Vacation plans

Every summer since I was a baby, my parents and I have gone to the Alabama/Florida coast for a week for vacation. More specifically we have gone to the Gulf Shores/Fort Morgan area which is in Alabama right near the Alabama/Florida border. We used to stay in different condos but as I've gotten older we've started renting houses and bringing our dog Ollie with us.

However, this summer may entail a slight change in plans. Since I have 2 weeks break in the summer my parents planned our week vacation to be the first week of my break which is mid June. But, unfortunately, the horrible oil spill near Louisiana has created an obstacle in our beach plans.  Our week at the beach is set for about a month away and status in the gulf is still so vague and unknown.  Because Fort Morgan is in a pretty bad location in regards to the spill, my mom has decided to move our destination 200 miles further east from Ft. Morgan.

Soooo, this year we are going to a different place than the place we have been going for about the last 20 summers of my life! Should be an interesting change. I'm completely heartsick over all of the potential damage and ramifications that could be caused by this spill. That area of the country has always been so important to me since i've been going there for so long. I'm crossing my fingers that some kind of solution is discovered soon. I don't want to see all of those gorgeous beaches ruined.

Anyways, instead of Fort Morgan we are now going to St. Joe Beach, Florida. It is a couple hours further drive for my parents coming from Texas, but the house we got is directly on the water and looks gorgeous:

First week of my break I'll be flying down to meet my parents in Pensacola and then driving the rest of the way to the house with them. I'll be there the entire week and then back to Atlanta for a few days.

July 1 I will be heading to NYC! A friend of mine from back when I worked at Camp Olympia, Emily, is going with me to NYC to visit one of our other camp friends who is living and going to grad school in the city. We are spending 4 nights with her including July 4th so I am pretty excited. I haven't been to NYC since I was in college and back then when I went it was super cold so I can't wait to be there during the summer season.