Headed to the Beach

Finally......time to hit the road and head to the beach for our much anticipated family vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama!  2:00 am could not get here soon enough!  I spent the entire day doing laundry, packing up the family, getting the car ready, loving on the dogs, and counting down the minutes until we were off.  The boys were so excited they did everything in their power to will their eyelids open.  Finally about 30 or 40 mins before it was time to leave Christian, without saying a word, walked right past us and into Carson's room and fell asleep at which time Carson quickly followed.  Perfect! We would carry the boys out to the car and they would sleep for at least half the drive....NO SUCH LUCK.  Chad and I finally got in the car after locking up the house and when I looked into the backseat Christian had THE biggest smile on his face!  There is no denying we are all beach bums!

Our game plan was to meet at the gas station on the corner of 380 and 75 at 2:00 am.  I think this may have been the first time that the Cunningham Fam was on time and the first to arrive anywhere.  Ta Ta would be so proud.  Chad backed into a parking spot as we anxiously awaited for Wade, Lisa, Josh, Lex and kids to arrive.  As we sat there waiting I  couldn't help but notice the old man that was working in the convenience store at that hour and worry.

Anyway, our friends and travel companions all arrived within about 15 or 20 minutes and the guys loaded up on coffee and Dr. Pepper to start our 12 hour trek.  It was a little before 3 am when we finally pulled out and made our way south down Hwy 75.  Chad kept saying I'd be out before we made it to Forney and I HAD to prove him wrong and be a trooper which I did.  That is until we were about 3 or 4 miles on the other side of Forney and I jumped in the back seat of the suburban and passed out for four hours!  When I woke up, to my surprise, I found Christian awake and riding shot gun with his dad.  Seriously?  No need to get in to the riding in the front seat lecture now.  Evidently he popped up to the front with Chad around 5 am and the two of them jammed their way through Texas and into Louisiana.  We (I) were (was) in urgent need of a pit stop and luckily everyone was ready for breakfast....hello Cracker Barrel.

We made our way to the table got the kids situated with the old wooden peg games and proceeded to order breakfast.  It did not take long to notice that Josh had gotten up from the table but never come back.  Come to find out he was crashing after a major caffeine fix of multiple cups of Spark and coffee, and had gone to the car to pass out!  We ended up taking his breakfast to go.  After breakfast we all jumped back in the car to continue the drive through Louisiana, Mississippi and into Alabama.  

In the week or so leading up to the trip Christian had found the show Swamp People and we all know when Christian gets in to something he REALLY gets into it.  One night Chad walked into our bedroom and found him standing up on the end of our bed with his little fishing pole and Nerf gun.  Chad called me in there and when I got to the door and saw Christian he said now look on the floor.  Christian was obviously re-creating the show he had grown to love because he had placed a small Ducks Unlimited alligator he had gotten several years back in the middle of the floor off the end of the bed and now with an audience he had to put on a show.  With this being said, Christian was very anxious for us to drive over some of the swamps of Louisiana.  When we finally made it that far he had his little nose pushed right up against the glass while he gazed down into the swamp on the prowl for gata.  (Imagine that being said by Chad in cajun over and over and over again). 

We kept traveling to our destination all the while watching our thermometer drop into the 80's as we drove through rain sprinkles and SHOWERS!  We passed car after car that had spun out and hit the guard rail or in the ditch literally at times just a hundred yards apart.  It was craziness but the rain was very nice to see.  Our caravan made a few more pit stops a few more urgent than others that required just pulling over on the side of the road....no names. 

13 hours later we finally began to see our destination in sight.  Palm trees, the ocean, we were almost there.  Jedd and Kaden jumped in the burb as we made our way to the Fort Morgan Ferry.  

Here we are literally minutes away from the Ferry.  This was our last fuel stop where the kids piled in with us.

Beautiful

On the ferry

Stretching our legs on the top deck of the ferry as we made the 30 minute trek across.  

We finally pulled into the Beach Club and all checked in to our condos.  The grounds were beautiful and as we made the drive past the tennis courts and clubhouse we instantly knew this was going to be the best vacation ever!