"Footprints in the Sand" poem

This poem is very special to me. There has been situations in

my life that I know the Lord has carried me through.

As I walk on the beach I am reminded of this as I see the

footprints in the sand in Florida.

I know that the Lord will never leave or forsake me.

Navarre Sea Side and Bay View

This picture captures the beautiful view of the Sea Side and Bay Side of Navarre Beach. In the mornings we would walk down the beach to the pier and watch the early fisherman catch many fish. In the evenings we would sit on the balcony and watch the sun go down. There is alot of activity in the waters; people playing on rafts and intertubes. On the Bay Side people are riding Sea Dos and in sailboats.
People come here to be able to relax and enjoy all that God has created. As you walk down the street there are volleyball games being played and you can smell the wonderful food being cooked in the restaurants that are near.There is something for everyone to do. The houses in the area are very unique. They usually are painted in the pastel colors; however, hurricanes have damaged many of them. Not far up the street from our condomium is the Historic seashore. We enjoy looking at it because the beach has been preserved and nothing is built on it. It is beautiful with the natural sea oats.

My First Trip to Navarre Beach, Florida

This is a picture of my first trip to Navarre Beach, Florida. My sister, Karyn and I enjoy lying in the sun, jumping the waves in the ocean, picking up shells, and checking out the guys on the beach. I was sixteen years old and this began our tradition of going to Florida every year. Navarre Beach is "Florida's Secret" because this beach is private and is not overcrowded. We stayed at the Holiday Inn this year; however, Hurricane Katrina caused this hotel to be demolished.
We stayed this year about four days. We realized that to really enjoy the beach, you need to stay
about a week. We are entertained by just being in the pool and the ocean, so we rarely leave this
area except to go to the grocery store.
My family and I enjoy the time to get away from everything for a few days and just enjoy being
together. In the morning we walk down the beach to get some exercise and then we cool off in
the ocean. This trip is a special time because we are able to spend some one-on-one time together

and build memories.

Oh What A Splash!

My daughters, Lauryn and Ashley and I loved playing in the ocean! We want to get out early and enjoy riding the waves before the sun gets too hot and we get burned! This is a very special time for me to bond with them. We can laugh and joke and not worry about anything! Many times the waves are so large, we are carried to the shore.
I feel like the ocean is a "good therapy". The water is so warm and the salt has a soothing feeling. I can completely relax when I am in Florida.  I am glad that I can share with them the love I have had for the ocean since I was a young girl.
I remember a funny situation that happened to my oldest daughter. One time as we were riding one of the waves, it knocked Lauryn down. She stood back up and said that she was going to "fight" the ocean. I laughed and told her "Good Luck"!

And My Family Grows

This is the whole family in Florida. We started as just my mom,dad, my sister, and me, in the Holiday Inn. Now we have upgraded to a four bedroom condominum at the Belle Mer. My generous parents treat my family and my sister's family to a relaxing vacation each year.We all share in the cooking of the meals and we get along so well together. My grandparents came with us on many vacations; however they became too feeble to travel with us in the last few years.
I still enjoy waking up early to collect shells. This has been a passion of mine. I now have a large collection of shells that I enjoy looking at from time to time. We love playing in the ocean and feeling the warm sun on our skin. Now our daughters enjoy lying by the pool and checking out the guys.
I am so thankful that our family is so close and we are able to share these memories. The people in this picture are (front row) our daughters, Ashley(16) and Lauryn(20), my nephew Nathan(8). (back row)
my dad, Russell, my husband, Steve, me, my sister Karyn, her husband Donald, my mom, Carolyn.
My dad, my husband and brother-in-law enjoy playing golf while we are there.