Okaloosa Island - 2015

Over July 4th (Gabe & I's 5th anniversary) - we traveled to Okaloosa Island, FL, with my parents, my brother, and his fiance, Hanna. Cole, Melinda, and Nate couldn't come - we missed them like crazy! It was a 10 hour drive that I was VERY nervous about, but everything went extremely smooth & the kids did great with all the traveling! We stopped about every two hours for restroom breaks and snacks - Max kept busy on his iPod, while Callie watched movies on the DVD player. 
Neither of my kids had ever seen the ocean - so I was SUPER excited to see their faces when we arrived at the beach! Max is 9 years old - and the last time I was at the ocean, I was pregnant with Max! He didn't know what to expect, but ended up LOVING it!








































We stayed in a condo called "Sea Oats 106" and it couldn't have been more perfect! We literally walked out the sliding glass door right to the pool, then just had to walk over the short boardwalk and onto the beach. 

The location was perfect and the island was quaint & family-oriented! There were no fast-food restaurants on the island, but just over the bridge (about 3 min.) - there were all kinds of fast-food, grocery stores, or anything else you needed! The island is also just 15 miles from Destin - but we never even made it over there!  
Some of our favorite places to eat on the island were Rockin' Tacos, The Old Bay Steamer, and FudPuckers. I even had some yummy drinks!

Each morning we would head out to the beach and play in the ocean all morning! The kids really loved the water - I was afraid Max wouldn't get in because of all the reports of shark attacks this summer (none where we were), but he swam more than anyone else! We spent each morning soaking up the sun - then would go back to the condo for lunch!

After lunch each day, we would spend the afternoon in the pool, relaxing, and sometimes taking naps:) It really was the most relaxing vacation I've ever been on!

In the evenings, we would do something fun for the kids and go out to eat. Sometimes the kids would want to take an evening walk on the beach. There was so much beautiful white sand and clear, blue water!!

The kids LOVE their Uncle Clay - he is such an amazing role model in their lives!

The kids loved The Gulfarium - there were lots of dolphins, crabs, penguins, sharks, birds, and alligators to see. 

I even had the opportunity to take some engagement photos of my favorite couple - I mean, come on- there is no way to get a bad photo of these two!!!

I tried to convince my family to just forget about little Odon, Indiana and move to this little island…but it didn't work! I really did want to stay - it was the best vacation I had ever been on! I will never forget the look of amazement on my children's faces when they realized there is more to see besides cornfields and 1 stoplight towns. I hope we can return to this same location some summer soon!