Towards the beginning of 2022, we were really jonesing for a beach vacation. We usually head toward the Destin area, and had planned to go last fall, but that was around the time of the Omicron spike of Covid, so we ultimately decided not to go. However, now cases were getting lower, and around this time, we received a save the date in the mail for my cousin’s wedding, which was being held on the gulf coast in Florida. Thinking this seemed like the perfect excuse to get away, we decided to go ahead and book.

The wedding was being held on the western end of Port St. Joe, Florida, so we chose an Airbnb in Mexico Beach, as it was slightly closer to Panama City. When I started doing research on the area, I realized this was the area hardest hit by Hurricane Michael in 2018, which basically flattened the Mexico Beach area, which was still in reconstruction after the devastation.

We drove down on a Monday, stopping briefly in Clanton, Alabama, at Peach Park for lunch.

When we arrived, we unloaded our luggage at the condo, then walked across the street to the beach to catch the sunset. The beach was quiet and empty. LS was hesitant at first. The last time we came to the beach was when she was around 14 months old, and she was terrified of the sand. This time, at age three-and-a-half, she dug her feet in after a few tentative steps and smiled.

We climbed back into the car and went in search of food. There was nothing open that we could see in Mexico Beach (although we later discovered there’s a 24 hour Subway), so we drove into Port St. Joe. We were getting a little hangry at this point, so we stopped at the first place that we saw open, which was a Dollar General Market, and picked up a few groceries. We headed back to the condo and heated up some frozen pizzas.

The next morning, we ate breakfast and then headed to the beach. Again, LS was pretty hesitant at first, but warmed up to the sand quickly. It took her a little longer with the ocean, but by noon, she was starting to stick her toes in the water. We ate lunch back at the condo and then rested.

We ate dinner at Provisions in Port St. Joe, and then headed to a park and boat ramp that we came across while walking around town. The boat ramp had a lot of rocks that LS loved climbing on, and we had to tear her away to get back for bedtime.

On Wednesday, we did much of the same. We hit the beach in the morning, lunch in the condo, then headed into Port St. Joe for dinner. My mom was with us and we met up with her friends at Joe Mama Pizza. Afterwards, we went back down to the boat ramp at LS’s request.

We decided to change it up a little on Thursday. Instead of heading to the beach, we went out to the Sea Turtle Center, where we learned about the turtle patrol in the area, and saw some tortoises. We then drove out a way toward the cape, stopping at the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve.

We headed back for lunch and quiet time, then headed out to the beach. LS had gotten much braver by this time, and we took turns walking miles down the beach and back with her splashing in the water. We stayed for sunset, and then ate dinner at Pepper’s Mexican Grill, which LS loved.

On Friday, the temperature had dropped a little and the wind had picked up, so we headed to the pool at the condo complex. LS hadn’t been in a pool in 2.5 years, so she was content to sit on the edge with her feet in the water at first. Over the course of two hours, she slowly creeped further and further in until she was almost floating with her puddle jumper. Mr. Strange picked up Killer Seafood for lunch.

After a rest, we got ready to head to the rehearsal dinner. It was held at the Port St. Joe Garden Club, and, much to LS’s delight, had a taco bar. We ate and drank and introduced LS to corn hole before heading back.

The next day was the wedding. With the threat of storms brewing, we spent the morning at the pool again (and LS spent her whole time floating and kicking around!) before quiet time and then headed out to Gulf Aire beach for the ceremony. Luckily, the sky cleared up and the weather was gorgeous. The reception was held at the View on Old 98. The food was delicious! LS had eyes only for cake though. She started up the dance floor, but the cake was just too tempting, so much of her evening was spent wondering when she was going to get to eat it. She was in heaven when it was finally served!