She Talks to Angels

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to go on at least one family beach trip every year.  I have always enjoyed a beach vacation.  Living in New Orleans is great for so many reasons – including being just a three-hour drive to some of the most beautiful beaches.  Moving away and traveling to many beaches around the world have reinforced my appreciation of the soft white sand and the clear blue water that the Alabama and Florida gulf coasts exhibit.

Likewise, Joan’s family would make annual treks to the same beaches over the years when she was a child.  In keeping with a family tradition, Joan’s aunt (Gretchen) booked a family beach trip this year in Pensacola, FL.  For those not familiar, Pensacola is near a few military bases and is home to the US Navy’s Blue Angels.  Gretchen booked a condo on the beach for the week of the annual Blue Angels airshow – a big party for the entire community!

Needless to say we were stoked about the trip and definitely had no trouble selling the kids on the idea. Catherine would probably be happy anywhere at her age and Logan loved the sand and waves the handful of times we have taken him to the beach.  Add to that the up-close and personal front row seats we were expected to have to see real-life airplanes and Logan could talk of nothing else.

The drive from Houston didn’t seem as bad as normal given the excitement level and a nice well-timed stopover in Baton Rouge at Chateau Bertrand.  We finally arrived at the condo Wednesday afternoon and everyone was ready to enjoy the time with family and friends, and to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

As with most family trips, the chaos was the fun kind.  We did our best to add to it by injecting two toddlers to the mix!  Logan and Catherine both seemed overwhelmed and excited with all the new things to explore and new people to meet.

The Blue Angels practiced  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons to prepare for their big show on Saturday.  Friday was a full-dress rehearsal as well.  Neither day nor session disappointed anyone.  We were literally in the middle of all the action and underneath the show.  The planes flew by not much higher than our 6th floor balcony.  They jetted past us in every possible formation and zipped across the waters of the gulf and back bay with such precision.  The engines roared loudly (too loud for our kids).

The trip was a lot of fun.  Now, the only downfall is when Logan sees an airplane, he expects loud, fast, and close and expects to see them for hours at a time.

Sorry, kid, not going to happen.  But we always have these “Top Gun” pictures (the top 1% of all Pensacola pictures, the elite, the best of the best)

Catherine is ready!

Catherine with her cousins & Aunt Gretchen...
One of the few times she let someone not named, "Momma" hold her.