in my mind I'm goin' to Carolina....

Normally, I don't schedule much on Spring Break.  I like to spend my week at home relaxing and organizing..... NOT THIS YEAR!!

Kelly and I have been planning a trip to NC to see our sister-in-laws for about 2 years.  And, we finally were able to go!  Along with getting to see and spend time with them, we were planning to help them with some decorating and shopping for the house.  We spent 3 days shopping and made a very good start on getting the house just the way they want it. 

We also went somewhere great to eat every day!  The first night, we went to a local place called Epic Chophouse.  It was amazing!  The food was to. die. for.  And we celebrated Kelly's birthday that night too!

And the shopping began on Sunday..... Ikea..... need I say more?

 I fell in love with West Elm.... Move over Pottery Barn, I have a new L.O.V.E!

Kelly and I couldn't purchase any big items, as much as we would have loved to.... but I did manage to add to my Pandora ring collection.  The gray, black ring on bottom will always be a reminder of my wonderful Spring Break Trip of 2013!

And Kelly, surprised me with this book from Anthropologie that I have been eyeing for FOREVER!

There were many more  pics of our trip, but I didn't take the time to download them all.

We had such a great time laughing, talking, crying, shopping, eating, drinking, and loving....

I'm so blessed to have them all in my life.  I thank them for helping me to grow and learn and see life in a whole new way. 

Dauphin Island, Alabama {2012}

We had a wonderful time on our vacation with the Dailys.

We road tripped it down in a rented minivan with Kelly and Lauren and met Gary and Fran there.

Carson was ecstatic to see the Pyramids!!!! 

Not quite the pyramids of Egypt, but he wasn't aware of that at the time.

Oh yes, I did!  Caramel Frappe from Mickey D's!

Of course, we had to stop at Jake and Rips on the way down.  We found this place with the johnsons in Mississippi when we vacationed with them on our way back from Florida.  It's kind of a dive, but so good!

The next day, we crossed the bridge to Dauphin Island....

Our condo was on the 5th floor, and it was big and very nice.

This is our view from the condo balcony.... not too shabby!

In my opinion, evenings on the beach are the best time of day...

We watched a guy reel this in while we were there.  It took him FOREVER!  And then everyone took turns touching it before he let it go.

We went to a Luau at the local country club.  It was so HOT!

And Carson went crabbing with Eric one night.  He loved it.

The Haynes family just happened to be down at Gulf Shores the same week, so we met them at the fort on the island and spent the day together...

Finding shells...

The kids loved the pool, and we spent quite a bit of time there also...

One day, Gary, Eric, and the kids went on a fishing trip on a boat.  They caught a few fish, including a small shark!

Our hotel...

The last beach day, we went to a public beach on the island and swam.  That was the day the sting ray swam right between Fran and me.   Since you couldn't see into the water, we could not tell when creatures were getting close.

They also had a fun slide inflatable for the kids... (not free, of course)

Our balcony was huge. The kids loved riding their scooters on it.

We had a few frozen drinks....

And enjoyed a lot of reading...

We found a place that will steam your food for a seafood feast.  I believe we got all this food for $46.  And it was delicious!

 I'm so happy we were able to go with the Daily Fam to the beach.  It was a great time of relaxing,  fellowship, fun, and food!  Especially, since they had been gone for so long.  It was nice to get to see them!

This is a small sampling of the pics we took.  I wish I could share more, but it took forever just to get these posted.  Next vacation, I must do better about posting each day!