roadtrippin'

Saturday morning my day started off early as we pulled out for Mobile at 7:30, not before stopping at McDonalds to start my diet off right with a CinnaMelt (why didn't I know those were so amazing? There is a reason...), and then we were on our way!  

We wanted to eat some seafood if we were already going to be that close, plus Felix's is one of our favorite places, AND daddy had never eaten there, so we stopped by for lunch!

after lunch, we had to take some photos, duh.

So, enjoy these next few! 

Once we left there, we headed over to tour the battleship! 

Ya'll... I loved it. I spent most of my time just taking it in, everything daddy said, while trying to picture that point in time. 

GEEZ. I'll save my "America" spill for later....

this bird had obviously had a rough day.

I feel like him every once in awhile.

Enjoy these!

Now, this veteran, Col. Glen D. Frazier, marched the Bataan Death March & then spent time in Japanese POW camps. His pride for what he has done beams around him, and his faithfulness to our country astounds me. He has been voted one of America's best selling authors, and much of his income goes back to preserving the U.S.S Alabama and all of its features.

He is a hero, one who dug his own grave and escaped from enemy fire, and he is one we have to thank for the freedom we so often take for granted. 

I am so proud to be in this country.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

well, we drove until the map turned blue.

& even though I didn't get "knee deep in the water somewhere" (because I don't get in ocean water), I hummed Zac Brown Band while I was there anyway! 

...I apologize to all you non-listeners of ZBB because you're probably way lost on that little "joke", but you're not missing much.

We arrived at our condo around 4 on Sunday. 

We left town around 8, grabbed breakfast at our (now) LOCAL McDonalds, and headed towards the sea. I slept until we were five minutes out of Mobile, so the ride seemed to last about 10 minutes! Fine by me. 

We ate lunch at Felix's, of course, and I got shrimp & grits, of course. 

We stopped at Target in Daphne, Bass Pro in Mobile, and then we went on to the Wharf. 

After spending a little time there, we left to go check into our hotel. 

Phoenix X.

Here is your photo tour.... (this was taken on the day before we left, so we had pretty well made ourselves at home)... 

"foyer" better known as the hallway. The door you see is the entrance/exit, and the door to the left of it is mine & Mamma's room. 

Kitchen/living room area, and Mimi's room is to the left of the chair.

I didn't take a photo of our rooms/bathrooms for some reason!

oops.

I always love kitchens & bathrooms. 

photo taken and edited by ashia

Later, I met Ben, Ashia, & Austin at a public beach about 10 minutes away to take some family photos of them before dinner. It was fun to see Austin reacting to the water against her toes, and the sand under her feet. Don't ya'll love what beach wind will do to your hair? We were suffering from major hair malfunctions, clearly. Austin worked it better than I did, though ;)

On Monday, Mamma & I spent some quality time on the beach for the early part of the day, and then it started lightening. I am no joke when it comes to storms at the beach. I've watched too many storm chasing shows to risk even the slightest thunderstorm. So, we packed it up & went inside. 

Uncle Jay called a few weeks back and asked if I wanted to go deep sea fishing with he and Beau, and I have been wanting to go for quite some time, but I imagined going with Daddy. 

I like doing these types of things regardless, but I especially enjoy them with him. 

Anyway! The weather was questionable for the next hour or so, but we went to the marina anyway. 

Boats were packing up and leaving, and ours was right on schedule.

This is Curtis, our deckhand, aka - my babysitter, or so he thought! :) 

I'm kidding. He helped me get into the swing of things, and finally I started catching fish. It's just totally different than the fishing I've done in the past because of the use of different hooks, and (of course) because of the weight of the fish that are tugging on my line!

bait! 

I don't know if I had a fish or had just casted my line, but Beau kept me occupied during basically the entire trip.

Mid-day at sea.

Red Snapper was the main catch of the day, but we had one Scamp, a Black Snapper and a few King Mackerel too. The Scamp and Black Snapper are considered "bonus fish" and don't count against your limit of 10 Red Snappers.

King Mackerel.

Beau & I chatting!

Our boat was named "Chipper's Clipper" and our Captain was named "Chip". How creative!

That's our catch, too.

Mamma & I before eating at the Gulf Shores Steamer

(which wasn't all that great, but it wasn't awful either.

I will say that it was my least favorite, though.)

We usually see dolphins in the early morning, but this was after lunch sometime, and there was probably 5 or 6 swimming up near the first sandbar. 

There were ALSO two sharks swimming around near the shore. You obviously can't see them, but that's what those people were pointing at. 

Coast guards, lifeguards, four-wheelers, and rangers were everywhere. People were ordered to stay out of the water (which was clearly inforced...), but it didn't last too long.

SN: this is my new best friend. "Yes to Carrots" Coral tinted lip balm. 

I love it. 

That is all.

In Two Hours

In two hours, I'll be saying goodbye to my Daddy at the church as we prepare to leave going into another country.

I've flown six times in my life, and 6 out of 6 times Daddy has been right by my side.

I've traveled on a bus so many times that it makes me dizzy to try and recount them all, but I've only traveled WITH three of the same people that I will leave with tonight before.

In two hours, I'll be kissing my small, redneck talkin', everybody knows everybody, one horse town with a recently added McDonalds goodbye, and I will soon be welcomed into a Spanish speaking society.

In two hours, I will probably begin another countdown to the time that I lose track of the "outside" world. No phone, no internet, no twitter, no facebook.. and I don't feel like it will be a HORRIBLE thing, but then again I know how reliant I am on those things to keep in touch with all of you. And let's be honest, if you're reading this - you're probably addicted to one (if not multiple) of those listed. Caught cha! ;-)

 But mainly.. in two hours I will be embarking on a trip of a lifetime; one I will never forget. I will be surrounded by people who have a love for the Lord, and even though a mixture of those people are around me each and every day, I somehow know that this will be different. They love the Lord despite not having tivo, texting, Walmart, Twitter, McDonalds, as well as many practical items that we "can't live without".

 I cannot lie about the fact that I have, indeed, struggled with leaving all of my family and friends - but I also know that this has worked out for a REASON, and I am setting out at 5 am on a plane to Houston then to Honduras to uncover what exactly that reason is. I am anxious to be around our Honduran church family, as well as get to know them better. I cannot wait to be shocked by the culture that surrounds me, and I am quite excited about sharing it all with you as I recollect it when I get back.

 I will not lie to you (or myself) by saying that I'm "not nervous". Sure, I am nervous. I don't have the slightest clue of what to expect, but I know that all the tears shed here over leaving ya'll will be some of the same tears shed this time next week as we prepare to come back because of the relationships that I know will grow as we are there.

I am blessed beyond measure to have family - by blood.. and my church family -, friends, and acquaintances that have let me know that I am in their prayers. It means more to me than anything at this point because my heart is heavy. I don't do well with goodbyes, and today has been full of them.

With that being said, I am taking comfort in the fact that I have been given this opportunity, and there is a reason for my being there. Thank you to all who have supported the mission trip that ended last week, as well as the one that we will be setting out on early in the morning. I can't wait to get back and share my journal with you, and I am looking forward to a life-changing experience.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 

- Joshua 1:9

springbreakeleven.

Well we packed down the car, and left the Magnolia State around 8:53 am on Sunday. Destin bound! 

We arrived around 3ish. We stopped for lunch, and a few breaks along the way, but we still made it down to the pool for a little while.

We ate good seafood.

Laughed.

Painted fingernails.

Shopped.

Soaked up [alittletoomuch] sun.

& photographed.

a lot.

I had a great week, and it made me even more excited about going back in the summer, but realizing that a trip to Honduras comes before that makes me even more anxious to get these last 6 weeks out of the way.