The first week of August I went on a full week vacation with the entire McIver family to Cape San Blas. It was seriously the most relaxing trip I have ever been on! A big thanks to Mr. & Mrs. McIver!
The best way for me to sum up my trip is by 10 ( I could do 20) sweet memories...
10. Pure relaxation- The entire trip was so relaxing and carefree I almost didn't know what to do with my self. We did not have a schedule or plan...we simply lived in the moment.
9. Shopping- On a rainy day, Chelsie, Sarah, Ryan & I headed to town to go in a few shops. I LOVE small town shops...they always have unique gifts. When we went shopping, we had lunch a little deli and just chatted away. Very FUN!
8. Game time- A couple nights we gathered around the table and play cards. One night I introduced a game called "31"...it was a fun but long game. Everyone was a good sport about baring with Ryan & I to explain rules. Another night a few of us played UNO, we played a different variation of but I forget the name...needless to say it was fun too! Another game we play was ladder ball.Ladder ball is so much fun and a great game to bring down to the beach! Ryan's Grandmother & Dad were both really good at the game!
7. Cooking- Before we left for vacation Ryan & I decided we were going to make dinner for everyone while we were there. We made 3 different meals- stuffed shells, chicken & steak kabobs with grilled corn and patio rice, and we had a Mexican night with quesadillas, tacos and black beans. A lot of these meals turned into more than just Ryan & I cooking which made it all the more fun! Something about cooking for others is so much fun to me!
6. Midnight Mission- One night Mrs. McIver, Chelsie, Sarah, Ryan and myself had a Midnight Mission. The mission was to pick up a broken tent off the side of the road, throw it in the truck and bring it back to obtain all the parts we needed to fix OUR broken tent! You see- the one day we all decide to leave our tents on the beach a huge storm came in and wiped out our tents. We were determined to fix them with duct tape and extra parts...we were successful!
5. Bonfires- Cape San Blas allows you to create fires on the beach and we took advantage of it! We had 2 bonfire nights complete with story telling and smores! Chelsie's story telling had everyone laughing- I loved it!
4. Pictures- I'm sure you all know I have a slight obsession with pictures. I just think they are the best way to capture a memory. BUT the best part of this trip was that we have a photographer in our group...Chris- he is pretty close to an expert. We took advantage of his skills and camera! We had group pictures on the bay. The pictures turned out so good! Another night Chris, Katie, Ryan & I went to dinner and after Chris took a few pics. During dinner I picked his brain and he gave me a mini lesson and let me shoot some pics of him & Katie! I long for the day where I have a camera as nice as his and skill level like him too!
3. Bella- a couple mornings Mrs. McIver brought Bella to wake us up. It was so cute and completely melted my heart. Mrs. McIver would carry her in and stand by our beds and she would just stare at us and give us a smile. That little girl has everyone wrapped around her finger, including me. I would drop anything to play with her...she is precious!
2. Meeting Ryan's Grandmother- On the trip down to Cape San Blas we made a stop in Wewahitchka, FL to see Mr.McIver's mother & father. This was my first time meeting them and I was so excited! They had pictures everywhere in their house of the entire family from their childhood...it was so fun looking at all the old pictures! Ryan's Grandmother's health is not very good right now so it was kinda tough on the family to see her that way. I was just glad I got to meet her and see the love that they all have for her. She is a special lady. Ryan's Grandfather is a hoot. His nickname for Ryan was "Royal Ryan". He was full of stories and had such a good attitude despite his wife's health. His love definitely shined through.
1. Bonding- My favorite thing about the entire trip was the fact that I got to bond and get to know each person in Ryan's family a little better. They have such a loving and welcoming family. I love each of them very much and thank God they have been placed in my life!
