Last Beach Trip - Snider Party of 2

Tim & I got back last night from a very last minute beach trip down to Destin, FL.  We got married down on that beach and LOVE going back whenever we can, so when we got a call from a timeshare company doing a promotion (we think they got our info from the Mexico trip we took last year), we decided to take them up on it!  Nothing like a close to free 3 night vacation!!  We're really trying to soak up the time with just the two of us and figured it may be the last time we get down to the beach as just a family of 2.  

We drove down late Thursday night and checked in our hotel.  Friday morning, we ate at the hotel and headed over to the 2 hour timeshare presentation that was required as part of our stay.  We got there a few minutes early and went for a walk on the beach and stopped for drinks (virgin for me!) at Whale's Tale right on the beach.  The presentation ended up being perfect timing because it rained most of Friday afternoon.  We didn't buy a timeshare, but we did go ahead and buy some points for our next beach trip after baby!  We both want to make sure we continue to get away and enjoy fun family time.  Friday night, we went to one of our favorite restaurants - Louisiana Lagniappe which was wonderful as usual.  It was nice because our hotel was a little further west than we're used to staying, so we were close to the restaurant and got to enjoy a few different spots.

Tim & I at dinner on Friday night

Saturday morning, we decided since we weren't really paying much for lodging that we'd do something different.  We woke up SUPER early and booked a fishing excursion with the two of us and a guide from 6-10am.  I really have very little fishing experience (honestly...the bait we were using was larger than either of the 2 fish I can remember catching in my "career").  It was a lot of fun!  When we first hit the spot, the guide baited the hook and cast for me and the minute he handed the pole to me, I got a bite!!!  It was a huge redfish and let me tell you, reeling those things in is NO JOKE.  Luckily, since I was pregnant and couldn't get a lot of leverage holding the pole against my body, the guide had thought to bring a "gut belt" which is so attractively pictured below.  This helped me reel in (you put the rod in the hole so it has something to press against).

Me with the first catch of the day

You're only allowed to keep fish within a certain slot limit and the fish above was actually too large to keep, so we let him go.  After this fish, I caught the next three as well!!!  (Don't worry, I didn't rub it in to Tim at all....)  We caught two really nice trout and another redfish that was just within the slot limit to keep!

Tim's 1st saltwater fishing experience

After the initial activity, things slowed down quite a bit and we moved to a few different spots.  Just when things were looking bleak, we returned to our original spot and Tim reeled in this baby:

Even Tim's arms were tired/sore after reeling him in!!

It was a great experience and something we'd love to do again.

Baby's 1st Fishing Trip!

Cleaning our 3 keepers - we get have these to cook later!

Filleting the fish 

After the fishing trip, we took a small detour at the Donut Hole (our first time ever going there) so Tim could get a tummy ache from his Apple Fritter which was massive.  We hit the beach that entire afternoon and got a lot more sun than we were expecting since it was so nice and even a little bit cloudy.  Friday evening, we tried out a new (to us) spot for dinner - The Back Porch.

Sadly, this was a quick trip and we had to head back on Sunday, but made two quick pit stops - first at the spot where we said our vows 6 years and some change ago.  It was a little sad because the beach had grown over in the exact spot we got married (looks like maybe it's not currently owned/maintained), but he and I had a special moment reliving our wedding and reflecting over where we've come from there.

Lastly, we hit up the outlet malls.  Stops were a little different this time - Destination Maternity (gross...I HATE shopping for maternity clothes and have held out as long as I can!!!) and a few cute things from Carter's that I couldn't resist.

Random instagram pic from Whale's Tale