Independence Day

Holiday’s are always a good excuse to go out of town. We originally thought we would go spend the 4^th of July in Michigan with Bryan’s parents so they could see Brooklyn, but they were headed to Florida to visit with Kevin and family so they invited us to join them down south. We arrived at 11am Monday and the first thing we did was hit a really nice beach at Hurlbert Field (Air Force Base) that was on a nice bay. There were hardly any waves and being on the Air Force base means the average tourist isn’t allowed so we were pretty much the only ones there. The water was as warm your bathtub and the sand was nice to walk around and lounge on. That evening Kevin and Amanda had some of their friends over for the all-American hamburgers cooked on his grill, salad, watermelon, and corn on the cob, along with root beer floats for dessert. All the food was fabulous, especially after a long but enjoyable day at the beach.

Jeff and Mary (Bryan’s parents) were supposed to arrive at 10pm that same evening; however, their flight from Atlanta to Fort Walton Beach cancelled so at 2am they started their 7hr. drive in a rental car. We still aren’t sure if they would have taken such drastic measures if Brooklyn wasn’t with us but it is nice to assume they wanted to see us too. As soon as they arrived and Jeff took a short nap we headed to the same beach and swam for another couple of hours.Brooklyn enjoys being in the water but as the sand got on her she started to make it known that it was time to leave. For dinner we went to an excellent Mexican restaurant that Bryan and Mary had been to before and had promised to go back. It did not disappoint. The evening was spent together playing a round of Phase 10 (Molly somehow won that one) and letting the grandparents enjoy Brooklyn and her two cousins.

Traveling standby hasn't been easy lately and this trip was no different. Instead of two quick one hour flights home on Wednesday - we took a 6-hour road trip to Atlanta - jumped a quick flight to Dayton, Ohio - then drove another 2 hours to Indy. We arrived some time after 11 - yuck!

With such a long trip home, we definitely wish we could have stayed longer but take comfort in the fact that the next time we visit Kevin and Amanda it will be in Hawaii!