Plaid & I on 4th of July

The plaid finally got to travel this summer! I packed up one of the wonderful Bilmore plaid (well, houndstooth - but it's so similar to my plaid backpack that we pretend) suitcases and headed to Ft. Walton Beach with my parents. The oil from the leak in the Gulf has not really hit Florida beaches, so it was absolutely beautiful and oil-free the whole weekend. On the way, we stopped at the Burris Farm Market in Loxley, AL, where I think my mom feels like she's in heaven. They have a giant blow-up peach out front, so Daddy insisted that we take a picture with Plaid:




The ride there was actually quite wonderful, despite a weird problem with the air conditioner that ended up fixing itself once we got about 30 minutes away from our destination. There is something about my parents that brings something out in me than can often get buried in the stresses and routine of this life that I live. It can become easy to fall away from the person that you are when you are surrounded by newness - whether it be new people or places or information. Sometimes the constant stress of classes, work, essays, homework, volunteering, no sleep can pull you into a different state of mind. But riding with the windows down with Van Halen loud on a sunny day with my parents just put me back where I belong. Sometimes I lose it, but I can be fun and carefree and very happy. It is in my nature to be so.

Once we arrived at the hotel, I had Mama shoot a quick picture of Plaid and I in the hotel room (we have to document the travels of Plaid, after all):



The whole of the weekend was really spent just relaxing on the beach. The water, for the first time in several years, had a good strong current with real waves and was jellyfish free. It felt fantastic and was very fun to play in, especially for Daddy. It mades him feel like a little kid again. The weather was just perfect. I finally got a tan, although I'm a little burnt, but that will fade into tan. I got a good bit of reading done - finished two books, so I'm happy about that. On the actual 4th of July, which is Daddy's birthday (he turned 52! Wow!), we ended up going about 30 minutes down the road to Destin because we were trying to find a Target because a lady on the beach told us they have these really cool towel clips:


Unfortunately, the Target in Destin had already long sold out of their Boca Beach Chair Towel Clips. We had quite an adventure getting back to Ft. Walton Beach and had to view the fireworks from the car amidst traffic, but we did get to see some good shows on the way and once we got back. Sadly, I really didn't get any good pictures because it was raining by the time we got back and I was the one driving the car.

Overall, Plaid and I had a great travel experiences this 4th of July on the beach and on the road with my wonderful parents.

(Plaid and I on the Ft. Walton Beach with my new sunglasses and Hollywood floppy hat Mama bought me!)