We will not be old people who cannot do anything!

Last weekend, Craig and I made apple butter!   We made it in the slow cooker, just like my Granny does.  It’s pretty good, even if I did make it! 

Craig went to Scott’s Orchard Friday and bought a half-peck of apples.  We were able to make 2 batches with the apples.  Craig helped took care of the peeling, and even came home at lunch one day to turn the slow cooker down to low.  He also rocks at canning.  Yes, my husband can handle himself the kitchen.  Love it.

So- when we were getting everything together and trying to decide which recipe to use, I said, “Just let me call Granny.  She’ll tell us what to do.”

Craig’s response?  “No!  We are not going to be old people who don’t know how to do anything!” 

Ok. . . so we figured it out ourselves.  I’m happy to say that when we are old people, Craig and I will know how to make apple butter.   All is well.

Side note- I did call Granny when we were canning the apple butter.  I wanted to make sure we left it in the water bath long enough.   She was proud of us! 

Sun.Sand.Shopping.Seafood.

Two weeks ago, I got to spend the entire week in Destin with Craig. He had to go for work and I was able to take off for five days. (no more personal days for Leah this year…) I was worried about taking off for the week on the 4^th week of school, but also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to go to the beach for a week. We haven’t been on a week long vacay since our honeymoon in Hawaii. Best. Decision. Ever.

So, we arrive Sunday afternoon and spend the afternoon on the beach. We stayed out till about 6:30 and came in to get ready for dinner. We were worried that going to eat at 7:30 would mean a long wait. Wrong! Apparently, this was a perfect week to go the beach. We walked right into Floyd’s Shrimp House- DELICIOUS!- and sat down to eat.

Monday morning, Craig had to leave at 6:00 with his co-workers to head to Air Force Base. I took the opportunity to enjoy a *hot* run, a leisurely breakfast, and then headed down to my beach chairs about 8:30. Two chairs came with our room-score! I positioned one in the sun and the other in the shade and rotated from chair to chair for the rest of the day. Heaven.

When Craig got back, he came down to the beach and we stayed out until about 6:30. I can NEVER talk Craig into staying out that late on the beach, but it was perfect this time because he hadn’t been sitting out there with me all day. Ahhhhh! We met a group of people he works with that night for dinner at the Crab Trap. Then we ventured down to Destin Commons. By the time we got back I was worn out from a day of vacation!

Tuesday was even better. Craig had to leave again at 6, so I got up and sat on the balcony for a while and watched the dolphins. I love getting up early at the beach and sitting outside. It’s so peaceful to watch the sunrise and enjoy God’s creation. The ocean and beach always amaze me-the vastness, the beauty, everything about it. I ran again- a little later and it was SO hot and humid, enjoyed my breakfast and a little of my favorite morning show- TODAY. At 9:00, I headed to the beach to camp out for the day. Boring? Not a chance. I finished the book I started on Monday right after lunch, floated in the ocean, and listened to Pandora. I couldn’t think of a more relaxing way to spend the day.

Craig got in around 5, and we stayed on the beach until 7:00. That’s right, I was on the beach from 9-7, minus an hour break for lunch!

Dinner that night was The Old Bay Steamer. Craig loved it. I ate shrimp with the head still on. . . .I’ve decided I’d rather not look my meal in the eyes before I eat it…

Wednesday, Craig had to work for half the day. After lunch, he spent the afternoon with me on the beach. We stayed out until about 4 when a little rain shower blew in. We took that as a suggestion to drive to Seaside and spend the afternoon there. Craig and I both love Seaside and had been wanting to go spend some time there. After Seaside, we made a stop at the outlets and did a little shopping before dinner. By 9:00 we were starving and headed to Harry T’s. Yum!

Thursday I was so excited to get down to the beach. All week I had been watching people on these things called paddle boards. Basically, it’s a surf board you stand on and you have a paddle to steer and paddle. Every morning, while the water was so smooth, people were going up and down the beach on these things. I’d talked with the umbrella guy about renting them, and decided to wait until Thursday morning when Craig would be with me. I was bummed to find that the water Thursday was NOT smooth and the waves were rolling in- so my plans got scratched. Oh well! We still enjoyed the great breeze and sunshine.

Friday was overcast thanks to the Tropical Depression stirring in the Gulf. We slept late, grabbed breakfast at Chick-fil-A and made it to the beach about 10. Even though it was overcast, we sat in our beach chairs and both read, took a little stroll, and read some more. By 2:00, we were hungry and decided to go the The Back Porch for lunch. It’s one of my favorite places. After we ate, we both agreed that a nap sounded fabulous. That night, we spent some more time at the outlets, then ate at a fabulous Mexican restaurant- La Rumba. After 6 days of seafood, we were ready for a break.

Saturday we woke up to heavy rain. That was fine, because we had to leave. Boo. We loaded up and headed home. We listened to the Bama game, made a quick stop at Peach Park, and finally arrived at home. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect week!

For those of you who made it through this looooooong post, sorry for all the details. Just wanted to document our trip. Now I’m counting down to Jamaica in June. . . . .