Orange Beach or bust. Our 2012 spring break adventure, Part 1

When Chris's mom asked us if we would be interested in joining them on their Spring Break vacation in Orange Beach, Alabama, this March, I jumped all over it. I mean, One, BEACH! and, Two, BEACH! And not just any beach, but a small location on the Gulf of Mexico panhandle that was just a few miles from the beach that I grew up going to with my family every summer for the first 25 years of my life. And the thought of me creating memories with Taylor and Luke in the same white, sugar sand that I hold so near-and-dear to my soul made me tremble with happiness. And March 17 couldn't get here fast enough.

And after packing half of our house into our ride, we made the long, LONG! ten hour drive south, arriving into The Breakers parking lot overjoyed to be out of the car and breathing in the saltwater air. And we immediately ran down into the sand and dipped our toes into the water. Well, Chris and I did. Taylor was scared to death of the water, staying a good fifty yards from the surf and claiming that it was, "Too loud!" And we were all, Um, Honey. THIS is the beach and we're here for two weeks. You will learn to love it and all of its loudness.

And after unpacking everything into our new digs and opening a bottle of wine with Greg and Sue, we noticed that the little big guy wasn't quite acting like his normal, happy self. And after another day of constant whining and ear tugging, we finally conceded to take him into the Urgent Care across the street so he could be diagnosed with a double ear infection. Ugh. But at least we brought him in and got him started on antibiotics, so he can get back to his charming, smiley self and start enjoying our vacation in paradise. And until then, we'll just bribe both kids with ice cream until they both get on the same level of beach-bliss as we are.