Vacation Day #1, Panama City Beach, Florida

5:49 am-

We just left Jonesboro, we ended up leaving Saturday and spending the night about four and a half hours into the trip.  I am typing this on the road and will post it when I am Florida!!  We are currently enjoying “Love Take Over” by Mathew West J.

Every family trip we take from like the beginning of time our family has printed off a USA map and every time we see a license plate from a different state we color it in on the map and try to get all states.  The most we ever got was when we went to the Grand Cannon and we go everything except Road Island. We even got Hawaii!! I mean how does that work? Crazyness.  Anyway, so far  on this trip we already have California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Maryland andddd Drum roll please… Alaska!!! We were pretty proud of that one, pretty good start I think, 13/50.

Yesterday we had to stay around until Preston’s ultimate Frisbee game at 3:15.  We were all so ready to leave that we got all packed up and ready and ended up leaving our house at 12:00pm.  What does the Tate family do in Springfield to kill time? Oh ya know, we go to Lowes, Really Parents? Lowes? Oh well, me and Jono walked around the parking lot looking for license plates and singing “I’m in the LORD’s Army” complete with hand motions mind you.  Let’s just say we got some looks ;).   

Lydia and Rebekah made me a little box that I am not supposed to open until the trip, I decided to wait until today because we left a day early. Any ways it has been driving me nuts! I love presents and to have one that I cannot open yet  ahhh! Sadly it is way in the back, I will hopefully get to it the next time we stop. 

6:49am-

We are driving through Memphis and this little Ozark born and raised girl is finding the factories very awesome, creepy and intimidating.  We just drove past a creepy black smoke belching factory and Jono and I whipped out our ipods trying to take a picture J, oh gosh… I guess I shouldn’t judge when city folk come out to our house and see Cows (seriously people have come over and been amazed by the cows) or deer or the woods. 

7:49am-

We just stopped for breakfast at McDonalds.  I am wondering how McDonalds manages to fit that many calories in one little sausage biscuit!! It’s pretty intense.  We found more states,  North Dakota, New Mexico, Tennessee, Mississippi, FLORIDA, and South Carolina, 19/50.  We just passed through Holly Springs Mississippi. 

8:06am-

I just took the time to crawl into the back and get my beautiful white box, I just want to say my friends are awesome!! I am in the car right now so I cannot squeal like the little girl I am, but would y’all do that for me?  I am going to try to take pictures of everything that is in there latter.  I got makeup, nail polish, gum and candy, what else does a girl need???  I am not sure if I was supposed to open one thing a day or what but there are some awesome notes in there that I am going to only read on a day ;). I feel so loved!!!! Thank you gals!!!!! 

1:19pm-

We just stopped for lunch.  Only two more hours!!!!!  We have added quite a few states to our map but I am not quite sure which ones J.  I am VERY ready to see the ocean! 

4:00pm- 

We are FINALLY here!   The place is BEAUTIFUL and the ocean is amazing!!! 

Right after we got here and unpacked we walked down to the beach we walked along for about 15 minutes before Jono and I decided that we wanted to swim.  So we got our boogie board and went down and body surfed... SO MUCH FUN!  The waves were pretty good tonight, someone told us that tomorrow there are supposed to be eight foot waves so we wanted to get some water time in before we the sun went down cause we probably won't be able to tomorrow.  

Sadly tomorrow we have to do school :( sniff sniff but oh well, it will be easier to get school done with out all of the extra-curricular activities we have at home.  We don't really have any plans this month except getting bored (Mom and Dad specifically say this is something they want to do ;) )... Maybe I will even get to read some! 

Do you guys want to see the place we are staying?  If so would you like pictures or videos (with my loverly voice narrating)?

Well we are getting ready to watch a movie and eat ice cream so TATA!!