Where we stayed

While in Panama City Beach, we stayed at the Boardwalk Beach Resort Condos. It was a really nice facility overall and made for a very pleasant vacation right on the beach. We stayed on the 3rd floor, which was really only 2 floors up since they considered the ground floor as the first. It was REALLY nice not having to wait long for elevators and people were constantly making comments in the elevators about how lucky we were to be on the 3rd floor.
Here is the unit that we stayed in- 300,301. It was actually 2 units together en suite and it slept all 10 of us easily.

This was our kitchen. Please excuse the mess- we had food everywhere, plus we were trying to pack so everything was just lying out.

Dining room

Living room

Kid's room

Our room.

We really had a great vacation and it was so hard to leave. We've been to PCB three times, and this will most likely be our last. We love it there, but it's just too touristy and busy. We much prefer places that are more laid back. Our trip to Madeira Beach 7 years ago was just perfect.

PCB vacation day 7

Friday was our last full day in PCB. It's always a bittersweet day, no one really wants to go home, but we all want to enjoy it. Well, it was pouring when we got up and it was slated to rain off an on all day. We still had tickets for the rides at Pier Park that we didn't get to use because it was SO hot that day. Although it was raining, a lot, we set off, hoping it would stop by the time we got there. No go... So we went to Target to kill a bit of time and within half an hour, it had stopped.

Pa-Pa and Issie
Well, we got there and the rides weren't running because of the rain. The jumping things were on, so the kids decided they wanted to do them again so they could do a flip, which turned out to be harder than either of them expected. No flips for them.
We ended up leaving without using any of our tickets. We went back to the condo, ate lunch, and headed down to the beach for one last time. Preston was not about getting into the water, we think from the horrible boat experience. Instead, he played football with Pa-pa.
The water was NASTY that day and was filled with slime. YUCK! So the kids spent a lot of time digging in the sand and found these little clams with an animal inside. Kate is fascinated with animals, so she was hooked.
They made a little shield to keep them from getting washed away with the waves. They got just enough water to make them dig back into the sand, which they thought was pretty cool.

When I was little and went to FL with Granny and Pa, Pa always made us ocean liners on the beach instead of sand castles. We loved it! Kate and I started building a castle but I got a little nostalgic and wanted to build my children an ocean liner. We didn't have much time, so it was nothing like the ones Pa built, but the kids liked it just the same.
It was really hard getting the kids to go back up to the condo. They just wanted to stay there. I can't say that I blamed them as I really didn't want to leave either. But we did manage to get back upstairs to get ready for dinner. Remember the slime? Well, my entire swimsuit was FULL of it and I was completely green! My hair was even green! Not the best image to leave the beach with, but one last day jumping waves with Kate was well worth the slime!

PCB vacation- day 6

Thursday morning was busy. Keith wanted to get all the kids an airbrushed shirt so we stopped by this shop to get them. We still had to buy souvenirs for people, so we did some shopping too. We went back to Alvin's Island, the souvenir shop that has the big mountain and live alligators. The kids really weren't into the gators, but they LOVE the mountain that you climb and then go into to go back down. Kate and I remembered it from the last time we were there, and the kids loved it. We'd been the day before, but had to go back to do it again.
When we got our tickets at Wonderworks, we also got tickets for Ripley's and had to use them. Preston was pretty small the last time we were there and we didn't get to really look at everything, so we were excited to go back and see everything.

How would YOU like a 24 karat gold car?
And of course, Preston with a rhinestone picture of John Lennon.

After dinner, the kids wanted to go mini golfing again. We usually go to Coconut Creek every time we go, so we tried it, but it was backed up like crazy, so we drove down the road and found one that required no waiting and had a blast! This time, Grammy and Pa-pa golfed, too.
We have a tradition that whoever gets a hole in one, they have to stand by the hole and have their picture taken. Please excuse the horrible picture of my frizzy hair, but I go the first hole in one!

Pa-pa got the third, and Christopher got one as well, but he's a tad camera shy and wouldn't let me take his!

Sorry I got a little side-tracked with our vacation photos- being sick doesn't put you in the mood to sit and go through hundreds of pictures editing them. And Mr. P. had a scheduled appointment this afternoon to assess his breathing on the Flovent and woke up with an ear infection. How's that for timing? He's had that tube out for 3 months and he's back at it. Please pray that he doesn't end up needing a third set. So he's on Biaxin to hopefully clear it up. Thankfully, he's doing really well on the Flovent and hasn't had any flare-ups even with the excessive heat and being sick. She informed me that we could "up" his Flovent if we have to start using his rescue inhaler, but she feels that since he's also starting on the antibiotic, that it would keep him from developing any bacterial infection in his airways that would trigger his asthma. Anything to keep this child well!

Family Friday

Back: Aunt Shirley, Aunt Wilma, Me-maw
Front: me, Ashley, Kate, Preston, dad

Tonight was a fun night. We went down to dad's for dinner because my Aunt Wilma was visiting from Kentucky. I haven't seen her in about 3 years and it was really nice to see her again. We ate some good food (seriously, Annette could be a gourmet chef!) which the kids begged to bring home (again, if my kids LOVE it, it has to be good). Sat and traded stories. The kids played with Lily, the dog, and the cats outside. We all left having had a really nice evening.

Preston got a haircut this afternoon and Kate got her blue feather that she'd been begging for since she got her first one. Yes, she has two. She's so happy. It's amazing the simple things in life. Oh, and I didn't share Kate's favorite part of vacation- playing with the girls every day! I told her that if that's all it took to please her, I'd ship her off to Jess' house!

My cold has taken a turn for the worse and the cough has arrived- a lovely cough that I can't shake. I wonder how long this lasts... And Preston, before going to bed tonight, informed me that he can't hear out of one ear- the ear we thought still had a tube in it. He asked for drops, which I gave him, and they didn't go through into his middle ear, so I think that confirms that it is out and that there is once again fluid behind it. Sigh. I wonder if it's fate that he has a dr. appt. scheduled for Monday to assess his breathing/Flovent.

Two more days of this horrid heat wave- it made it to 100 again today. I can hardly wait for Sunday when it RAINS! Of course, that most likely means storms but right now, anything that brings down the temperature to something relatively cool (if you can call 90 that...) is welcome!

Too hot for anything

Taking a break with my vacation posts since I've edited them all up through day 5 and the others still wait. I don't get much accomplished with the kids home, and with being sick, I just haven't had much energy. And can we talk about the heat? It was 100 this afternoon in the shade. I don't even want to think of what it was in the sun. Christopher said his car read 107 all the way home from work. It's seriously too hot to even leave the house. The kids went to Keith and Dee's last night and tried to swim. The water was 95 degrees, and the air had cooled to 95 at that point, so there was no relief at all. They lasted all of 10 minutes before they got out, which says a lot because you have to drag my children from the water. We're not supposed to get any relief until Sunday/Monday, and then they're saying the heat is returning again. Sigh. I wish we were still in FL because their forecast said this week would be upper 80's, lower 90's.

Kate and I read Nancy Drew every night. We love her! There's just something simple about reading those books- they take you back to a better time when things were much easier. We're on book 32 now, and tonight when we were done, Kate asked if they had cell phones back then! So I had to tell her that they didn't come out with cell phones until I was in high school, and even then, they were called car phones because they had to be plugged into the cigarette lighter, and they were huge! Remember the big antennae that you had to stick on the roof of your car? Oh, the days! We then had to discuss pay phones, which led her to ask if you could see who was calling if they called from a pay phone. Those were also the days before caller id, which threw her off. It's amazing how far technology has come in just 20 years, but it's funny seeing their reactions to what we didn't have back then that they think we can't live without now!

PCB vacation- day 5

Wednesday was the day better known as the day we scarred our children for life.

All the kids had been talking about for weeks was going to Shell Island. We went the last time were were in PCB, but rented a pontoon boat and made a day of it. We did end up getting the boat stuck in shallow water, but other than that, it was a fun experience. After checking on prices, we found a place that offered Shell Island, seeing dolphins and lunch for less than what it would cost to rent a boat. So we went with it. So we boarded the Ashley Gorman...

From right to left: Dee, Christopher, Preston, Kate, Reid with Abbie, and Jess with Issie.

The waters off PCB are this beautiful emerald color. SO pretty!
Pa-pa and Issie.

Little did we know when we took ship, was that we would be going out onto the open ocean. The water in the bay was as smooth as glass, but the ocean was pretty rough, and boy, did we get a surprise! Well, the boat went rocking... HARD! The galley had everything velcroed down, and things were being torn loose from the velcro and thrown to the floor. We thought the boat was rolling over. I was even scared, but it was my children who were terrified beyond belief. Case in point, Kate's face while it was rocking...
While the boat was being tossed back and forth, we heard the captain over the loud speaker. I wasn't paying too much attention until I heard him say, "That's how you're going to get people hurt, A-hole!" and going on about not having a legal dive flag. The culprit? This guy running a swim with dolphins gig out of his rubber raft.
Well, that guy retaliated with some rude hand gestures. It was an eye-opener! But right after that, we saw dolphins.

My kids were too scared to enjoy them. As soon as they saw them, they retreated into the cabin to wait until we went back to the bay. But the waves didn't scare Abbie, they put her to sleep!
We made it to Shell Island safely and the kids were all too ready to get off the boat.

Issie looking for shells.
I tried to write Shell Island 2011 in the sand, and after several attempts, got it before the tide rolled in. As I was getting ready to shoot, Kate yelled, "Hurry! The water's coming," so I shot, but missed the S.
After collecting shells, we had to get back on board and have our lunch- hot dogs and chips. Poor Preston was so terrified he refused to eat and burst into tears, scared to death we'd go back out on the ocean. An hour later, we were back at the dock and ready to get off. I got a nice shot of the bridge leading into PCB from the boat.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the pool with Keith and Dee while Christopher and I went to buy more groceries. We had our traditional spaghetti dinner in the condo and went down to the beach for some beach pictures which I'll share after I get the rest of our vacation pictures done.

PCB vacation- day 4

Tuesday morning brought us a beautiful rainbow over the ocean. It was actually a double rainbow and you can just barely see the other right above it. It was really something to see! We decided to go down to the beach after breakfast, but the water smelled of rotten fish and was cold from the night before, so we all decided it would be best to go to the pool.
Pa-pa and my sweet niece, Abbie.
Preston and Pa-pa in the pool.

After lunch, we decided to go to Pier Park since we weren't able to go the night before. It was really neat and I wish we'd gone to some of the stores. Instead, the kids rode rides and other activities, and it was HOT!
Preston is my little monkey! He could climb up one wall and be half way up the other one before Kate was even up her first!
They also had these neat trampoline things where they harnessed the kids and hoisted them up so they could jump really high. They both thought this was really neat! After that, we rode the rides and I went up on the ferris wheel with them. Our views...

We went to the Saltwater Grill for dinner. It had an aquarium inside and the kids got to pick a shell before we left. It was a neat place to go, but the food was less than spectacular and it took an hour to be served. I'm sure our server was glad to see us leave with 4 restless children and one that spilled her Sprite all over the table...
Tuesday was also the day of the great sunscreen fiasco... My children have probably the world's most sensitive skin- especially Preston with his eczema. Sunscreen is not their friend- it literally burns their skin, mostly on their faces. Two years ago we finally found one that did not burn (Nuetrogena sensitive skin) and had used it with no issues until vacation when it started burning them. When we got sunscreen on before heading to Pier Park, Kate was in tears because it was burning so badly. There was a Target there, so I decided to go and find something else before we did the outdoor activities. I found an all natural, chemical-free one that cost $20. I tried it on Kate in the bathroom and she began bawling, so I took it right back. I tried another on Preston with the same results and that was all I could take for the day. Luckily, I'd brought along some samples of Vanicream sunscreen and tried it with no burning! The next day, Christopher and I hit the town to find it and we're praying that this will be our last sunscreen!

PCB Vacation- day 3

We were back down at the beach bright and early again. If there's one thing I love about staying on the beach, it's being able to just go whenever we feel like it- no driving, no packing, just go! After riding the waves on the boogie boards for a bit, we decided to take a walk along the beach.
Unfortunately, my children aren't much on walking the beach when there's perfectly good water to swim in! As you can see, the water was MUCH cleaner this day than it was just the day before.

Soon after heading up for lunch, a storm blew up, and it wasn't just your average quick storm- it poured the entire afternoon. Knowing that another trip to the beach wasn't in the books, we went to Wonderworks.
We had been to Wonderworks before in Gatlinburg and the kids really enjoyed it. Well, this one proved to be the exact same as the one we'd already been to, with the exception of laser tag. The kids had to try out just about everything there...
Smashing bugs on a simulator game,
Being body-less,
and riding a motorcycle on a video game. Seriously, I think all video games should be kid-powered! By the end of the 3 minutes, Preston was worn out!

Part of our tickets included laser tag. The kids were all excited about this, and since Christopher didn't feel like doing it, I went in, as well as Keith. It wasn't exactly my sort of thing, but it was kind of fun. I got shot way too many times, but also got a lot of other people- Pa-pa was an easy target!
When we got back to our condo, I went out on the balcony to call Granny and check in. While I was sitting there in my *sweatshirt* everyone back home was in sweltering 101 degree heat! I think we planned the perfect week to go because it never once got as hot as it was at home, and the humidity in FL is SO much easier to bear than in the midwest!

We had big plans to go to Pier Park and Margaritaville for dinner that night, but I don't think it was in our plans. We tried to follow Keith and Dee and got separated 3 times within 5 minutes, so we called and told them we were just going to pick up dinner and go back to the condo. After eating, the kids begged to go mini golfing and figuring it was the perfect night- a cool, breezy 80 degrees, we'd go. We got to the course and Christopher realized he'd left the money back at the condo, so we had to go back and get it. Money might come in handy...
Preston is our resident golfer. No matter where we go, he wants to golf. He's pretty good, too!
Kate is our competitive one, always making sure to tell us exactly how many strokes it took each person. She did win, too!
We got behind a large group of people that were as slow as sin, and it took forever to golf. They never let us play through, and we waited probably 10-15 minutes on each hole. We later discovered that that entire group was staying at our same condo!
Day 4 coming as soon as I feel up to editing more pictures. Kate brought home a cold that Preston and I have since caught. Such a lovely souvenir...