Greens do the Gulf

Oh that sweet picture above makes my heart smile. It really is a moment I wish I could have frozen in time forever. Over Valentine's Day weekend we took our first ever family vacation. Can you believe that? We couldn't either. James finally stood still long enough and the timing was finally right for us to plan some much needed family time. Life post-deployment hasn't really felt like it actually IS post-deployment because after two short weeks home, James headed south to Biloxi, MS to train for his new shore duty job. It was definitely hard to watch him pack his bags again, but oh did it give us an amazing opportunity.

Our trip consisted entirely of driving along the Gulf Coast, stuffing our faces and thinking of ways we could surprise Mason with things he loves and will remember forever (or as much as a three year old can remember!). Ever since it ended James and I have exchanged many emails and texts that include "Gosh, it really was perfect, wasn't it?" It was just one of those weekends where everything was magic. Maybe because we've been craving that time together something fierce lately, but it was truly a beautiful trip.

This was also Mason's first plane ride and holy lord was he excited. He's 100% boy, he loves all things that move and airplanes are probably in his top three. We had lots of talks about it before we got to the
airport and he admitted he was a little scared, but mostly excited. He did AWESOME. It might have had something to do with the fact that I downloaded insane amounts of Bubble Guppies and Curious George and let him watch the iPad (and eat) for the entire flight, but gosh - he was amazing. He even got to hang out in the cockpit during a layover and was in heaven.

The trip was full of adventure, lots of oysters, laughs, and many selfies. We did a day trip to New Orleans and meandered around eating and drinking our way through the city. We listened to jazz music, drank a cafe au lait and ate beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde, had a drink on Bourbon St., and roamed the French Quarter scooping up Christmas ornaments, hot sauce and of course...mardi gras beads. We took Mason to the Institute for Marine Mammals in Gulfport, MS where he saw his first "real"
dolphin...and remembering his face and smile when he did finally see that dolphin is something that still makes my heart, very literally, swell. Sometimes as a parent, you nail it. Taking him there? We nailed it. He loves animals so, so much and the Institute was WONDERFUL. The staff spent lots of time showing Mason different animals, answering his many questions about what they eat and where they live, and telling us with great passion about the wonderful rescue and rehabilitation work they do around the gulf. If you want to read a cool story, click here and read about the amazing eight dolphins of Hurricane Katrina. I was in awe. If you are ever in Gulfport we highly recommend making a stop at the Institute.  When we left there we just got in the car and started driving with no plans (the best, right?) and ended up in this little town called Ocean Springs, MS. We had lunch and the boys had ice cream at an old fashioned soda counter (felt so southern) and then we hung out on the beach for about an hour.

On Valentine's Day we did the most romantic thing you can possibly think of. We drove to another tiny town called Moss Point, MS and got in an air boat in the Mississippi swamp and looked for gators. To be honest, I was WAY too excited about this - and my little mini inherited my lack of fear. He loved the boat ride and was not at all frightened of the gators. Then we drove to Mobile, Alabama for lunch (because, why not?) and I had the biggest Bloody Mary of my life and we ate an insane amount of oysters. It was perfection.

If you have a few minutes and want to see a slideshow with all the pictures and even some video of our great adventure, here it is!

Answers to frequently asked questions: James declared Alabama the best oysters he's ever had in his life, yes we held real gators (see slideshow), apparently three year olds aren't allowed in bars on Bourbon St., on this trip alone Mason declared he wanted to be a pilot, dolphin trainer AND "scuba guy" when he grows up, he is an amazing traveler, I had to carry two epi-pens with me at all times, the adventures were so great we were asleep by 10pm every night and at the end of the weekend, leaving was awful. I was a total cliche at the airport crying, but a dear friend reminded me if I ever have to part with James and don't cry - that's when I should worry.

He's coming home for a long weekend at Easter and home for good in May so keep us in your prayers. It's been a long road and while a lot of days lately I find myself frustrated and exhausted, I stop and remind myself that without the Navy, I wouldn't have found myself holding hands with James on a back Mississippi road while our sweet boy slept in the backseat with a full belly of seafood.

As always, thanks for following along and for checking out the pictures from our #greensdothegulf vacation. March is coming and that means birthday month at our house for me and James, Easter with our favorite guy home, and LOTS of visitors. We've got two free guest rooms and it's starting to get warm - come see us at the beach!

Lots of love,
Jules xoxo