Now that we were all going to get to go, I decided to rent a mini van so we could all ride in the same vehicle. It was an additional $350 I had to fork out for the trip, but being in the same vehicle was priceless. The van even drove like a charm. I use to own a mini van when my kids were small. That was the days I was a regular taxi driver! For my kids! :<>) Brett even asked me when I brought it home the night before I left if I as switching back to a van. I told him heck no. However, it sure was nice having a vehicle big enough for all of us! Here's a picture... Our vacation mini van.. :>)
And Here we are loaded:
Can you see the EXCITEMENT??
Since we were only going to be able to get away for 3 nights, we went to Gulf Shores, Alabama. It's an easy 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive depending on traffic. One of my friends owns a 3 bedroom condo on the beach in which we stayed, so it worked out perfectly for all of us! EXCEPT.. just 2 bathrooms.. some girls take a long time.. ha I told my sis I couldn't complain about her girls hour long showers because I had a teenager just like them once! Erin has come a LONG way since she became a school teacher. She can get ready in 30 minutes flat and sometimes even faster now. WOW
Here's our view.. It was a tad hazy so it's hard to see the blue water:
Since we arrive a tad early to check in the condo, we went straight to the Hangout for lunch and a couple of pictures:
 |
| My was like... this sun is killing me.. hurry up with that picture.. ha |
I had decided before hand to try to book us something special to do. I had read some reviews on a dolphin excursion and decided to book it. It was FABULOUS! We saw many dolphins and the sunset cruise ended with a wonderful sunset! Here are a few pictures from our adventure;
 |
| I love seeing my mom and daughter SMILE> |
 |
| The DOLPHINS were so cute!!! My nieces loved watching them play in the wave the boat was creating. |
The dolphin cruise was so much fun! I highly recommend it!
We chilled for the next 2 days on the beach. The weather wasn't perfect. It was double red flags and the water was way too rough for the girls to get in most of the time. We were glad we had the 1st day of the trip where the water/waves wasn't bad. It even rained a couple of times, but we still had a blast! I took the girls down to the Florida / Alabama line and we took a few pictures. They thought that was cool.
 |
| Laura Ann... the graduate. She's as pretty on the inside as the outside! |
 |
| Brooklyn found this shell on the beach during her many shell searchers. |
 |
| Brooklyn, Laura Ann, Cherie, Mom, Erin & me! |
 |
| My awesome sis and her 2 girls! |
One night we had supper down at the Wharf and walked around. The lights at night were so pretty.
Our last night we decided to go play goofy golf. Erin had been bragging how she was going to beat us all. Well for the first 5-6 holes....she was beating us badly.. but then things changed. I told her it was all that smack she had talked... hee hee It was my sister's girls first time to play. We had a BLAST!
This is kind of when it all started going down hill for Erin. LOL
On our last day we decided to go to the zoo. Actually when I mentioned it to Erin before telling the others, I was surprised that she really wanted to go to the zoo. I know she loves animals, but going to the zoo wasn't something we typically did when we went to the beach. Sometimes I wish I could start over with my kids as babies. I'd take them on more educational trips! Yes, the beach is awesome but going every where sitting on the beach for days doesn't teach them much. We normally ended up at the outlet mall on the last day. Of course, Cherie's girls were super excited. They LOVE animals. The Gulf shores zoo had more animals than I had expected. It's a nice zoo. We didn't really get to finish or hang around long because a monster rain blew in and according to the radar it was going to be there all day. :( so we loaded up and hit Lambert's for a late lunch before making our way back to home. Here are a few pictures from zoo:
 |
| Brooklyn & Erin |
 |
| OMG these rolls are HUGE and you get way too much food! I think I gained 10 pounds just on this meal! |
I LOVED every minute of spending time with the girls! I really wish my WHOLE SELLERS family..guys too could get together for a couple of days! I see other big families do it. We've just never been able to get everyone together. Maybe one day........
Cherish your family. Spend time with them. As I get older, I see more and more why it's so important! We aren't guaranteed tomorrow. So do it now. :>)
I leave you with a picture of me and my 2 kids recently at a wedding acting crazy.... :>) I wouldn't change a thing about them! LOVE
