Rogers and I went to Destin, FL for 5 nights last week. It was the longest vacation I’ve taken, aside from Christmas, since I started working full-time 6 years ago.

We both totally needed to get away and it was so nice. We didn’t want to come back. We just ate, sipped some adult beverages, relaxed, napped, ate, drank wine, slept, repeat.

Here’s a photo-heavy post for ya – get ready.

We’re here! We left Nashville at 4:45 a.m. and had our butts on the beach by lunch time.

Someone’s excited!

The water was SO clear and calm the first 4 days. The last day was the only one there were any waves, really.

Treading lightly into the ocean. We saw lots and lots of sharks! I guess maybe they’re always cruising so close, and we just noticed them more because of the calm water? Who knows, but I don’t care to get close enough to find out more!

The first night we were there we went to dinner at Dewey Destin’s. OMG. It was a HOLE in the wall place that I’d heard great things about from friends and family. It also got rated best “local dive” by Coastal Living magazine or something. (Don’t hold me to it – I can’t remember where I read that). We loved this place. You scooped your own ice from a cooler, for pete’s sake. – I mean, it was down home.

And the view wasn’t too bad, either.

Looking back inland at the restaurant. Tiny little shack! The kitchen was in a trailer out back. For reals.

And then we went to a nude beach. Just kidding. I actually did have a bathing suit on in this picture.

Rough life. Rogers just laughed and laughed at this photo. He said I relax HARD.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn right across from the Back Porch restaurant. We love it, but the pool is a bit lacking and usually has 26 little kids in it. No bueno. The place next door, though, is a HUGE condo complex. Supa nice. There’s a gate and a code, unfortunately, so we can’t mooch on the pool. Until this year.

There was a family going in the gate and we were across the street walking back to the Hampton. Thanks to my Lasik surgery, I eagle-eyed them entering their four-digit punch code from all the way across the street. I was like “OMG…I think I just saw their code.” Rog was like “really?” So we creeped across and and I punched it in….BEEP, access granted. Muhahahahah.

Mushroom waterfall! Now who’s the kid?

Thanks, neighbors.

The next night we had dinner at Pompano Joe’s. Our favorite place, I think.

We each had 1.5 pounds of crab legs. They were yummy. However, later in the week we went down to the Crab Trap where the legs totally kicked Pompano Joe’s legs in the crotch. PJ’s – if you’re reading this, take notice.

Still, even with the slightly over-cooked legs, we left nothing but this carnage.

One day to mix it up, we went down to the jetty, which is a different beach in Destin where there are these awesome, well, jetties. My parents used to take us here when we were little and we’d snorkel and look for crabs and fish around the rocks. So fun.

See the little snorkelers out there? Shark bait. We talked to one lady who had been on a jet ski and said that they came up next to a bull shark as big as their jet ski. I guess I would have probably just had a heart attack and fallen right into it’s open mouth.

The next night we went to Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin for dinner and the sunset. We love walking out on the dock and looking at all the huge boats. Anytime you have to staff a “crew” to run your boat, I guess you are supposed to call it a ship. And there were several here.

Pondering the name of my future yacht.

This was a fun self-timer shot. Thank the heavens I didn’t trip and fall right in the bay running back over. It was only probably 100 feet deep.

A little windblown. This night we had dinner in Baytowne at Acme Oyster House. We loooove Acme. It was all fun and games until I reached for my wallet to pay for dinner and realized it was still in my beach bag from earlier. That was a fun 45 minute round-trip to get it while Rogers was held hostage by the manager.

The next day we went to the bay and sat on this little peninsula where the ocean meets the bay. On one side, ocean. On the other, bay. It was so fun. It was Sunday afternoon so there were lots of big boats heading out , which was fun to watch. And Rog saw a dolphin. Who knows what I was doing, and missed it.

Oh, and there were HUGEnormous jelly fish in the Bay. I petted them and poked them, which really freaks Rogers out. I can’t help it – I’m a tactile person. And they feel like jell-o. Just don’t pet the wrong side! That’s what he said.

Our private beach on the peninsula. See our little umbrella and two chairs? So sweet.

Another yummy dinner. (Can you tell we like to eat?) Bayou Bills is another favorite of the Wade Family. We used to come here all the time and get one of their famous “platters.” It’s basically about 5 kinds of seafood fixed the way you like it – broiled, fried, etc. Can you guess which way I got my platter?

Yeah. Fried fish, shrimp, clams, oysters and crab patties. And french fries. You can either eat this or if you don’t have the patience, just have them take out your aorta and tie it off. Same result.

Oh look, Dad! There is corn on the cob. Dad asked me when I got home if I got a platter with “corn on the cob and stuff,” and I told him no, there wasn’t corn. Funny, I don’t know why I don’t remember it…

To get my belly warmed up, in case that platter didn’t fill me up, I had their world famous chargrilled oysters. I die. I just die. They were so good. I could have eaten three more dozen. And the platter.

Showing off my multiple chins. Reference previous photos.

Happiness.

This guy is an umbrella attendant at the beach in front of the Back Porch. He’s been there the past several times we’ve been there. Although I think he’s working on about his 25th season. He is purple he’s so tan – and I predict they’ll eventually name a type of melanoma after him. Rogers and I call him “the Walrus.”

Sunset from the Crab Trap – our last dinner.

The best beach trip ever! So fun. We were so sad to leave and I died a little on the inside when we drove away. Or maybe that was just the fried platter finally digesting.

We’re already planning our next trip in the spring with the whole famdamily and can’t wait!

We love you, Destin!

XOXO,
Jenn