Florida Trip

Tom, Grace and I just got back from a trip down to Florida. The great thing about being from the same area is that we can see both families on the same trip. With Tom's crazy pre-deployment schedule we never know when we can get away for a little while, so it's nice that when we have a chance to get away, there's no doubt where we will go. Florida!! I'm telling you, just driving into the state feels like we are back home. It truly is paradise to us and we can't wait until we are back for good.

The first couple days of our trip were spent in Niceville with the Dunn's. We had a fantastic barbeque on Saturday with a lot of Tom's high school friends. My family even drove over from Pensacola to join in on the fun. There were tube rides and jet ski rides going all day long. We didn't let a little rain ruin our good time, either. There was tons of delicious food and desserts. They sure know how to throw a party!

Grace had her first trip out on the boat that week. She was all suited up in her princess life jacket that supposedly can hold a child from 0 - 50 lbs. (Really? ZERO to 50 lbs?) At almost 10 lbs, the life jacket practically ate her up. You couldn't even see her feet sticking out of the bottom!

She slept most of the trip and didn't seem to be affected by the boat ride. It's a good thing, because she doesn't have a choice in this family. We were joking that she may get on the wakeboard before we can get Brittany out there! She'll be showing her Dad up in no time:)

The last half of our trip we spent in Pensacola with the Presley family. My sister's family was in town from CA, so we got to see them as well. Grandma got to spend a lot of time with her favorite girls, Grace and Gianna. Gianna was so great with Grace. She would give her the paci when she got fussy and she helped me pick out the perfect outfits for her. They are going to be great friends when they get a little older.

Grandma with her two favorite girls.

Grace smiling at her Dad after getting a bath.

Gianna helping Papa fill the bird feeders in the backyard. She's getting so big! And she's such a good little helper.

Since this is the first time we have all been together, of course we had to get family pictures done! My mom's friend, Maria, was nice enough to come out and take some pictures of us at the beach. She did such a great job. I'm pretty sure you'll see some of the pictures on Christmas cards this year. Thanks Maria!

Samantha and Brian hanging out after the pictures.

Dad and Nick waiting for the ladies to get ready.


The real reason for the trip was to attend Rich and Rachelle's wedding. Tom was in the sword arch, so he was all decked out in his dress blues. I couldn't let him outdo me, so I borrowed a dress from Samantha for the occassion. We couldn't stay at the reception long, but we had a great time. The wedding was beautiful!

While we were at the wedding, Grace stayed home and gave Grandma a run for her money. She wouldn't sleep more than a few minutes while we were gone. But, I got a beautiful smile from her when we got back home.

We had such a great time in Florida. Hope we'll be able to go back soon!