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One of my favorite ways to spend a day is shopping with my daughters. Now I have 3 daughters! We have so much fun. They are always glad to dispense fashion advice and prevent me from buying things that shouldn't be in my closet. One of our shopping stops today was Destin Commons. The Christmas decorations there are awesome.
I had read on someone's blog that the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Twist is awesome. Oh, yes indeed it is.
We do my mom's shopping for her, so we go and buy her gifts as well as those we give each other and and then pretend like we don't know what we're getting. The funny reality is that in the busy month that passes before we open the packages under the tree, we really do forget half of what we chose. Granted, it cuts down on the surprise factor, but it also eliminates disappointment as well as the hassle of returns and exchanges.The bargains abounded and I am so happy to be home in the recliner. 'Tis the season! Merriness to you.
We spent a wonderful 3 nights at the beach last weekend. I was born in Sarasota and grew up enjoying the beach, so I figure my roots are sea oats. That makes days at the beach especially idyllic. I went to the website for the Dunes of Panama to pull a few photos (remember I’m photographically challenged) and I saw a last minute vacation special that made my heart leap. This place was great and I am sorely tempted to head straight there again. $99 a night for beachfront with a gorgeous balcony? Are you kidding? (Only through June 5- fly, drive or run, but hurry!)
My schedule at the beach looked like this: 7 ish Walk on the Beach
8 ish Relax on the balcony & watch the beach come to life
10 ish Lounge at the pool
1 ish Eat lunch- either poolside or on the balcony
2 ish Sit on the beach under the umbrella.
4 ish Back to the pool.
6 ish Dinner somewhere casual and fun8 ish Browse at Pier Park
People-watching is so interesting. Here’s bits of a conversation I overheard at the pool:
Blonde lady: “I am concerned about getting sunburned. I got a little red yesterday.”
Fit Friend: “You can NOT get sunburned if you have on sunscreen. No worries.Blonde lady: “I don’t think we should swim in the gulf today. There’s a red flag.”
Fit Friend: “That ridiculous. As long as you can touch, you can’t drown. Only stupid people drown. They go out too far and that’s how they get into trouble.”
Editor’s Note: You absolutely CAN get sunburned with sunscreen on. She is ignorant. Furthermore, this area is known for rip tides. There were more than 45 water rescues on Sat. and 2 people drowned. The woman at the pool was clearly not a good source for advice.
One last recommendation: Pier Park opened in March on the west end of Panama City Beach. It is absolutely delightful. A well planned area with stores, food and entertainment. Let me know if you head to the condo and I’ll come down and give you a personal tour of the area. No charge. : )
I have noticed that a lot of people don’t want to make any New Year’s Resolutions for fear of setting themselves up for failure. So this morning, I started to write an entry about intentional living; a serious topic addressing resolve and passion and goals and such. I find it totally amusing that my work-laden day was quickly set aside when Cupcake (youngest daughter) suggested we should go shopping in Destin today. “Brilliant idea”, I responded. I took an hour to complete the most pressing details on my desk and off we went for a grand afternoon. Destin is an hour’s drive from our house and boasts a great outlet mall for starters (Banana Republic had some irresistible sales). I needed flatware at the Oneida store but bought clothes at Banana instead… all in the spirit of the day of fun. The Destin Commons is a new shopping area that has her favorites, Abercrombie and Hollister. My favorites are there as well – Ann Taylor Loft and White House Black Market. All of this great shopping is right along the gulf coast with gorgeous white beaches and sparkling green water to be enjoyed along the drive.
Added to that, a last minute call to my cousin revealed that her sister from Tennessee was at the beach house with her daughter today, so we had a laughter-filled hour with them. News, updates, stories (we are all storytellers!) while looking out over the gulf and sitting in front of the fireplace. What a great day. My mother is an identical twin, and these cousins are daughters of my mom’s twin. We have always considered ourselves half sisters because of the similarities in our mothers. We had the benefit of spending every childhood summer together at our grandmother’s beach house at Ft. Walton Beach, which forged life-long bonds of friendship.
So nothing about today seemed intentional or planned, but the day was filled with family, love laughter and fun. I can get my work done tomorrow. Which actually fits quite perfectly with my goals. Carpe Diem!
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