Destin, Florida Vacation Part 2!

Today has been a bit rainy, which makes it the best time to catch y'all up on this past weeks activities in Destin, Florida!

Nathan and Riley headed back home, but I had the opportunity to stay just a little while longer with Kay and Steve at the beach!
Nathan and I had to get our picture taken in front of the sunset before he had to leave the next day!

Sunset

Monday, was deep sea fishing day! Kay, Steve, Pam, Joe, and I were excited to get on the boat and catch some fish! I was there to be the photographer while everyone else fished. Since I get sick easily, I took dramamine an hour before we headed out on the boat. Our boat was "Cutting Edge," over at HarborWalk Village. The deep sea excursion lasted 8 hours, and it was an interesting adventure!

Cutting Edge Charters Inc.

Our first stop was to catch the "bait" fish to use later to catch the big deep sea fish.

After catching enough bait fish, it was time to head out to deeper waters.

While attempting to catch some huge amberjacks, the sharks decided to join in and take the fish!!

I was really hoping to see a shark or two, and I got my wish! I didn't want them to take the fish away from us, but alas, they did.

The sharks kept hanging out, so the Captain took us to a different spot to try again.

At the second location, we ended up having dolphins steal the fish instead of the sharks!!

Dolphin swimming away with Joe's fish

At the end of the day, we walked away with 48 fish (snappers, mostly), not counting all the fish we had to throw back!

Triggerfish and red snapper are out of season and had to be thrown back in the water. The amberjacks that were caught were only a few inches too small, so those also had to be thrown back into the ocean.

The pelicans waited patiently for some goodies after our return to the harbor.

A heron stood by closely, also waiting for some handouts!

Tuesday was a chill day! The girls met up with Kay and I, and we all went to get manicures and pedicures!

OPI nailpolish - "This color's making waves"

This past week, meals have been prepared mostly at home. Dinner was Wahoo fish (bought from Destin Ice and Seafood) with mango salsa, and a side of asparagus! The wahoo with mango salsa was excellent!

Wednesday morning, Kay and I woke up early to see the sunrise and walk over to a nearby coffee shop.

The sunrise never had a chance to appear, the fog just didn't want to let up.

Although we didn't see a sunrise, we found 33 jellyfish washed up on shore. Turns out the jellyfish are actually a type of Portuguese Man of War jellyfish! Yikes!

Bad Ass Coffee was worth the 2.33 mile walk! I had a skim latte that absolutely hit the spot!

After a morning of running errands, the car needed a bath! While the car was being washed, we walked next door to Aegean just for a place to sit and a cup of coffee to drink. I wouldn't mind going back to the Greek restaurant to try their food!

It has been fun cooking meals at home! Chicken taco salad was our choice for dinner! Yum!!

I've been trying to at least get over 10,000 steps a day! Walking so much has caused some pain, but I won't let it stop me!

Thursday morning, Kay mentioned going to "The Donut Hole," I simply could not refuse!

Western Omelette

Real breakfast food was pretty good, but the doughnuts were the best part. There were tons of choices of different doughnuts to choose from! I grabbed a bunch to take back home!

(left to right) Apple fritter, Chocolate Angel, Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Peanut Butter filled doughnut, Red Velvet, Chocolate Coconut, and Raspberry filled doughnut

After breakfast, it was time to go to Destin Commons for a little shopping, and find our penny souvenir machines!

The weather was gorgeous, our next stop had to be across from Harbor Walk to look for more shells!

Low and behold, I found a shark tooth!!!!!

A pod of dolphins showed up!

If Gandolf the Great were a bird....

I made a Caprese chicken dinner, based on a Pinterest find - you can find the recipe here: Caprese Stuffed Chicken Foil Packs

I was too excited and hungry, I forgot to take a picture of dinner, but it turned out excellent!!

Dessert HAD to be split 3 ways! The apple fritter is massive, and a third of it was plenty! If you ever have the chance to go to The Donut Hole, I highly recommend the apple fritter!!

Vacation has been awesome! I've been impressed with Destin, Florida, especially since it isn't exactly tourist season. The beaches aren't super full, so you can actually appreciate the beauty here! Though, I can't imagine how it is during Spring and Summer!

Questions for you!

* Have you ever been deep sea fishing?

* Where is your favorite place to get doughnuts?

* What is your favorite kind of doughnut?

Destin, Florida Vacation Part 1

It is difficult to believe that just a couple weeks ago, I was in Knoxville, taking pictures of snow!

The snow sure was pretty, but I sure am glad to have had the opportunity to go on vacation to Destin, FL!!

Nathan and I (and Riley) headed down to Florida to stay with his parents for a little bit! Steve and Kay had a condo and we couldn't pass up the chance to join them!

There is a LOT to catch up on, so this is part 1 of the vacation recap!

Riley investigating

Our condo, right across from the beach!

View from our balcony

Gorgeous!

Although I don't mind winter in Knoxville, I must admit that being in Destin in January has been amazing! Between the warmer weather, the sun shining, the beach, and being with family, it has been the perfect vacation!

Finding shells is a fun activity at the beach. I have found an enormous amount of shells, big and small! Picking up shells on the beach never gets old!

As y'all know, I love taking pictures of birds. I have had the opportunity to take tons of photographs of birds!

One night during the week, we were all invited to a friends house for dinner, and we wanted to bring a paleo dessert! 

Kay picked a delicious looking paleo recipe that we decided to try making!

The crust was made with a blend of dates and almonds. Over the crust, we poured a mixture of melted dark chocolate that had been mixed with almond milk; topped with sliced bananas then drizzled with more melted dark chocolate. We refrigerated the dessert for about an hour and then it was ready to be devoured!

It turned out very well! I will certainly be making this dessert in the future!

Of course, the group of us wanted to go out and try some recommended restaurants!

So far, we have had Pompano Joes, Camille's, Margaritaville, Ciao Bella, Fudpuckers, and The Pancakery!

Camille's - "Philly" Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, and avocado)

More sushi

Ciao Bella - Greek Salad

The Pancakery - Egg white, veggie omelette

I didn't get pictures of my meals from Margaritaville, Pompano Joes, or Fudpuckers.

I did, however, get some pictures of the gators (yes, real gators) from Fudpuckers!!

Gators 

Albino gator

The majority of our time has been spent at the beach, which is great because you never know what you may see/find:

Stingrays jumping out of the water

Circle of Feathers

Sea cucumber

The sunsets have been stunning every single night!

Another perk of being in a warmer climate during January, is that I have the motivation to be more active. You can walk pretty much anywhere you need to go! 

Riley definitely enjoyed being somewhere new! He didn't want to leave:

Unfortunately, Nathan and Riley had to go back home to Tennessee. I, however, was invited to stay a little longer if I wanted, and of course I said yes!!  :)

I can't wait to keep y'all posted on the other fun adventures I'm having in Destin!

Questions for You!

* Where do you plan on going for your first vacation of 2017?

* What is your favorite beach activity?