The Pate Potpourri: G.U.L.F. Shores Trip

A few weeks ago, Jeremy and I took the girls to Gulf Shores for G.U.L.F. Youth Experience. Jeremy was a keynote speaker this year so we stayed for four days at some friends beach house. I have never been to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach so I was really excited for our little trip. I was very impressed with the beaches and the town in general. It was not as touristy as I had imagined and was very quiet and tranquil.

It was on this trip that I added Instagram to my new iPhone. So, you will see dramatic changes in my photos. I love all the filters and special effects that I can play around with. Here are some photos of our trip:

Weekend reading :) I love a little Nancy Drew!

38 lbs. lighter! I am actually not embarrassed to post pictures of myself anymore! :)

My Morning Glory!

Ready to shop!

Playtime!

So bright outside!

We wanted to eat at Lambert's Cafe (Home of the Throwed Rolls) but they were crazy and did not accept debit or credit card! I mean, come on! How do they stay in business? We got both kidlets out of the car and made our way inside. We even took pictures on the outside of the building because it was so cool looking. :( We were not happy campers!

We ate at Ichiban instead. It was fun even though we can eat Japanese here any time we want.

We finally made it to the beach!

I loved the above picture so much that I posted it on here twice! I love the way both filters look. :)

Construction on the beach. They were dredging up sand onto the beach because there was a major cliff between the sand and the water.

Jellyfish!

Poor Greta does not look happy in this picture! She was so scared of the water! A small wave would crash against the shore and she would bury her face in either my shoulder or Jeremy's shoulder!

After our trip to the beach, we went to The Original Oyster House. I can't wait to go back and eat there! I had to sit and watch because I am still on my Bariatric diet. We had a great time eating there. Ava made a new friend while we were waiting outside. I can't remember his name but he was a month older than Ava and they got along very well. They chased each other up and down the pier :) Ava's popcorn shrimp was served with a little alligator. Ever since this trip, she has been crazy about popcorn shrimp :) After our dinner, we let Ava play on the pier.

A bit of nighttime reading.

Good Morning!

Ready for worship hour!

We made another little pit stop at the beach! I really did not think Ava would get in the water so I dressed her in a cute shirt and little tutu. Ha! Murphy's Law! Not only did she get in the water she also rolled around in the sand as well! It was okay and we did not stop her. She had such a good time and so did we!