Preparing For Our BIG, FAT FAMILY VACATION!

Yep, it's that time of year again!  Each year our BIG, FAT SOUTHERN FAMILY packs it up and heads off somewhere for a week. Last year it was Disney World.  This year it is the beach in Destin, Florida.  Every other year we opt for a relaxing beach vacation as opposed to somewhere else because let's face it, getting a large number of people up, dressed and out the door each day is not an easy task.  So, Destin it is this year...with THIRTEEN PEOPLE in tow!  Sadly, Ryan and Allison won't be going again this year since he just started practicing dentistry (Oh, the woes of the "Real World"...).  But next year...who KNOWS how many will be traveling with us?! (This is a YaYa hoping for more babies in the coming year!)

It's been a pretty busy week trying to prepare to get out of here at 6 am tomorrow morning.  Robby has worked every day trying to get all the lose ends of his businesses tied up, along with fiddling on his bay boat that we will be taking with us.  I...Well, I slept till 8 this morning.  Don't ask me why, when I know I have so much to accomplish today; my suitcase isn't even packed yet.  Oh, there are things laid out all over my bedroom floor, just not packed.  The washing machine is still churning while I am basking in the last few moments of silence before part of the crew comes in tonight.  Because silence is one thing we won't be having for a week.  The babies that grow up in this family learn to live with noise.  Because we are one LOUD family!

So, as I sit here, I try to imagine what each day of our trip will be like (so I like to dream...don't judge me).  I would like to wake up each morning and take my walk out on the beach and then mosey back to the house and have breakfast with everyone else.  Then, walk out to the beach with all the kiddos and play in the sand and surf for a while and later when they are all cleaned up and napping,  pull out the book I'm reading and read myself to sleep.  Now THAT'S a dream.  It is totally NOT what the reality will be but I don't care because chaos comes with this bunch and I still choose them any day.

Be prepared for photo overload on the blog this coming week as well.  I took my first photography class yesterday and learned SO much about the camera I have had for years.  I hope to capture some great shots of all our fun on the beach with this vast amount of knowledge I am now armed with...in a notebook. Yes, the teacher and student in me compelled me to do that.  When I pulled the little notebook out, the poor kid who taught me (one on one), at first paused every time I wrote something down.  Never looking up from pen and paper I said, "You don't have to stop talking, I can multi-task.  My husband says there is no such thing as multi-tasking but when you have four kids, believe me, you can multi-task."  Anyway, I got some really great pointers for capturing the sunrise and sunset on the beach and I promise I will share some of those with you.

Now that you know where I will be posting from this next week, I need to get up from here and go for my walk, board the dogs, get groceries for the trip...Oh yes, and PACK!
                                          
                                                WE'RE BEACH BOUND OR BUST!

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