I feel truly blessed to be able to travel and see so much of our beautiful country. Living by the beach right now is AMAZING buuuuuuut, not knowing anyone and having B leave for 5 days at a time for out of town series can get kind of lonely. Obviously I cant just sit around and mope about it because I do have a very active toddler that needs to run around. ;) So, while B was away in Mississippi I did my best to keep occupied and explore this new home of ours.
Day 1: Laundry...
B left in the AM so I spent the day cleaning. Obviously this is not too exciting so lets move on.
Day 2: Zoo...
Anyone who knows H knows that he is OBSESSED with animals. You ask him what a [insert animal] says and he will put on a show. Current fan favorites are his elephant, giraffe, and snake.The activity of choice was obviously the The Gulf Breeze Zoo and it did not disappoint. They have most everything you can think of. They have live alligator feedings, (which I am sad we missed) lions and tigers, and even the option to feed the giraffes. H was loving it. His favorite part seemed to be the petting zoo. This is where they kept the goats and pigs. He even got to pet a baby kangaroo. We saw it all... zebras, gorillas, and even bears. It was a good day to be Hunter.
Day 3: Children's Museum...
I googled things to do in Pensacola with kids... Other than the zoo, Wahoos games, and the beach, everyone suggested The Pensacola Children's Museum so we went to check it out. I have never been to a children's museum so I didn't have any real expectations. From what I have seen and heard from other friends in different cities feedback has all been positive so I was looking forward to the visit.
The bottom floor is a large play area focused on the history of Pensacola. There is a store to trade goods, a fort for soldiers stocked with wooden guns, and a pirate ship right in the middle of it all. There is also a wall decked out with animal magnets.. and you guessed it... H spent most of his time in this magnetic animal heaven.
After awhile I finally got him to ride the elevator with me to the second floor where there was even more to play with and explore. Each room is dedicated to a part of Pensacola History. One room, the Army-Navy room, displayed the military history and even has a huge wooden aircraft carrier with wooden airplanes to fly around. The other rooms consisted of a multicultural heritage of Pensacola, a fort room with building blocks, a Native American room with a canoe and fire-pit, and lastly a Maritime room full of ships and old boat equipment. My phone died as soon as we got there so I didn't get a chance to take pictures. I did find this review of the place that shows what the museum looks like.
Day 4: Beach...
We are so lucky to live where we live right now! Some come to Pensacola to vacation, but we get to call it home for the next little while. I plan on taking full advantage of the Gulf while we are here. It truly is unlike any other beach I've visited. Beautiful white sandy shores and clear blue, warm water... perfect! I only wish that H would remember this part of his life. He is truly one lucky little dude.
Day 5: Moved into new place...
We had a HARD time finding a place to live here in FL. We jumped from hotel to hotel for the first week we were here and it was challenging to say the least. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...we are blessed with one good babe. There is no shot we would be able to live this lifestyle if H were any different. He is such an easy going kid (Mom and Dad may be stressing), and he is all smiles! He definitely gives us a reality check of what's most important. We made friends with a great family that does as much as they can for the Wahoos players. They were kind enough to offer us a room in the house they are renovating. The house was build in the early 1900's so it does need some loving care, but once they finish it I think its gonna be a beaut!
There we were... in Target looking for a new TMNT shirt for H to wear to the Daytona Tortugas games and B gets a phone call. Assuming it's just a call from one of the guys I keep shopping. I finally found a shirt right about the time he gets off the phone. I held it up and he said, "We wont be needing that." Confused, I asked him what he meant. He said, "WE'RE GOING TO PENSACOLA!" I ran and hugged him soooo tight!
This guy is constantly working his butt off and I am so proud of all his accomplishments thus far!
Now, for those who do not know or quite understand the process of working your way to the Majors, I will briefly explain...
Basically it's a ladder. Normally one starts at the bottom, also known as Rookie ball. As the player progresses the levels go in this order:
Low-A, High-A, AA, AAA, and then the Big Leagues.
B hasn't had his big debut yet but making it this far, to the Reds AA affiliate, is still AMAZING!
Life has been all too crazy lately and I am finally getting around to update y'all.
First off April was a blur...B left for Daytona Beach, FL to start the season while H and I stayed in Phoenix, AZ. I spent my days working downtown, packing, holding onto as many days with the Harveys as I could, while not so patiently waiting for the month to end until we got to leave for Florida.
Before the month was over I was able to take a quick trip to St. George and then have my wonderful parents help me with the big move. My dad came down one weekend to help pack/load our trailer, then my mom came right after her work trip in Oregon to help pack/load the truck and clean the apartment. I also couldnt have survived without the Harveys who kept me sane during the whole process. Once we got it all stuffed, stacked, and strapped in (thanks Q) we were on our way!
We set our course and hit the road.
The trip took us from
Phoenix, AZ--> El Paso, TX--> Houston, TX--> Slidell, LA--> Daytona, FL
4 days, 3 people, and 2,170 miles ahead of us...
Traveling with a babe is much more time consuming than I'm used to. We had to plan for more pit stops, more food required, and more entertainment on hand. My mom was a great co-pilot. She took care of Hunter, fed me, and drove half the time. At first I was a little nervous we might end up killing one another but it turned out to be a memory for the books!! Having that time with my mom is truly something I will forever cherish! The older I get the more and more I need her and the best of friends we become.
Each stop along the way we ate, let H run, checked out oddities in truck stop stores, and slept. Getting out of the truck to move around was definitely key to not going stir crazy.
Houston was a favorite stop because we we were able to see family and recharge. Thanks again Aunt Jill for letting us stay for a bit.
All in all the drive was good. H is an amazing little traveler whether by land or air. I learned more about my mom and who she is aside from being a mother, we were able to explore the Southern states, laugh a lot, and at the end my little family of three was finally reunited. Every day I am so grateful Heavenly Father blessed us with an amazing child to go through this crazy life of ours.
