Welcome to the fam!

While we were in Perdido Key, Adam's sister, Jill gave birth to a baby boy, Jayden. He was born on May 21st....exactly to the day 7 months after Maison was born on Oct. 21st. This weekend we flew to Florida to meet the latest addition to the fam.

There were lots of cute pics of Maison holding Jayden's hand and kissing him on the head but the stupid camera malfunctioned and I can't get the pictures downloaded to the computer...bummer.

Anyway, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, JAYDEN!

Texas Bound - PK Vacay day 8

So today we drove back to Texas. Maison wasn't near as good as a road tripper as she was on the way here. She literally did not take one nap. My arm needs to be amputated after holding the Mac in front of her so she could watch Baby Einstein videos. We heard the Sesame Street CD so many times I wanted to destroy it. Luckily the complete meltdown didn't happen until we hit the DFW metroplex and we were only about 30 min away from home.

Along the way we did hit some good spots. We had lunch at Prejean's in Lafayette (www.prejeans.com) which tabs itself as the first Cajun themed restaurant. With crawfish enchiladas being one of the house specialities, how could you go wrong? It was so good Adam insisted on buying the cookbook and Maison a 'mardi gras' alligator complete with the mardi gras hat.

We also found the most amazing truck stop I have ever seen in my life in Tyler, Texas. This place was humugo and was such a welcome site after a nasty ass stop at an Arby's in BFE, Louisiana where we had to feed Maison her dinner. They had such a good gift shop Adam kept finding things he liked and checked out 3 different times. They even had chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels which kept me from having a total meltdown at that point.

Unfortunately, Maison pretty much cried from Tyler to Dallas and I have to admit I joined her about the time we entered the DFW metroplex. Florida was a great time but I definitely don't see anymore road trips in our near future!

Fun Filled Last Day, Maison's 7mo B-day - PK Vacay Day 7

This morning we took Maison swimming and found out she likes to 'ski'. She absolutely loved standing on Adam's legs like she was skiing and being taken all over the pool.

While Maison was napping my mom agreed to watch her so that Adam and I could go check out FloraBama, the notorious bar on the Florida-Alabama state line that is featured in several Jimmy Buffett songs. It was literally right next door to our condo. FloraBama was originally constructed in 1964 and for years was the only establishment in the area. At the height of it's popularity it featured 20 bars, could house 4 live bands at one time, and simply never closed. Unfortunately, it was hit hard by Hurricane Ivan and has never been rebuilt to reflect it's glory days...though I will say it was under construction while we were there. FloraBama is home of the bushwhacker, a super delicious frozen concoction that is made with Kahlua. Now this is a 'house' speciality that even I can take part in! Given the loose FL alcohol laws we politely ordered up one to go so that my mom could try it.

The afternoon we spent at the beach.

We had Maison's 7 month birthday celebration at Cosmos's. The service sucked, Maison was fussy the entire time, and the food wasn't near as good as it was when Adam and I went last August... but throw in some good wine and all was good.

Bye Florida, we loved seeing you...and we took your advice:

We left nothing but our footprints ;o)

Floridians are Irish too - PK Vacay Day 6

Today we continued our trend of only eating in restaurants that are featured on the Food Network and drove to Pensacola to eat at McGuire's Irish Pub (www.mcguiresirishpub.com). McGuire's was founded in 1977 and has a tradition of stapling dollar bills to the ceiling. According to the restaurant, when owner Molly McGuire received a dollar as her first tip she stapled it behind the bar for good luck. Other patrons added to her collection and eventually they reached over $1 million. Adam heard that they had to insure the place for over $ 1 million because the dollars alone were worth that. Through the years people have written messages on their dollars before they stapled them to the walls or ceilings.

Of course we had to partake:

McGuire's has some amazing drinks...Adam tried several of their beers and the Irish Wake. I tried the Chocolate Moose and the frozen Irish Coffee. I just had to try the CM since we call Maison, "Moosen". It was basically a chocolate martini, but the frozen Irish Coffee was YUM CITY. Here is the description from Adam's Irish Wake, "This will knock you dead, but everyone enjoys and Old Fashioned Irish Wake. Comes in a dirty old mason jar from the cemetery, which ye can keep" Anything missing from this description? Uh, that would be what's in it. Did this deter Adam? NO WAY! It was green and smelled like straight liquor...need I say more?

My mom tasting the Belfast Bomber:

Trying Adam's Irish Wake:

Other interesting items: A $100 Grand Burger anyone? How about "Big Daddy Burger"...an item added to the menu by Aaron McCargo from Food Networks, "Big Daddy's House".

So once again we went with a Food Network featured restaurant and it did not disappoint.

Run Forrest, Run...Alabama Here I Come - PK Vacay Day 5

Monday morning I headed out for my hour run along the Perdido Key Blvd.  I was having such a good time that I missed my 30 min half way turn around and ended up running 10 min out of the way.  So today, I was going to do it...I was going to run all the way to Alabama and I was going to run it on the beach....hahaha!  Alabama is literally so close that if I threw a rock off our balcony it would land on the Bama state line.  I did really go run for an hour on the beach and I learned that I am WAY TOO old to do so.  

Running on the beach is super harder than it looks.  I thought the soft sand would feel good on my sore, plantar facisitis, ridden feet.  Nope, didn't feel so hot.  Not to mention that my knees hurt and my bursitis (yes, I have bursitis in my left hamstring and have since I was 25.  Nothing a little cortisone injection won't cure...I should know I've already had 1 of the 3 you are allowed in a lifetime.) decided to have a flare up.  I hit the 30 min turnaround wanting to have a taxi ride home.  I was literally out in the middle of now where.  I was at the part of the beach that there were no condos, no businesses, no people.  I contemplated walking back but if it took me 30 min to run there it would probably take me 45 min plus to walk back so I forged ahead.

I got back to our condo almost exactly an hour after leaving and this is what I had to say about the run:

- I hurt all over before I got back so you know tomorrow I'll feel awesome

- I got sunburned...how do you burn at 6:00 pm?

- I soaked my good running shoes because my slow, fat, ass couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way of the surf

- 2 bikers asked me if I knew of a hotel that rented by the night around here so either A).  They thought I lived on the Flora-bama state line and would know such info (ok...insulting) or B).  They thought I was involved in activities that happen at 'rent by the night' type places (uh...totally insulting).  I politely informed them I was here on vacation and didn't have such info.  

So at 35....ok, almost 36, I may not be too old to tango but I'm definitely too old to run on the beach.  

Beach Ball and Bubbles - PK Vacay Day 4

Since I was so proficient with the laptop while watching my Baby Einstein DVDs on the drive down, Mommy is letting me do this post.  Here are my highlights from Day 4

I like to feel the breeze blow through my hair...I giggle every time

Playing with my beach ball...

Watching the bubbles go by...

Water Baby - PK Vacay Day 3

Today was Maison's first day at the beach and first day swimming at the pool and she LOVED IT!!!  She's a water baby just like her mommy ;o)

Tasting my turtle and shovel...yep, tastes like salty sand...

      

Seeing the ocean for the first time...with daddy, mommy, and g-daddy!

     

I'm a water baby.  Loved, loved, loved the pool.  I can frog kick with the best of them and I wasn't scared a bit ;o)

  

Rain and Publix - PK Vacay Day 2

Yesterday it literally rained all day.  Rained like only it can in Florida and Texas.  Apparently there was a tornado watch for the county next to the one we are staying in.  Tornado?  in Florida...really?   Don't tornadoes usually hit Texas...not Florida?  High winds...check, massive amounts of rain...check.  Uh...in Florida isn't that usually symptoms of a hurricane?  Regardless, we didn't get anything that seemed like a tornado but the rain definitely sucked.  We did absolutely nothing all day except a trip to Publix.  

Maison in her "rain gear" ready to go to Publix:

Publix was an adventure...my parents, Adam-me-Maison, and Nannie each set out in separate directions picking out what we wanted.  Adam, my mom, and me are all good shoppers and when I say 'good shopper', I mean we all put anything that looks good in the buggy.  So when we got home we had nothing for dinner but lots of fruit, M&Ms, cookies, pies, ice cream, breads, and sandwich meats, but pretty much nothing else.  

When we were checking out the Asian teenage girl bagging our groceries was infatuated with Maison.  She literally followed us out of the store, stood with us while Adam pulled up the car and then helped load up 3 carts of groceries.  The entire time she was talking or playing with Maison.  What is it with Asians being enthralled with blonde haired, blue eyed (for now...I think they'll go brown) children?  I first learned of this sensation when Adam and I went to Beijing to visit Jan and Jason.  Their son JR (blonde/blue eyed) was treated like a celebrity every where we went the entire time we were there.  It was crazy!

Road Trippin - PK Vacay Day 1

On Saturday we were scheduled to leave at 5:00 am for our drive to Perdido Key.  Maison apparently sensed that she was about to be in the car for 12+ hrs and thus threw a class A fit from midnight to 3:15 am.  AWE-SOME....after packing up most of Maison's belongings, I didn't get to bed until just before midnight and had to get up at 4:00 am...so due to Maison's scream fest I did not go to sleep at all.  After packing up the car, closing up the house, and losing/finding Einstein our 5:00 am departure turned into 6:00 am.  Great start to a LONG road trip.

We had decided we would maintain Maison's eating schedule to try to keep things as normal as possible.  When she was sound asleep when it was time for her 7:00am feeding, we decided to just keep going.   The schedule went quickly out the window but Maison did great.  She would occasionally get a little fussy but nothing a Baby Einstein DVD wouldn't fix.  

When we got to Gulf Port, Mississippi, Adam wanted to have dinner at the Shed.  The Shed is a BBQ restaurant that has been featured on BBQ Paradise, The Best Thing I ever Ate, and Man vs Food...pretty much every show possible on Food Network and Adam lives to eat at restaurants that are featured on Food Network.  The Shed is exactly what it's sign said it was "The Shed, Barbeque & Blue's Joint...A Family Food Drinkery" as in they served food which was BBQ, they had a live band playing blues, there were lots of people consuming drinks, there were numerous people with babies and/or small children, and the place was literally a run down shed connected to a trailer.  What the sign didn't say was, "This is NO PLACE to take a baby; we are a good ole fashioned honky tonk that serves good BBQ."  I really felt like I was living the line out of Sweet Home Alabama, "You have a baby...in a bar."  Apparently, honky tonkin babies is acceptable in Mississippi but it was a little much for Maison.  She cried until we took her outside to eat at a picnic table in the sprinkling rain.  Here are Maison and Adam leaving The Shed....

About 15 hrs after our departure we arrived in Perdido Key, FL.  Anyone that has known me for more than 5 minutes knows that I don't do road trips.  Driving 3 hrs to Austin is about my threshold and that's only because there is a UT game waiting at the end of it.  It is amazing to me that after having literally no sleep and spending my entire day sitting in the back seat (yes, I know...I don't do back seats because it makes me car sick) trying to entertain Maison that we all made it in one piece.  At this point I definitely think Maison is a better road tripper than I am.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Adam and I went to Sarasota on Friday to surprise Adam's mom, Sarah, for her birthday. Unfortunately our flight was late leaving Dallas so we didn't get to Sarasota until about 12:30am. Adam's dad had told her that morning that we were coming so she was waiting up for us...so we were the first ones to get to wish her a happy birthday. Saturday night we went out for a family b-day dinner at Bone Fish. Almost the entire family was there...Sarah (mom), Art (dad), Jill (sister), Panni (g-ma), Kelli (aunt) and Howard (uncle). After dinner we went back to Adam's parent's house for chocolate cream pie from Yodder's. HAPPY B-DAY SARAH!