Home Sweet Home

We left Orange Beach, Alabama bright and early on January 24th and arrived home this afternoon, the 26th. We had a good trip and went almost 600 miles each of the first 2 days.  Coming up through Iowa in to Minnesota proved to be a bit challenging though as we were driving in to a snow/ice storm!  There were some bad roads, but thankfully God kept us safe and we made it to our hotel in Albert Lea, Minnesota.  At one point the traffic was completely stopped on interstate 35 because of a stalled vehicle across the road.  It was nice to sleep in some this morning since we had a shorter day ahead of us (only 300 miles). 

This family road trip was such a blessing, lots of fun, and many memories were made.  Now it's time to get some rest, and start dreaming of the next adventure! 🚗  

Recovering

Mom and I are continuing to recover from our colds.  We enjoyed some time sitting out on the balcony today soaking up the sun.  Maybe the vitamin D will help get rid of our sickness 😊   Dad and I went for a 2 mile walk on the paved trail close by and enjoyed seeing new bridges over areas of water on it.  We were told by other walkers that if it had been warmer we would have seen some alligators there!  It was about 65 degrees today and the humidity was down quite a bit which was really nice.  

Good Night Orange Beach

A Day of Rest

Today we took it easy and got some rest as mom and I are still trying to get over colds.  After being in a tornado watch this morning and a thunderstorm the sun came out this afternoon.  It was VERY windy today.  Your pictures for tonight are of the waves at the beach and the sunset!  

National Naval Aviation Museum

We had quite a downpour of rain this morning, so decided to go to the laundry mat and get a load done.   Then this afternoon we drove over to the National Naval Aviation Museum by Pensacola.  It was absolutely amazing!  If you are ever in the area I highly recommend it.  It is huge!

This display in honor of Fallen Florida Soldiers was so moving and really made you stop and think of the great sacrifices that have been made for our freedom. 

Blue Angels

 Visiting this museum was a wonderful experience and such an amazing reminder of all the heroes who have played a part in making our nation what it is today and protecting our freedoms.  We ended the night with some tasty pizza overlooking the ocean :)
   

The Wharf

Today we took it pretty easy as it was raining on and off, and mom and I are fighting cold bugs.  We went to a shopping area called The Wharf.  There are two stories with lots of shops and restaurants.  There is also a hotel and condos overlooking a marina.       

There was an office at The Wharf where you could buy a yacht 😲

 The rest of the day we just spent relaxing and enjoying the ocean view from the hotel.  In the lobby there are big windows looking out to the Gulf.  It's fun to sit there and drink coffee and watch the surfers out the window.  It looks like there is more rain and storms in store for the weekend so we'll have to find some indoor activities!

A Chill Day

Today we had a nice chill day.  After our good hotel breakfast (waffles and bacon!😊) we went for a 2 mile walk on a different part of the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail.  The humidity was 95% this morning, which to us is pretty bad, but the locals say that is nothing!    

Rattlesnack Ridge Trail

It was overcast so there was not much of a sunset tonight, but the clouds were still pretty!

Mom and I spent some more time today collecting shells on the beach.

I took my GoPro down to the beach today so I could get some up close wave shots.  

We enjoyed a tasty lunch at Applebee's before coming back to the hotel to relax and take a nap. ;)  We had a gift card from my Uncle and Aunt for Christmas so it was fun to use that sweet gift.  This evening we went to go sit in the hot tub.  When we got down there it was raining.  The hot tub is under an overhang so we decided to try it anyway.  It was pretty windy so the rain was blowing in on us from the gulf - once we saw lightning we decided we had better get out! 😂  So, our trip to the hot tub was pretty short haha.  Good Night!    

Tonight's Weather!

Fairhope

Today we enjoyed a drive exploring Malbis, Daphne, Fairhope, and Magnolia Springs.  It was a beautiful drive along Mobile Bay.  It was fun to see some of the Alabama countryside that is away from the beach.  It was very scenic with green grass and lots of big trees.  The homes along the water are beautiful as well.     

 

It's a snowman haha

I just thought that this was a cute building :)

It feels strange to see blooming plants in January when it is so cold other places!