Tender Mercies

As our first official family vacation, I'd say it was ideal. 4 days and 3 nights of playing in the sand and warm water, eating good food, and relaxing at a cozy Airbnb. It was perfect for our family of four with a two year old and 3 month old.I felt so alive and so happy during these days. I felt like I could do anything! These pictures bring me so much joy and I am beyond grateful we had some time to make memories and just be a family. Panama City Beach, you will always be special to me. And thank you for the warm water and white sands. Day 1: Friday 30 August 2019. Laguna Beach, Fl. Our cottage was perfect, and across the street from the beach! Evening beach trip to a public Panama City Beach before bed  A fun trip to Pelican Ice Cream Parlor before bed! Saturday 31 August, 2019. Dolphin and Snorkel Cruise to Shell Island. This kid was a champ during our trip and napped so well during all of o...

Bucket lists are funny because they often inspire you to do things you would have never thought to do otherwise. Drive 4.5 hours with a 12 month old to see a bunch of birds in the middle of nowhere America? 5 years ago I would have said, "ya right." But Sandhill Cranes bring a sense of nostalgia to us. It's as though we are connected to Fairbanks, Alaska in a very unique way.  When we lived in Fairbanks, our apartment complex was right in front of a migratory waterfowl refuge  and each year, thousands of Sandhill Cranes would come each summer. We learned during one of our trips to the crane festival that the birds stop on the Platte River in Nebraska on their journey north from Mexico/Texas. We thought, "hey, we should see them on the Platte in March if we ever live in the Midwest!"  And so this bird-watching trip was written on our bucket list and this year we headed north to see the migration. I think we were the youngest family among all the natu...