Gulf Shores: All the Rest

To say life is crazy right now is an understatement. I started a new job yesterday...more on that later, we are installing our hardwood floors on Thursday (in the whole house which is PAIN when you are living in your house), ordering furniture, refinishing a new door and hanging it, trying to sell furniture, removing nasty old floor....it goes on and on. I'll post on all of these things soon though. I know you are on the edge of your seat. ;)



Okay, so a week later I'm finishing up my Gulf Shores posts. I am going to put all of the rest into one post to make sure I get them all posted. It's been way too long to drag it out some more.

On the 2nd or 3rd day (depending on how you look at it...everyone else was there a day before us) John and Whitney got up early to go crabbing on the beach. The previous days they had seen TONS of blue crabs close to the shore. They came back to the house with about 20-30 crabs.


They were this gorgeous turquoise blue color with orange spots and claws.








The crab hunters.


These with the orange pockets were preggers. After googling what these orange pouches were we learned that it was illegal to keep them so we tossed them back.


Here they are all crawling around on the deck.


Mark just woke up and was really thinking, really this is breakfast?


during the whole crab shebang there was a storm happening. We looked out over on the bay and there was a major water spout! Whitney (who dreamed of becoming a storm chaser when she grew up) called it a tornado.


Back to the crabs...we had to rinse them before cooking them.






I think this was the one they named "Barnacle Bill."




Fresh blue crab. They were excited.




The first one Mark cracked open squirt, umm...intestinal juices all over him. Needless to say, he was done. This was taken moments before the squirt.






Of course there was clarified butter.


Convinced it will taste good. Unfortunately, after trying several different crabs they were gross. I never tried them myself, but Whitney and John wanted them to be good so badly. They were not.


Before dinner that night.




A little pre-dinner singing.



Mark...aka Jason Mraz.






The next morning we enjoyed our coffee while watching the dolphins. There were SO many of them each morning.






This is Whitney doing the Monica. Remember the flashback episode when she cuts Chandler's toe off? hahaha! Love my sister!!


Catching stuff. They guys loved doing this.




Classic beach toe picture.




They caught a jelly fish


and several hermit crabs. We should have sold them.


A BP clean up crew.

They were here that day to clean up these.....


















This day we skipped the pool and beach for some lunch out and a little shopping.




While shopping Mark found this super cute little green frog.


A BP clean up site just down the street from our house...




Roasting s'mores one night.












Last day in Gulf Shores...







Last night out at dinner (this was also our anniversary!)







This is the main back deck.



The Beach Mouse...

our private pool!






I absolutely loved the shingles on the side of the house!


the kitchen where we spent so much of our time. My mom, sister and I love cooking when we are all together.







the living room



One of the bedrooms


One of the bathrooms. All of the bathrooms had a different finish on the cabinets. I loved them!






This is the master bathroom




And then this is the deck off of the master bedroom...loved this one!



And that was our trip. It was such an amazing and relaxing week and I cannot wait to go back!