It never truly feels like summer vacation in our family until our favorite week arrives -- our family trip to Gulf Shores! It's our annual "family reunion" of sorts where we take a road trip to Orange Beach, Alabama (in the area of Gulf Shores) to spend a week with my parents, my siblings, and all of our kiddos. We look forward to this trip year after year and it never disappoints.
The only downside to this year's Gulf Shores road trip was the potential threat of Tropical Storm Cindy. We ended up driving straight into the storm and the rain was crazy at times. I don't handle that situation very well, and so I was beyond thankful when we made it all the way to Mobile, Alabama for the night. And we were soon joined by some of the other cousins who opted to wait out the storm as well.
The next morning, the weather was decent enough to allow us to continue our drive to Orange Beach. We were so happy to be there, even though the uncertainty of the weather was still a challenge. The weather was stormy and the beaches were closed for the first day or two due to the danger from the tropical storm, but that didn't stop our Morgan crew from enjoying our much anticipated summer vacation.
One of the ways we kept ourselves busy during the stormy weather was a new pastime, the Morgan talent show. The cousins worked long and hard on their talents and the outcome was quite entertaining. Lots of laughs and, of course, "talents" from the cousin crew. Kaitlynn ended up taking 1st place for her tumbling performance, Michelle and Chris took 2nd for their swing dancing, and Preslee took 3rd for her dance routine. So much fun!
After a day or two of rain and clouds, the weather cleared up and we were back to our usual fun in the sun at our beloved Caribe resort in Orange Beach. We just love this location so much. There is never a shortage of activities for our big crew. Multiple pools, lazy river, waterslides, beach/ocean, mini-golf, 18-hole golf, fishing, crab hunting, you name it!
This year's beach trip introduced a new activity thanks to Uncle Ben (my baby brother). The Perch became everyone's favorite spot for morning coffee, after-dinner lounging, and pretty much any other time of the day as well. The Perch was one of our favorite pastimes of the week.
Of course, our favorite activity of the week is just the together-time with family. It's the one time each year that is guaranteed fun and bonding with our favorite people.
Of course, no family beach trip would be complete without a sunset photo session. We (the Courtrights) didn't really have our act together with a color scheme but we love documenting our family time with these photos each summer.
Sadly, our week in Gulf Shores came to an end before we were ready. But it's always fun to cap off our family vacation week with a group lunch at Lambert's Café. We just never get tired of catching the rolls!
As most of our group loaded up to head home, the Courtrights had other plans. Our 3-week summer vacation was still in full swing. Next stop, Florida!
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