10-17, 2016

Day One. Lots of driving. Twelve hours to be exact. Lots of snacking on grapes and gouda. Lunch at a jank Wendy's. Molly was a trooper. Made it to our condo and ordered pizza at an ungodly hour.

Day Two. Woke up to a beautiful view that we had been unable to appreciate upon arrival due to pitch black darkness. Went to Walmart for groceries and essentials. Did some swimming at the pool. Ate dinner at Cobalt, the restaurant within walking distance from our condo. While we waited on our table at Cobalt, we walked the boardwalk to the beach and searched for seashells.

Day Three. Started out rainy, so Emily and I got some good patio time in watching the storm pass. Then we all got to spend some time at the beach. The guys went fishing in the evening then brought back some Thai food for dinner. Emily and I stayed up late hanging out on the patio.

Day Four. It was a hot one. We went to the Gulf Shores zoo, where a dream of mine came true: I met a sloth. Two to be exact. Sid and Sylvia, both dead asleep the whole time. Then we ate lunch at Lambert's, and I got hit in the back of my head by a thrown roll. We went to the outlets after lunch, then the guys went fishing off the dock again in the evening. Pretty much every time they did that, Emily and I hung out on the patio after Molly went to bed.

Day Five. We all went to the pool together and hung out for a while until it started pouring down rain and storming. The guys cooked steaks and hamburgers, and we ate lunch at the condo. We hung out low key, mostly outside on the patio, until dinner at Cotton's.

Day Six. The guys went deep sea fishing the first part of the day, so Emily and I took Molly to the beach to look for seashells even though it was lightly raining when we left. We got caught in a torrential downpour while we were out and laughed hysterically as we got soaked to the bone. The rain finally let up, so we got a nice walk in before going back to the condo and taking showers. We got fixed up for family pictures, and after the guys got done with their post-fishing naps, we walked back to the beach for a quick cell-phone-do-it-yourself-humidity-hair photoshoot. For dinner, we used the red snapper Charlie had caught while deep sea fishing and made fish tacos. This was by far my favorite meal we ate all week. I actually made nachos out of mine with all the taco fixins.

Day Seven. The guys went golfing early, so Emily and I took Molly to the pool for one last shot at some sun. We played with her in the water and laid out for a while before taking her back to the condo for a nap. After the guys got back, we spent time together at the outlets, eating Mexican food at Cactus Cantina, then getting awesome homemade ice cream at Matt's. Wanting to soak in our last night of vacation, we all went to the beach to watch the sunset, fish, and hang out as individual couples/families.

Day Eight. Time to check out of paradise and head home. Had lunch in Yazoo, MS at a BBQ joint that lets their patrons write on their walls. We had to pull over somewhere around Pine Bluff, AR after dark because it was storming so bad, Leslie couldn't see to drive. Then we hit road construction around Little Rock that really slowed us down. It was 2 am when we got to Charlie and Emily's house, so Leslie and I spent the night there before returning home the next morning, retrieving the pug, and unpacking.

This was my first solid week-long vacation of any kind, so getting to spend it at the beach, at an amazing condo, with people I love made it such a special trip. It was the perfect mix of relaxing and fun. Can't wait to go back some day.