The Beach, Billy Bowlegs and Crab Island

This has been a great weekend! I am now off on Friday's, which I LOVE, and was able to spend this Friday on the beach with a good friend of mine, Kim. Chris and I first met Kim and her husband Jordan in a bible study back in January. They are a really neat couple and we are so blessed to have met them. Kim is also expecting her first child and is due 4 weeks before me- it's been so great going through all of this with her! Friday night Kim and I met our husbands and another couple, Jay and Meredith (also in our bible study) at a place called Dewey Destins. I cannot believe that I have been coming the Destin for 25 years and have NEVER eaten at Dewey Destins. It was great! I had the fried shrimp and Chris ate grilled Mahi-Mahi. Dewey Destins is more of a shack right on the bay- what a cool atmosphere. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. I'm getting really bad about taking pictures and it's starting to frustrate me! lol.


Back in the late 1700's a pirate named William Augustus Bowles "Billy Bowlegs" came to the panhandle of Florida to hold Pensacola from the Spanish. Fast forward to the 2000's and you have the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival held in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Chris and I moved here just weeks after the festival last year and have heard story after story about this event and thought we would check it out this year. So, Saturday morning we loaded up the kayak and our sweet little pup Bailey and headed for the festivities. We met up with some friends and tied our kayak to their boat and spent the day in the sun. My sister, Amanda, was also there with some of her friends and we were able to meet up with her and hang out for a while also! Billy Bowlegs is most definitely an experience and it ended with us out on the water in a terrible thunderstorm. Here are a few pictures from Bowlegs... Amanda has the rest on her camera.


Jack and Chris


Regina about to throw Bailey in the water for her first swim


Today, Chris, Bailey and I took the kayak out to Crab Island for a few hours. It was absolutely beautiful and we really enjoyed being outside in the water. Bailey went for her second swim today and was absolutely terrified! It was pretty hilarious to be honest with you. Chris and I would try to coax her off of the kayak and when she finally jumped/fell into the water people in surrounding boats all cheered for her. She isn't too graceful, but we are sure that with practice she will grow to love the water and become a much better swimmer.






Bailey was so exhausted she was asleep before we even left the parking lot to come home.