Washington, DC, Day 6

Wednesday was our designated resort day.  The kids have made a point of requesting one of these on every vacation.  So, today, we slept really late!  We went to the pool, the fitness center and the gym.  AS we read in a review of the resort prior to visiting, the lifeguards were young teens and were obviously paranoid.  They apparently heard lightening that no one else did and shut down the pool for 30 minutes several times throughout the day.  There were also designated adult-swim times ever quarter to the hour so that the guards could take a break.  Quite different from what we are used to, but rules are rules J.  Hubby barbequed some leg quarters on the grill, and I cooked some baked beans and shells-n-cheese.  We topped it off with Hawaiian Rolls and called it a meal.  It was a fun and relaxing day.

Calling All Washingtonians!! Guidance Requested.

The family and I have decided that this summer’s adventure will take us to Washington, DC.  We’ve booked a rental via our time share service in Spotsylvania, VA which is approximately one hour from DC.  We’ll be leaving the MSY via US Airways and arriving at DCA. Our rental from Enterprise will be waiting.  We are ecstatic, yet we could use a little help planning.  

In the past, we’ve been able to catch incredible deals via Groupon and other discount sites, but the options for this trip are looking a bit thin.  We’ve looked into City Cards too, but there seems to be none for the DC area.  So, we are turning to you, Washingtonians…

Give us the inside scoop!  Where do the locals eat?  What do the teens and preteens like to do–we’re traveling with two!  What must we see that most folks don’t know about?  We want your input.  Help us make this our best vacation yet!!

 

Spring Break in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf Shores, Alabama 

So, my family and I decided on Gulf Shores, Alabama this spring break.  Being just under 4 hours from Louisiana, it’s an excellent drive for a “peace” of heaven.

We headed out Sunday afternoon around 5 pm.  We arrived at our two-bedroom condo in the Paradise Isles resort property around 9 pm.  Now, Paradise Isles was not our first choice nor was it on our list of choices.  It’s a rather small property with approximately 40 units, and in agreement with all online accounts, it could use a bit of updating.  The condos are rather small, and the appliances are ready for retirement.  In fact, it reminds me of our first apartment!  The two bedroom units only have one bath, which is really strange for us.  There’s a flat screen in the living area, but 13” vintage boxes in the bedrooms.  There is Wi-Fi, which in itself was surprising, but the connection is rather weak.   There’s an outdoor pool and hot tub which are both refreshing.  Although, despite the negatives, this place is at an intersection that crosses you straight over to the beach, and the beach is amazing.  Honestly, I could bask there in the sun all day. So, as I said, we didn’t land at Paradise Isles by choice, but because Gulf Shores is such a popular vacation destination, it was the only place available through RCI—our resort exchange program.  Therefore, here we are making it a great vacation!

Now, what is there to do?  Well, besides hanging out at the beach, there are lots of water activities such as parasailing, kayaking, and jet skiing.  For those looking to chill on the water, there are deep sea fishing trips, dolphin cruises and sail boat rentals.  For the more adventurous, there’s deep sea diving as Alabama hosts the largest man-made reefs in America.  There are lots of restaurants, attractions, and shopping facilities along Beach Blvd. that are easily within walking or biking distance which reminds me, bike rentals are available.  There’s additional shopping a little further out around Foley and Orange Beach including the Tanger Outlet. There’s the Alabama Zoo and Adventure Island for the younger crowd, and the beauty of Perdido Key isn’t far away.

Since arriving, we’ve enjoyed a beach shopping and unwinding day.  We shopped for a few beach items, stacked up the cupboards, and hung out at the beach.  Today, we headed to Gulf State Park to “Zip the Gulf”!  Yes, I’m talking zip-lining, and yes, I did participate.  Despite the fact that I kind of had to after my co-worker who is close to retirement texted me that she had done it, and vowed not to let me live it down if I chickened out, I had already signed on.  I’m no sucker for a challenge, but she’s the real deal.  If she says she won’t let you live it down, you better believe that she won’t, and since I’ve got at least another year with her, I figured it would be in my best interest to “zip along”!! J

Any who, when my crew and I originally passed the set-up, we questioned how much fun it would be.  It didn’t seem too challenging—which was fine by me—and observing that someone appeared stuck in the middle made us a little apprehensive.  Nonetheless, we had to give it a try, and we have no regrets.  It was exhilarating!  We were so glad that we didn’t let our original analysis or the fact that the cashier didn’t allow us to use the coupon my co-worker had shared with us deter us.  Normally, I would have voted to walk over the discount thing…but God!!  The experience was great.  I’ll give credit to Craig and T.J., the two fellas assigned to our group.  These guys were young and fun.  Adventures like these are so much nicer when the folks in charge love what they’re doing, and it was obvious that these guys loved their jobs.  I’ll also credit our entire group.  Besides our family of four, there were two young ladies—also from Louisiana—and a mother/son pair from Wisconsin.  We were all first timers, except for the guy from Wisconsin, and we were all in good spirits.  It was undeniably a blast! The days have been the epitome of the day that the Lord hath made, and we’ve definitely rejoiced and been glad in them!

Tonight, we had to the movies for a taste of the norm.  My husband is destined to see Captain America 2.