Florida - unwind with some beach time

Took the little fam bam down to sugar sand beaches and clear water on the panhandle of Florida. It was a long drive and short stay but I personally think it was worth it.

The drive through Mississippi from dusk to dark was a little creepy per usual - no lights on the roads, winding and just there were some strange vibes all around. At one point it sounded like we were constantly hitting dirt clods on the road and could not figure out what was going on as the road was all clear. We saw little "things" on the road every once in a while but couldn't figure out what they were. Eventually we decided they were frogs that were either getting under our car tires or throwing themselves at the car.

First order of business upon arrival to Florida - a tropical drink by the pool, of course!

'Wicked Dolphin'

Warning: unfortunately due to being constantly surrounded by water, humidity and sand, I only whipped out my beloved camera every once in a while. So, sorry if the photographs are a little low quality but I was using the best camera I had on me the most - my phone. Let the fauxtographing begin!

The beach and surrounding scenery was eye candy!

The evenings on the beach were my personal favorite. The sun isn't beating down on you (some of us are vanilla wafers ya'll!), it's a little cooler, less crowded and the scenery is even more dramatic and interesting.

The first night we saw the most gorgeous moon rising. It started out big and orange and then later created some fantastic reflections on the water.

Yes, this was the MOON! This pic is giving me major regrets I didn't go back to get my real camera

We took a dolphin cruise/snorkeling tour of the Gulf. We didn't have high hopes after the dismal dolphin appearances on a similar cruise last year but were pleasantly surprised to see more than the tip of one dolphin fin peak out of the water. The other scenery was much more interesting as well.

Ummm....definitely want to do this if I go down to FL again!

We spent about 2 days total in Florida and all I can say is to quote Taylor Swift: "Florida is one hell of a drug."

Bonus pic: A mule (or donkey, I don't know how to tell the difference) next to a gas station in Alabama. This creature almost attacked us when we were making a stop. Despite it's rather friendly appearance and 'come pet me' vibes once you got too close it charged at the fence (which seemed like it would not be able to hold back a furious donkey).

Don't let this pic fool you, this donkey was cray cray!