right back to where we started from...

Mom and Dad eagerly await our arrival...seventh floor

HIIIIIIIIIII

swimming the first night...so relaxing.

yikes.

4/5 of my guys

Mom, you look so happy here. 

hello beatnik

Molly pouted A LOT on this trip. I'm quite over it.

this was the section of the balcony outside of our rooms. so. nice. I miss it already. I wanna hear the waves crashing onto the shore.

Yes, the deco in the condo was from the 90's...but it was so beachy and cool. You can see E and Pa talking out on the balcony behind Will, who was vacuuming.

could look at this view forever. both of them...God's creation and my son, sitting at his grandfather's feet, talking/listening. Love this.

More where these came from

So the vaca is over. All good things must come to an end...bummer.
Didn't want to leave and probably could've stayed longer but knowing that mail was piling up at home, classes needed to be attended, appointments needed to be kept just kinda hung over the head and put a damper on lengthening our time.

We had SUCH A GOOD TIME. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making this available for us. Incredible. WOW! As we loaded up this morning, said our goodbyes, tears were shed...by all of us. Every night, we'd walk on the beach. not just your sissy walk either....we covered some distance. (ask David about his jellyfish adventure) I'm so bummed not to be down at the pool, relaxing in the hot tub with everyone, knowing we'd go up and lay on the bed, read, listen to waves, eat a little dessert (my body is thanking me for THIS event becoming less frequent)...

such a good time.

nice to be home but nice to recall our time down south with the parentals. awesome time. relaxation that I don't think we've really enjoyed our whole 18 years of marriage...David actually honestly really relaxed. wow.

ok...so. today is the last day of January. can you believe our first month of 2012 is over?

As Jamie pointed out, so eloquently, February does NOT have a 30th...and she also pointed out that if it did? it'd have fallen on a Thursday. I don't think I've had a 30th Thursday yet...So I'm kinda looking forward to February...though Beck and her fam will be down south for some of it, as will my big bro and possibly one of my kids at month's end.

anyways...I'm going to bed...wanted to give y'all a little morsel of vacation goodness to whet your appetites...and come back for more.

hugs and all that stuff.

good night Indiana.
good night Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Mommy and Daddy, my bedroom with the sliding door cracked open so I could fall peacefully asleep to the sound of God's powerful waves...a nice distraction from my usual bedtime thoughts.
good night friends and loved ones, friends that are loved ones, people that stalk and never say anything.  good night to you too.

here are a few for the road...



 for some odd reason, maybe it's the ocean breeze, all of the pix that I sat here and tried to upload are NOT HERE! Dad, sorry about that....when you get home with your computer, I will get on and blog the pics of your church and such. In the meantime, I will blog my pix when I get home tomorrow or Wednesday...until then, arrividerci...


an interesting angle at Fort Morgan....




 

another Ft. Morgan pic...a barge in the Bay waiting for clearance to go somewhere else.



The regal USS Alabama

I'm guessing this is the entrance to the Museum but I wasn't there so I don't know for sure...



inside the stinky bunk area of the USS Alabama...



David and Levi...

I'm trying really hard to get some pix on here before we head back home in the early morning of Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012.

Today just happens to be the seventh month since Jack left...seven. months. He'd be sooo fun right now. He'd be crawling for sure. We'd have childproofed our staircase by now...he'd probably have some teeth. This trip to AL would have been completely different if he was here...but I would've been ok with that. I wish he was here with us, as you all know. I will always feel like someone is missing. Kids, if you read this,please know that it doesn't make me love any of the 5Alive any less...I just know that a part of us is not here. you know I love you all very much. Jack will always be the golden boy...we will always wonder how our family would've been if he'd been born alive.

I will keep trying to get some pix on here till I have to finish packing and fall into bed, to listen to the sound of the waves for ONE LAST NIGHT...boo hoo. I'm glad to get back to my cozy home but this has truly been one of the best vacations of my life...perfect, relaxing, fun, humbling, incredible and a gift, from my parents....THANK YOU! so very much. We had a blast...

Love to you all...see some of you very soon.

Pictures for ya!

7 UP

Are we there yet? are we there yet?

I'm just pretty sure that I could never tire of this power, beauty and display of God's creation

a different perspective of beach life.

clam shell parking lot at King Neptune's diner

there is plenty more where these came from but alas, I've stolen these pix from my FB and downloaded them to my phone. The rest of the Fort Morgan grandeur and history will have to wait till I return home.

Go karting is fun in any state. though we were the only people here, so that was kinda creepy.

You'll be in my heart forever.

plum tuckered. she plays hard all day long.

Grams retaught Levi not to be afraid of the water....it's almost kinda like riding a bike. sorta.

lotsa jellyfish...and no, we don't eat their goo here...

Lu Lu's over priced but very cool and Jimmy Buffet-y atmosphere...lotsa alcohol and overpriced everything.

my camera on my phone does take an occasional amazing picture. THIS is one of them. reflection of clouds and such in the surf. wow. how can one deny God in this locale?

Molly runs the entire time she's on the beach. David kinda does too.

Hey, I found some pics for you. I'm blogging on a PC, which is also not like riding a bike. I've had to reteach myself how to do this. My dad, blog follower #1, has informed me that I need to blog a little bit every day...so it's on...the challenge, I'll take it.

so, on that note, I will be back, tomorrow...and hope that those of you in the frozen tundra are enjoying small bits of JOY in your day. I'm going to put my flip flops on and go to the store with my momma. After the storm lets up...I so wish you could see what I see right now...crashing waves, water that goes on forever, and mist in the air. I just love the beach...I'm gonna be a beach bum.

Still here...and a 30th Thursday to boot.

Ok, I'm trying to finagle a way to get some pix on my blog..but we don't have wi-fi access for the computer at the condo, except on my parent's computer...and of course, they don't have my pics on it.

soooo, just wanted to say HI to my awesome blog friends and to let you know that I'm working on getting some pix on here...we are having such a good time...today, we are just lazing around and we've been down to the beach, swam in the pool, Bible time, lunch....good times.

Today is Jack's 30th Thursday with Jesus. I'm sure we don't even care about Thursdays in heaven but down here, we do. So I took a walk on the beach for my boy today, with my older boys...who just happened to take off and run 2.5-3 miles down the beach to a private pier. I realized that it was my first time to have ANY time by myself. Of course, I enjoyed some sunshine (which is gone now, since we just had a rippin' coastal storm) and all of the incredible waves, and talk cried to the Lord about how I'm ok but I'm just sad that Jack isn't here with us. Not for him, naturally, but for us. How different this vacation would have been if he'd been here with us. I'd have more of an excuse to take naps...Molly's outgrown them but man, if she doesn't still "need" them (grumpy, moody little punk :D)

bittersweet for sure.

I really think I could be a snowbird. I don't want to leave my midwestern home, too many memories and good people around there that I love...but just for a change of scenery and pace, I'd come down for a month or two.

I love the Gulf...I love all the waves, and how the sun shines thru the clouds...how old men set up fishing poles and sit for hours, just fishing. I love that you can walk for ever down on the beach and it just never ever gets old.

I also love this condo and the fact that my parents have made it available for us. Thank you, Mom and Dad....you have been so patient and accomodating to our big brood. I love you guys...this has been memorable and I'm reminded of just how cool my parents really are...

I also love the full length mirrors in each and every room...reminding me that, yes, I'm a mom, so I'll never be a rail thin person (not that I ever was) but I can see the areas that I need to work on, which, in turn, makes me so thankful for my hubby, who is dedicated to my health and will do whatever he needs to do help me achieve weight loss. Thanks David. Thanks for being such a good vacation taker....so many things to be grateful for.

I love my kids...I love the big 3, that are so helpful and loving of Levi and Molly....the ride down was, as excpected, slightly unnerving in some spots for the sheer fact that we are traveling with a four year old and nine year old...and Ethan, Will and Mel were simply amazing. Thanks Guys...you're all gifts. (of course, right now, as I blog, Molly and Levi are driving me batty, not gonna lie...bickering, whining, bugging for things that I've already told them they couldn't have...blah!!)

All righty then..I'd best go so I can figure out how to transfer some pix. But really, I think I will have to wait till we get home to put my official pix on here. Until later, LY

these are my babies. thank you, Lord.

Sept 1996. Ethan was a cherub. This is how I imagine Jack would be..maybe not as roly poly.

I love my Mummy. I'm still not sure what happened to this shirt.

funny kid.

Mel and Levi...she's all Princess Leia'd up for the opening night of Episode III

the gnawing I referred to in the previous post.  and funny, because it's exactly four years ago today that this was taken. awww. I'm all verklempt.

who, me?

A classic Melanie

Valentine's boy...

Mugsy Levi

My baby messing with Becky's baby. Molly had the seven week advantage for sure. Sorry Nora Bean.

sweet Jack. 

this is one pic of Jack that I can look at for longer than 10 seconds. maybe 20.

the depth of my sadness can't be contained. but my Lord knows the way thru the wilderness...

check out that pointer finger...this boy had some amazing fine motor skills.....and maybe slight OCD.

sweet Mel

my little Muppet, Levi

never was there a happier firstborn boy of a Greenhill or a Young. 

Oh those eyeballs.

see what I mean about Jack having a constantly open mouth? all of my kids just breathe in life...so I  know he would have too.  seeing these makes me miss him even more than I already do. incomprehensible.

There ya have it....I had to post a few of my favorite pix of each kid. Of course, there are so many more where these came from...I have been given so many gifts. I cherish them...even the sad, gut wrenching ones...

I don't know God's plans at the moment, but I don't have to. Happy Friday.