Vacation... All I Ever Wanted...

Well, yeah; it's been a while since my last post. Like, since I got hired at Element 74. Suffice it to say, things have gone well. Gone great, actually. My job has become an extension of myself. It's something that I love, and I love sharing. And doing. Frankly, I think it's the best thing to happen to me in a long time.

But enough about that; I'm on VACATION.

Carrie and I, along with the kids and her parents and her brother's family, have taken up residence at a family friend's condo on the beach at Orange Beach, near Gulf Shores, Alabama. We're here for the week; came in Sunday afternoon and are leaving out Saturday morning to head back to Cape.

We came in Sunday to torrential rain. To put it in perspective, they got 2.5" here on Sunday. It was sloppy, but it did not deter us from BBQing Sunday night for dinner. I brought Burgfeld beef, and I'll be damned if I will not cook when I want to.
So, with some help from Carrie's dad, Dave, we got the charcoal lit and burgers were cooked. And it was good. And I rested.
The rain passed, and though the weatherman called for similar conditions for the rest of the week, we have been blessed with fantastic weather. I mean, really nice. Today it was around 80 degrees F, with a great breeze and smiles abounding.

Monday saw us getting in some quality beach time, and thusly lobstering various body parts. Carrie has a nice reverse farmer's tan, and i'm a bit toasted, but none the worse for wear. It was a real treat to take Layla for her first dip in the ocean, and now that we've established her need to respect the water, all is well. The waves were pretty high Sunday into Monday, but things have settled down to a nice subtle swell since.

I will say that she has been less than cooperative for the entire duration thus far, pretty much, but I guess that comes with being a near-4 year-old. She's coming along, and we hope that she will just learn to enjoy it and stop whining so !@#@$# much.

Last night (Monday) we took everyone out for dinner. We were shooting for a highly recommended place, but they had a two-hour wait, so we opted for another joint.
Bad idea.
Service was nice, but what a rip-off. Without going into a diatribe about poor kitchen etiquette and low quality food, I'll say I felt like I spent $50 on the tables and said "Hit me" on an 18.

Today was spectacular. We got up and had breakfast, and after some quality time on the beach, we gathered up for lunch and a quick reposo (that's an official Opa Lawson term for nap) we jetted out for a dolphin cruise.

It was pretty cheap to do, and well worth it. The kids loved it. Just absolutely loved it. And so did the adults. The crew we sailed with had two boats out in the bay, and we ran side-by-side to create a perfect wave catch for the dolphins, and they provided us with great entertainment. It was really something to see these wild dolphins playing in the waves and romping around for our enjoyment. I got loads of pics and video, and will post this later on.

After that, we came back to the condo and Brad and Jodie cooked up a delicious supper. We ate our fill, and after the kiddos finally conked out for the night, us youngsters headed over to the Flora-bama for some PBR and cougar catching.

The Flora-bama is the hot spot down here, mainly on Wed-Sat, so we caught it a bit early, but still enjoyed ourselves. I'm looking forward to getting back over there again soon.

We've had a great time so far, and still have plenty of time to take it all in. Layla is really enjoying herself, in spite of her whining which seems to happen more than we would like, but hey.... she's a wee kiddo. So be it.

We've got our toes in the water, ass in the sand... all of that cheesy stuff that makes for a great vacation.

***

Now that you've been updated, it's time for my thoughts.

I'm so very, very blessed. Blessed to have a boss that allowed me to take a week's vacation before I made my first year with the company. Blessed to have generous in-laws that have taken care of our needs for this trip and made it something to really remember. Blessed to have a beautiful wife and two healthy kids that can celebrate what God has blessed us with together. Blessed to be here; blessed to be alive!

It is very, very hard for me to put into perspective that 1 year ago, I was desperately seeking employment, dodging bills and making excuses for why things were the way there were. Things are still tough-- have no doubt; it takes a long time to recover from 7 months of unemployment, but there is no question that the world is changing for the better, and I really, honestly owe it all to God. He works wonders in all of us, and I plan to continue on the path that he has set me on. Good things will continue to happen for my family!

I will blog more tomorrow night, following the adventures we have coming up, so you know what's going on. Hit the facebook page for pictures and such. I will work on getting some of the video up that I've shot, but for now, enjoy what's out there.

For those reading, take 5 minutes today to study on your own situation. Things aren't perfect; that I guarantee. It's part of being human. But things have probably been worse, so be thankful for the blessings that you have today. If it feels like it's the worst day ever, then rest assured that things will get better. Trust me; trust God.

PLR,
D