Spring break in the south!

On the road again...

What do you do when it's Spring Break and you're sick of snow? Drive 12 hours to Mississippi! Jesse and I decided that we should visit my aunt and uncle on the gulf coast for our week off of school. Neither one of us have been to any of the four states that it took to get to their house so we thought it would be an adventure... and it WAS!
We've traveled with our dog before, but this was the first time we've gone on a road trip with Rosalee. We thought she'd cry and be upset but she was the opposite! We slept for most of the trip and I'd wake her up when we stopped for gas to feed her. When she'd eat Trouble would go to the bathroom and Jesse would pump the gas, so the timing worked out perfectly. Plus driving allowed us to go at our own pace and see parts of the country we've never seen before. We didn't want to push it so we stopped about halfway in Northern Alabama (near Huntsville) on our way to and from Mississippi. Here are some pictures from the drive down...

After 7 hours of driving we were looking for excuses to stop! The drive was very nice and a lot prettier than we thought it was going to be.

This is how Rosalee slept at the hotel. We had a King size bed (which is bigger than the bed we have) so she was able to sleep, in her boppy, between us. The second picture is known as the blackmail picture. It's the kind of picture you would bring out when your child starts dating, gets engaged, etc. :) Jesse was changing her VERY full diaper when she started to go AGAIN. The picture is what was left after Jesse scrubbed the blanket for a few minutes. I guess when you got to go, you got to go!

As soon as we hit Mississippi we had sun and warmth. It was the warmest weather that Rosalee has ever been in! We stopped for gas in the middle of a swamp along I-59 and I decided to take a picture of my family.

Our home away from home

Currently my aunt and uncle are living in a 5th wheel until they can get their house built. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. The first picture is the outside view and then the next one is my uncle's parent's house. The 5th wheel is currently parked in the driveway of my uncle's parent's house. The last three are some shots of the inside. The first is of one half of the living room, the second is looking out of the living room into the dining room/kitchen up to the bathroom and bedroom, and the third is the other half of the living room.

Appropriately named Waveland

My aunt and uncle bought a house in Waveland, Mississippi within minutes of the beach. Eight days later one of the worst hurricanes ever destroyed the gulf coast. Here's what's left of my aunt and uncle's house after Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane made landfall within 2 miles of their house so not much was left after the storm. We did find a lawnmower, some random power tools wrapped up in the carpet, and the toilet cracked in half.

The backyard looking out to the canal.

These were taken on a pier near my aunt and uncle's house in Waveland. It was VERY windy that day! I think I look a lot like my aunt in the above picture.

This is the bank in town. All that is left of it is the vault door and most of the vault walls. This bank was under 30' of salt water after being hit by 200+ mile per hour winds.

Da 'Gator farm!!

That sign freaked me out! We had to walk on rickety bridges over the swampy water and then worry that some crazy alligator would jump up and nip us in the bum! The owner of the farm took out a baby alligator and Jesse was the only one brave enough to touch it. Even Rosalee pulled her arm back when Jesse tried to get her to touch the alligator.

Here's one of the many 'gators and one of my aunt, Jesse, and Rosalee looking for alligators out in the swamp.

My aunt didn't think Rosalee would want to go on the air boat trip with us so she held her while we took the trip through the swamp. In the above picture I think Rosalee and my aunt Billie look very similar. Next to that photo is one of the air boat we took through the swamp.

Classy!

The one on the left has a crane in it and the one on the right didn't need a zoom... YIKES!

Some 'gators in a pen that are raised for meat. The other one just makes me laugh. :)

MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF THE DAY!!!! Jesse and I thought it would be appropriate to dress Rosalee in camo since we were going to a 'gator farm. Nothing says redneck like a good camo dress for your baby. I thought it might be funny to have Rosalee laughing in front of the baby cage. We didn't realize that she would try to impersonate the baby 'gators!! She was laughing and growling for the picture.

Making the best of things

We drove along Highway 90 from Gulfport to the 'gator farm and back. On one side we had the beautiful gulf coast and the other side we had old growth oak trees. Most of the trees have been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina but instead of tearing them down, they've decided to make them into works of art. Below are a few of the statues that we found on our drive. All of the statues have been created into animals that are locally found in the gulf coast area.

The beach!
My aunt and uncle live about 2 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. We went to one shop that seemed to have EVERYTHING you could need while at the beach. (The store even had puppets!) Trouble had a wonderful time running on the beach. At first she was frightened by the waves. We think that she thought they were trying to attack her. Eventually she got into the waves and then we couldn't get her out of the water!

Rosalee had her first dip in salt water. Jesse dipped her feet in so I could take a picture. Right after I took this photo a wave came and slapped her on the butt! Her onesie and diaper were soaked!! It was the first time that her diaper was soaked from the outside in.

This is our sad attempt at a family photo. You know it's bad when the DOG is the best focused one in the picture!

You eat what!??!!?

Attack of the Mississippi mudbugs!

Looks like chicken, tastes kind of like chicken, but came from a 'gator!

CRAWFISH!

How to eat a crawfish:

1. Pinch the head and the tail and pull the two apart.

2. Squeeze the tail and loosen the meat.

3. Suck the meat out of the tail.

4. Enjoy!

Yes, I was able to eat all 3 pounds of crawfish by myself. Y'all bes' believe!

NEW ORLEANS!!

Rosalee slept for most of the time in New Orleans but she was pretty active on the ride home. She had a GREAT time playing with the balloon dog. We also thought it was funny to see her snuggling a voodoo doll and smiling about it.

Some fun family shots...

The first is my Aunt Billie meeting Rosalee, the second is my Uncle Tom with Rosalee, and the third is Rosalee sleeping in my aunt's arms.

1. My uncle bought us some Mardi Gras masks in New Orleans and we wanted to take a silly picture.
2. Rosalee the Harley baby!!
3. Our family photo
4. My uncle's parents Sue and Ray
5. Us with Sue and Ray