Sandestin Resort

I just got back from being away for a week long TDY.  It was a nice break for Michelle from me, though she probably won't admit it.  When I came back I went directly from the airport to the Sandestin resort.  The Air Force has been dealing with a lot of stress after fighting two simultaneous non-stop wars for 15 years and as such they are starting to realize that broken families cause people to get out. AFSOC gave their chaplain corps a literal truck load of money and said, "take care of those folks."

So they rented out a big section of the Bayside at Sandestin as well as the conference rooms and then provided meals, rooms, day care and a bunch of resort activities.  It was a pretty cool experience, one that we many not ever get to do again.  The marriage/family communication counseling was solid and the time together for Friday, Saturday and Sunday was really great.

We rode bikes together, walked around the wharf area and found a thousand butterflies, blue crabs, chrysalis', lizards and unidentified bugs.  We monkey walked until we almost all fell down, teased a macaw that was strictly off limits, threw a football on the golf course, made a bunch of new friends, and swam in a rather chilly outdoor pool.  We had a really nice time.

During a break we went up to the 8th floor to grab the football and I decided to take a moment to hang out with my blondies.  I laid down on the bed and pulled each of them on, one by one.  I told them that I just wanted to cuddle with my boys.  What we really did was make fart noises by blowing on our arms.  ...  for 52 minutes! Like, I'm not kidding.  I wanted a moment and I got one.  Farting. Fart jokes. Fart noises. Answers to questions in astute fart inflections.  It was nuts.

During our bike ride Brigham was doing a pretty solid job of keeping up with me when just sort of out of the blue the kid says, "Dad, when we go on these outings together as a family it makes us grow closer together.  Thank you."  That is the point I suppose.  He wins kid of the day.

When we got home we watched "The Testaments" for the first time since we had just finished reading Helaman and 3rd Nephi as a family.  Mackay told his mother, "I'm not going to cry even in an emotional movie."  Then he cried anyway. "But these aren't sad tears Mom, I'm crying because I'm happy."  He is a sweet young man.