We drove all the way from Michigan to Gulf Shores, Alabama, with a pretty simple goal in mind… get out of the cold, find some sunshine, and spend a week at the beach.
After months of gray skies, freezing temperatures, and everything that comes with a Midwest winter, spring break felt like a reset button. We weren’t chasing anything crazy. No packed itinerary. No strict plans. Just warmer weather, time together as a family, and maybe a little bit of doing absolutely nothing.
But like most trips, it didn’t play out exactly how we imagined.
There were beach days… the kind where you sit in a chair for hours, listen to the waves, and lose track of time. There were also moments that caught us completely off guard… like driving nearly an hour to play a disc golf course only to get turned away at a military base, or watching Ethan collect what felt like an endless supply of starfish along the shoreline.
Some days were simple. Some were frustrating. Some ended up being better than we expected for reasons we didn’t see coming.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it… between the beach, the disc golf, the random conversations, and the quiet moments on the balcony… this trip turned into something more than just a getaway from Michigan.
It became a week we didn’t really want to end.
Easter Sunday in Gulf Shores Didn’t Feel Like Easter
After two long days on the road getting down to Gulf Shores, Easter Sunday was our first full day of the trip… and it didn’t feel like Easter at all.
There was no rushing around in the morning, no getting dressed up for church, no big family gathering. Instead, everyone slept in, moved at their own pace, and eased into the day like we had nowhere to be… because we didn’t.
It was different than what we were used to… but in a strange way, it felt exactly like what we needed to start the week.
A Different Kind of Easter Morning
Sunday morning, April 5th, 2026, didn’t feel like a typical Easter Sunday morning. Everybody slept in until whenever they wanted. Our kids are older now. Ethan is 18, almost 19. Eli is 15, almost 16. Elena is 13. We don’t exactly have to hide Easter eggs anymore.
Susie still likes to spoil the kids with Easter gifts, though. This year, the Easter baskets were more like gift bags, each filled with a few small things for each of us… including me.
She hid the gift bags throughout the condo and made each of us find our own. Susie always jokingly refers to me as her fourth kid, and sometimes I get to lean into that a little bit and just enjoy it.
My bag was filled with candy, a large jar of Starburst jelly beans, which are my favorite kind of jelly bean, and four different varieties of M&M’s, including one of my favorites – Caramel M&M’s! Everybody knows M&M’s is my favorite candy. I’m never without them… and now I had a full lineup to enjoy throughout the week.
Rainy Beach Day (But Not for Michiganders)
The weather wasn’t ideal. We knew going in that Sunday was supposed to be rainy and cooler, and the forecast didn’t miss. From our seventh-floor balcony, we could see people out on the beach, walking along the shoreline, and even swimming in the Gulf of America despite the rain and temperatures in the high 60’s.
I remember thinking… this is absolutely beach weather for us Michiganders.
After months of cold, gray weather back home, this felt more than good enough.
Balcony Time, Books, and Slowing Down
Much of the day was spent just hanging out around the condo and out on the balcony. One of the best parts about our setup was that the balcony was covered, so even with the rain coming and going throughout the day, everything stayed mostly dry.
The Polywood balcony furniture was comfortable, the temperature was perfect, and the sound of the waves in the background made it easy to just sit and relax.
I spent a good chunk of time on my Chromebook working on blog stuff and writing. And when I say working… it’s not really work. This kind of thing is something I enjoy doing. It’s something I want to do, not something I have to do.
I also spent time reading my book, Advantage Players by Michael Kaplan. Having the time to just sit, read, and not feel rushed was something I hadn’t realized I needed as much as I did.
First Steps on the Beach
At some point late in the morning, after Susie and Elena left to go grocery shopping at Walmart, Ethan and I headed down to the beach with a couple of his disc golf catch discs.
These aren’t your typical beach Frisbees. Between the two of us, we can play catch from 200 to 300 feet apart, which is pretty fun when most people nearby are tossing a Frisbee back and forth from maybe 40 or 50 feet.
Yeah… we felt pretty cool.
After tossing for a while, we walked along the shoreline and put our feet in the water. The first thing I noticed was how warm the Gulf felt. Even in early April, it was warmer than Lake Michigan ever gets in the middle of summer back home.
That definitely caught me off guard.
Groceries, Home Cooking, and Easter Dinner
Susie and Elena came back from Walmart with over $300 worth of groceries for the week. The plan from the start was to eat most of our meals in the condo to save some money, and honestly, it’s a nice change of pace.
We eat out a lot during the year with all the travel for sports, so having home-cooked meals while on vacation was something we were actually looking forward to.
That fully stocked kitchen in the condo made it easy.
For Easter dinner, Susie made a pot roast. She brought the meat from home and picked up potatoes, vegetables, and biscuits to go with it. It was a simple meal, but it felt right for the day.
A Quiet End to the First Day
That evening, Susie and I walked next door to visit some neighbors from back home. There was a small group of adults gathered, all from our hometown and school district. We had a drink, talked for a bit, and then eventually made our way back to our condo.
I watched the end of the Houston Rockets versus Golden State Warriors game with Eli before heading to bed.
It wasn’t a picture-perfect beach day, at least not weather-wise. But it was a great first day of rest and relaxation.
And based on the forecast for the rest of the week… we knew the best beach days were still ahead.
Monday Was for Disc Golf and First Real Exploring
After a slow and relaxing start on Easter Sunday, Monday felt like the first day where we were actually getting out and exploring a little bit. The weather still wasn’t perfect for a full beach day, but it was good enough to get out and do something… and for us, that meant disc golf.
It also turned into one of those days where nothing really went exactly as expected… but by the end of it, we had a few moments that we’ll probably remember more than anything we had actually planned.
A Slow Start and Coffee on the Balcony
The morning started the same way most of our mornings would start throughout the week… coffee on the balcony overlooking the Gulf of America.
Ethan was already out there when I woke up, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. I joined him with my Chromebook, and we just sat there for a while, taking it all in.
That balcony setup was hard to beat. Being able to sit there, drink coffee, do a little writing, and look out over the water… that’s the kind of thing I could get used to.
And again… I say “writing” or “working,” but it doesn’t feel like work. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy doing. It’s part of the vacation for me, not something taking away from it.
Heading to Graham Creek
Ethan and I had plans to check out some local disc golf courses, and with cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 60’s, it felt like a perfect day to go play.
Eli decided to sit this one out, so it was just Ethan and me making the short 25-minute drive over to Graham Creek. We had seen that there were multiple courses in the same area, which made it an easy choice.
We didn’t know exactly what to expect… but we were excited to check out something new.
The Prairie Course (A Strong Start)
The first course we played was called Graham Creek – The Prairie, and right away, we both liked it.
It was mostly open, with scattered trees on most holes, but plenty of space to pick a line and actually throw the shot you wanted. It felt fair. Challenging, but fair.
Ethan and I went back and forth the whole round. I ended up shooting a respectable -3, while Ethan edged me out with a -4. Not bad for playing a brand new course blind.
That said… we both knew we left a few strokes out there. I had some pretty rough putting moments, and Ethan had a couple of bogeys he wasn’t happy about either.
Still, it was a great start, and we both agreed that if we came back to play any course twice during the week, this one would be near the top of the list.
“Beware of Dangerous Wildlife”
Near the end of The Prairie course, we spotted another course nearby and decided to move the car over to check it out.
As we made our way toward the first tee, we had to walk past a sign that read… “Beware of dangerous wildlife.”
Being from Michigan, that’s not exactly something we’re used to seeing on a disc golf course.
We looked at each other and immediately started wondering… are there alligators out here?
Ethan pulled out his phone and Googled it, and sure enough, alligators are present in Alabama. Now, we didn’t know if they were actually in that specific park or not… but the sign didn’t exactly make us feel better about it.
Pitcher Plant Plantation (Not So Fun)
The second course was called Graham Creek – Pitcher Plant Plantation, and it was completely different from the first one.
It felt like someone had taken a brush hog and carved a narrow path through a thick wall of plants, bushes, and trees. The fairways were tight, and the rough on both sides was tall, thick, and full of prickers.
The first five holes were all very similar… narrow, unforgiving, and not all that fun.
It did open up a little bit after that, with more traditional wooded holes and less of the thick, punishing rough. It became a bit more playable, but it still didn’t compare to The Prairie.
We stuck it out and finished the round anyway. This time, I came out on top, shooting a +6 while Ethan struggled to a +10 and was pretty annoyed with how he played.
First Day Takeaway
Even with the mixed experience between the two courses, it was a solid first day of disc golf in Alabama.
The courses weren’t crowded at all, which was nice. We only had to let one local guy play through us the entire time, and we were able to move at our own pace.
By the time we finished both rounds, we had played a lot of golf in a short amount of time, and we were ready to head back to the condo and relax for the evening.
Beach Walk and Starfish Discovery
After dinner, the plan was simple… head down to the beach and take a walk.
A friend of ours who was also in Gulf Shores that week had mentioned that he likes to look for scallop shells along the shoreline. Up until that point, I didn’t even know what a scallop shell looked like… but now I was on a mission to find one.
Susie had already gone for a walk earlier in the day and found a few, so we decided to head in the opposite direction and see what we could find.
Elena was the first to score, finding a really nice scallop shell with a dark red and pink tint. That was a win.
And then… Ethan spotted something in the water just a few feet from shore.
A starfish.
At first, we weren’t even sure what to do. Ethan grabbed a small plastic shovel that I had picked up on the beach and asked for it. I told him to just grab it… but he wasn’t sure if it could bite or do anything.
Eventually, he went for it and picked it up with his bare hands.
We were all pretty excited. It felt like a rare find.
Then we saw another one.
And another.
And another.
Before long, Ethan was walking down the beach collecting starfish like they were seashells. Some were right on the shore, partially buried in the sand. Others were just a few feet into the water, easy enough to reach.
By the time we headed back up to the condo, Ethan had collected around ten of them.
We laid them out on a cookie tray in the room, and it was only then that Ethan decided to Google whether or not we probably should have been pulling them out of the ocean.
Maybe not our best decision… but at the time, it felt like the right move.
Michigan Wins the National Championship
The night wrapped up with something we had been looking forward to all day… the Michigan versus UConn national championship game.
The game tipped off around 8 pm local time, and from the start, Michigan looked like the better team. They controlled most of the game, even though UConn kept fighting and never really went away.
It never quite felt like Michigan was in danger of losing, though. They stayed in control, closed it out, and won their first national championship since 1989.
I was in seventh grade the last time they won it all, and I still remember that game. It was one of those moments that stuck with me and helped cement me as a lifelong Michigan fan.
To see them finally win it again, all these years later, was pretty special.
What made it even better was how they did it. No one superstar. Just a deep roster, great coaching, and a group of players who didn’t care about individual stats… only winning.
And it showed.
We went to bed that night knowing we had a full week ahead of us… and feeling like the trip was just starting to hit its stride.
Tuesday Finally Delivered the Beach Day We Came For
Up until this point, the trip had been good… but Tuesday felt like the day we had really been waiting for. The weather finally lined up, the sun was out, and it was time to fully lean into the reason we drove all the way down to Gulf Shores in the first place.
After months of winter in Michigan, this was the kind of day that reminds you why spring break exists.
The First True Beach Day
It finally arrived… the day we traveled so far south for.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the cooler temps back home. But after several months of harsh winter, there’s something about getting that first real dose of sun that just hits different.
I had one goal in mind… fix the farmer’s tan and get rid of the perma-socks on my pale white ankles that hadn’t seen sunlight since last summer.
Splitting Up: Beach vs Go-Karts
Not everyone in our family is wired the same when it comes to the beach.
Ethan and Eli aren’t exactly beach bums. They had their sights set on something a little more action-packed… a place called The Track, which has go-karts, mini golf, and an arcade.
So we split up.
The boys headed off to do their thing, while Susie, Elena, and I made our way down to the beach.
The Beach Setup (Worth It)
One of the underrated perks of the condo we rented was the beach setup that came with it.
Every day, the beach attendant would set up two chairs and an umbrella for us… and tear it down at the end of the day. From what we heard, it usually costs around $150 for four days, but ours was included with the condo.
Even better… we had a reserved spot. Same place every day.
On this particular day, we got down there a little after noon and didn’t head back up until around 6:30 in the evening.
That’s a long time to just sit on the beach… and it was exactly what we needed.
Hours of Doing Nothing (In a Good Way)
There wasn’t anything complicated about the day.
We sat. We relaxed. We took short naps in the sun. We went for a few walks along the shoreline. We listened to music on our Bose speaker. I spent some time reading.
There were stretches of time where we didn’t really do anything at all… and those ended up being some of the best parts of the day.
Sometimes that’s the whole point of a trip like this.
The Only Annoyance: Competing Speakers
Not everything was perfect, though. The group set up directly in front of us had their speaker going pretty loud, pointed right in our direction. Not ideal, but manageable.
Then another couple set up in front of them… with an even bigger speaker, blasting bass, also pointed directly at us. Now we had two completely different types of music playing at the same time, both aimed right at our chairs.
We were trying to be respectful with our speaker, keeping it low enough that only we could hear it up close. At that point, we just turned it off and dealt with it.
One speaker is fine. Two at the same time… not so much.
Simple Dinner and a Quiet Night
We headed back up to the condo in the evening and kept things simple for dinner. We had cheesy broccoli soup that we brought from home… a specialty from The Onion Crock, where Ethan works. It hit the spot.
After dinner, the whole family went down for a sunset walk along the beach. Susie was hoping to find some starfish like Ethan had the night before, but we got started a little too late.
By the time we were out there, it was already getting dark, and we didn’t have flashlights with us. No starfish this time… but it was still a great walk.
We made our way back up, watched a little TV, and called it a night.
Nothing crazy. Nothing unexpected. Just a really solid beach day… exactly what we came for.
Wednesday Didn’t Go As Planned (But Ended Up Being One of the Best Days)
Wednesday started with a plan… and it didn’t take long for that plan to fall apart.
What was supposed to be a simple drive to check out a highly rated disc golf course turned into a complete turnaround, a little confusion, and one of those moments where you just kind of look at each other and think… well, now what?
But like a lot of things on this trip, what started off as a setback ended up turning into one of the more memorable days of the week.
The Plan: Blue Angel Park
The plan for the day was to head east, drive through Orange Beach, cross into Florida, and check out a course at Blue Angel Park near Pensacola.
It looked great online. Good reviews, cool layout, something different than what we had already played.
After taking our time in the morning… coffee, breakfast, and just kind of easing into the day… we hit the road. GPS said about 50 minutes, mostly because of heavier traffic with all the spring break crowds in the area.
Eli wanted more driving time, so he took the wheel, and we set off, looking forward to checking out a new course.
Are Those the Blue Angels?
About 20 minutes out from the park, we started seeing them.
Jets.
At first, we weren’t totally sure what we were looking at, but as we got closer, it became pretty clear… these had to be the Blue Angels.
They were flying in formation, climbing straight up into the sky, splitting off, looping back around, and then regrouping. And they were loud. Really loud.
Depending on where we were on the road, we’d lose sight of them behind trees, then they’d reappear again a few seconds later.
It was one of those things that’s probably pretty normal in that area… but for us, coming from Michigan, it was something you don’t see every day.
The Military Base Surprise
As we got closer to the park, we started to realize something felt a little different. We were entering what looked like a military base.
At first, we didn’t think much of it. Some bases are more open, almost like their own towns. But then we saw the gate… and the guard shack.
We pulled up, rolled down the window, and I asked if we needed to pay to get in. The lady looked at us and said… “I just need to see your military ID.”
I kind of laughed at first and said I didn’t have one. She followed up with… “I just need to see your spouse’s or a family member’s military ID.” We had none.
I tried explaining that we had just driven 45 minutes to play disc golf at the park, but it didn’t matter. She politely told us the park was only open to military personnel and their families.
And just like that… we were turned away.
We sat there for a second, kind of stunned. Then Ethan pulled up the course on UDisc and sure enough… buried in the “Before You Go” section… Military ID required. That’s not exactly something we usually check.
Pivoting Back to Graham Creek
So we turned around. We looked for other courses nearby, but there really wasn’t anything worth driving further east for. A few options had pretty rough ratings, and at that point, it didn’t feel worth it.
So we headed back west toward familiar territory… Graham Creek. At least we knew what we were getting there.
The Red Dirt Road (Welcome to Mars)
As we made our way to a different section of the park, we turned onto a dirt road. But not just any dirt road… a red dirt road. Like something straight out of a country song.
I snapped a picture and sent it to our family group text, telling Susie and Elena that we had officially made it to Mars. They were back at the beach, soaking up the sun… and we were out exploring another planet.
The Preserve (Designed by Eric McCabe)
The course we ended up playing was Graham Creek – The Preserve.
When I pulled it up on UDisc, I noticed something in the description… the course was designed by Eric McCabe, the 2010 PDGA World Champion. That got Ethan’s attention right away. And the course absolutely lived up to it.
It was a great mix of open and wooded holes, with thoughtful design, interesting layouts, and fair but challenging lines. The rough wasn’t overly punishing, and it was easy enough to find discs even on errant shots.
It was easily one of the best courses we played all week.
Eli’s First Round Back (And He Wins)
This was Eli’s first round of disc golf since last summer… and you wouldn’t have known it. After just a couple of holes, he was feeling it.
At one point, he even asked if I wanted to put money on the round. I shut that down pretty quickly. I’ve seen how that can go when things don’t go well, and I wasn’t about to let a bet ruin the day.
Good thing I didn’t… because Eli ended up beating me by four strokes. He shot a -1. I shot a +3. Ethan also shot a -1 from the long tees, which is very respectable.
Eli was pumped. First round back in nine months, and he shoots under par. Safe to say… he was back.
Meanwhile… The Girls Get Roasted
While we were out playing disc golf, Susie and Elena spent the entire day on the beach. And they paid for it.
Elena had never really experienced a sunburn before. She’s usually one of those people who just tans… but not this time. After a full day in the sun, especially this early in the year, it caught up to her. Susie wasn’t far behind.
They were both pretty red… but that wasn’t going to stop them from heading back out there again the next day.
The Track and Seafood Night
That evening, we all headed out together to The Track. We hit the main go-kart track, The Woody, which spirals up multiple levels before dropping back down. It’s one of those tracks that looks a little crazy from the outside… and it was just as fun as it looked.
After that, the kids spent some time in the arcade, trying their luck at claw machines and various games.
Then it was time for our one planned “eat out” meal of the trip. We had Susie put our name on the waitlist while we were still at The Track. By the time we got to De Soto’s Seafood Kitchen, we were second in line and seated within minutes. Perfect timing.
Everyone ordered some version of seafood… except Elena, who went with chicken tenders. Classic Elena.
I had a couple of Stella Artois beers with dinner. I don’t drink much anymore, and even a few beers can sometimes give me a headache these days… but everything went down smooth, and it just added to the experience.
We left full, relaxed, and ready to head back and call it a night. Not exactly how we planned the day… but it turned out pretty great anyway.
Thursday Was Frustrating… Until It Wasn’t
By Thursday, we were starting to settle into a rhythm for the week. The girls were fully committed to beach days, and us guys were still chasing disc golf. But after Wednesday, I could feel that internal tug a little more. The trip was starting to wind down, and I knew every hour mattered.
This ended up being one of those days where things didn’t go great for a while… until they suddenly did.
One More Course: Pecan Hollow
The plan for the day was to head back to Graham Creek and play the fourth and final course we hadn’t tried yet… Pecan Hollow. Based on everything we saw on UDisc, we knew going in that this would likely be the toughest course of the bunch. It was long, heavily wooded, and designed to challenge you on just about every shot.
We didn’t leave the condo until around 10:30 that morning, and I already had a feeling this round was going to take up most of the day. Part of me was thinking ahead… knowing that meant very little beach time left afterward.
A Long, Tough Round
Before heading to the course, we made a quick stop back at The Track to use up the remaining credits on our card. We ran a quick race on the Slick Track, had some fun with that, and then made our way over to Graham Creek.
Pecan Hollow turned out to be exactly what we expected… and maybe a little worse. Ethan liked it and said it felt like a true championship-level course. Eli didn’t mind it either, mostly because he was still playing really well. Me… I wasn’t having a great time.
Nothing was going right. Even when I threw what felt like a good shot, it would hit a tree and drop straight down or kick into the rough. It felt like every hole had something waiting to humble you. On top of that, the round dragged on for three hours and thirty-four minutes, which only added to the frustration.
Eli Stays Hot
While I was struggling, Eli just kept doing his thing. This was only his second round back after not playing for nine months, and he was playing like he hadn’t missed a beat. He stayed steady the entire round and ended up beating both Ethan and me again.
Eli shot a +1, Ethan came in at +6, and I limped in with a +16. And then came the moment of the day. On the par-5 18th hole, Eli stepped up and nailed a 134-foot throw-in for birdie. It was one of those shots where you just stop and watch it go, and when it hits, you almost can’t believe it.
Even with how frustrated I was with my own round, that was pretty cool to see.
The Lost E-Bike Mystery
There was also one of those random moments early in the round that you don’t expect.
We had just thrown our tee shots on hole one when an older lady on an electric bike rode up to us from a nearby dirt road and asked if we had seen her husband’s e-bike. We had just gotten there, so we had no idea what she was talking about.
She explained that he had gone into the woods looking for a geocache and somehow lost track of where he had left his bike. We exchanged phone numbers just in case we came across it, but a few holes later, they both rode up and told us they found it. Apparently, he had just forgotten where he left it. Those bikes looked like they cost a couple of thousand dollars each, so that could have gone a lot worse.
The Honest UDisc Review
At the end of every round, I log my scores in UDisc, and it gives you the option to rate the course and leave a review. I don’t usually write full reviews, but this time I felt like it was necessary.
Here’s exactly what I wrote:
“If you’re a pro, you might like this course. If not, you’ll hit trees on every single hole and get eaten up by pricker bushes while looking for discs in the rough. If you play the marked OB’s, it’s pretty much impossible to shoot par or under. Mando’s are marked on almost every hole, but no drop zones for if you miss the Mando. Zero signage and way finding would be very difficult without UDisc. Play this course with caution. I would recommend playing the much better Preserve course on the other side of the parking lot.”
That pretty much sums it up.
Back to the Beach (And “Happy Mom”)
After the round, we headed straight back to the condo, and I didn’t waste any time. I changed into my swimsuit, grabbed a quick sandwich, and made my way down to the beach to find Susie and Elena.
The night before, we had picked up a 12-pack of a local hard seltzer called Happy Dad. The version we got had “Dad” crossed out and replaced with “Mom,” like it was handwritten as part of their branding. By the time I got down there, Susie was fully embracing that “Happy Mom” version and was in full vacation mode.
I had one of those, then switched over to the Michelob Ultra Lime beers I had picked up earlier in the week. I wasn’t trying to keep up, but I figured I could at least join in a little.
Volleyball with Kentucky (Unexpected Highlight)
Not long after I got down there, Elena wanted to play volleyball, so we headed over to the net. Before long, another group asked if we wanted to play, and it turned out to be a family from Kentucky who was also there enjoying the beach for spring break.
Once Ethan and Eli made their way down and joined in, it turned into a full family matchup. We ended up playing six or seven games, and it was one of those perfect mixes of competitive and fun. The games were close, nobody really pulled away, and I think we each won about the same number.
It didn’t matter who won. It was just one of those moments that made the day.
A Quick Escape Upstairs
At some point during all of that, Susie had slipped back up to the condo to check on dinner, which was in the crockpot. What I didn’t realize at the time was that she had texted me saying she “needed help with dinner.”
When I saw the message… I knew exactly what she meant.
I managed to sneak away for a bit, telling the kids I’d be back to help carry stuff up from the beach. From the balcony, we could see all three of them still down there playing and hanging out, completely unaware.
In that moment, everything slowed down a bit. All week, we had been moving from one thing to the next, even on vacation. But this was different. It was just us, a quiet moment away from everything else, and it felt like something we both needed more than we probably realized.
It’s hard to explain without saying too much, but I’ll just say this… that moment ended up being my favorite part of the entire day. Honestly, it might have been the best part of the whole trip for me. Not because it was planned or anything elaborate, but because it was real… and it reminded me that the best parts of a trip aren’t always the things you plan.
Ending the Night
Dinner that night was homemade French dip sandwiches with au jus. After eating, a few of us headed out to check out some of the nearby souvenir and t-shirt shops, hoping to find something worth bringing home.
We went to five different places and didn’t buy a single thing. All of the shops had pretty much the same stuff, and while it looks good in the moment, it’s the kind of thing you know you won’t actually wear once you get back home.
So we headed back to the condo, relaxed for a bit, and eventually called it a night. It wasn’t the best day of disc golf, but it still turned into a really good day overall.
Friday Was About Soaking It All In Before It Ended
By Friday, there was no denying it… the trip was coming to an end. We still had one full day left, but everyone could feel it. Nobody wanted to leave, and we were already joking about what it would take to stay another week and just skip school and work altogether. Of course, that wasn’t happening, but it was fun to think about for a minute. So instead, we decided to make the most of what we had left.
The forecast for the following week was calling for temperatures in the 80’s, which somehow made it even harder to accept that we were heading back to Michigan. It felt like we were leaving just as the weather was about to get even better. Still, we had one more full day, and we were going to enjoy it.
Choosing the Beach Over Disc Golf
Ethan and Eli had plans to head back out to Graham Creek and play The Prairie course again. It was the first course Ethan and I played earlier in the week, and it was still my favorite of the four.
But after Thursday, I made a different decision. Between my poor play and how long that round took, I had no interest in spending another full afternoon away from the beach. I decided to stay back and spend the day with Susie and Elena instead, and looking back on it, that was easily the right call.
A Walk with Susie (Reconnecting)
The morning started the same way most mornings did… coffee on the balcony overlooking the Gulf of America, along with a little more reading. It had become part of the routine, and honestly, one of my favorite parts of the day.
After a while, Susie and I decided to head down and take a walk along the shoreline. We walked west, keeping an eye out for scallop shells, starfish, and maybe even hoping to spot a few dolphins out in the water. But more than anything, it just turned into a really good walk together.
At some point along the way, I told her that this trip felt like we were reconnecting a bit. Life back home gets busy… work, school, sports… everything just kind of piles up, and before you know it, you’re just trying to keep up with it all. We’re both working hard all the time, doing everything we can to help our kids succeed, but it’s draining. This trip felt like a reset, like we were finally able to slow down and just be for a little while.
On the way back, we found ourselves holding hands, which is something we don’t do very often anymore. It was simple, but it meant something.
The Proposal Reflection
A few nights earlier, while walking the beach as a family, we had watched a guy propose to his girlfriend right there along the Gulf. It was one of those picture-perfect moments… sunset, beach, everything lined up just right.
And it got me thinking about my own proposal to Susie more than 20 years ago.
I’ll be honest… it was nothing like that. Not even close. In fact, it was pretty bad. I actually apologized to her for it that night. It’s one of those things you can’t really go back and redo, but if I had the chance, I definitely would have done it differently.
So if there’s one takeaway there… if you’re planning to propose someday, don’t wing it. Do it right. Give her a moment she’ll be proud to talk about for the rest of your lives.
One Last Perfect Beach Day
Around noon, Susie, Elena, and I made our way down to the beach. The beach attendant already had our chairs and umbrella set up, and on this day, they were only about eight feet from the shoreline. We settled in and stayed there for the next several hours.
For a long stretch of time, we didn’t swim, didn’t play volleyball, and didn’t do much of anything at all. We just sat there, soaked up the sun, listened to music, talked, and relaxed. It was one of those rare stretches where doing nothing actually felt like exactly what we were supposed to be doing.
At one point, Elena and I walked over to a couple of food trucks that were set up right next to our condo building. They looked like they were there permanently, and it felt like the perfect beach day stop. We grabbed two chocolate-covered frozen bananas for Susie and me, and Elena got a strawberry mango smoothie. Simple, but perfect for the moment.
The weather was in the high 70’s with a steady breeze, which made it feel even better. For us, coming from Michigan, it was about as perfect as beach weather gets.
The Volleyball Rematch (Michigan vs Kentucky)
The boys got back from disc golf around 4 pm, and Ethan made his way down to the beach to join us. Not long after that, our friends from Kentucky were back at the volleyball net and ready for a rematch.
This time, they came prepared. They had their best lineup, including a third guy who they told us had played Division 1 volleyball back in the day. He said he was 51… I’m 50… so we were basically reliving our glory days out there.
We joked that it was Michigan versus Kentucky for the Gulf Shores Beach World Championship, and decided to play a best-of-five series with games to 15. The matches were competitive right from the start. We took the first game, they came back and won the second, and the third game was tight the whole way.
Right in the middle of that third game, one of the wives told them they had to stop for family pictures. We took advantage of the break, grabbed some water, caught our breath, and came back ready. We ended up pulling out the third game to take a 2-1 lead, and then closed it out in the fourth with a 15-13 win.
Michigan wins the championship.
We all laughed, shook hands, and thanked each other for the games. It was competitive, but in the best possible way.
One More Dinner Out (Bahama Bob’s)
That night, we decided to go out to eat one more time. We hadn’t planned on it, but it just felt like the right way to wrap up the trip.
We didn’t even take the car. It was about a mile walk to Bahama Bob’s, which Eli had found on his phone. There was about a 45-minute wait, so while Susie stayed back and enjoyed a Bloody Mary, the kids and I walked over to Alvin’s to check out some more t-shirts.
Once we got seated, we ended up with a great older lady as our waitress, and the food was fantastic. Everyone had a great meal, and it felt like a perfect way to close things out.
Susie and Elena both ended up buying long-sleeve Bahama Bob’s t-shirts, which was kind of funny because they were better than anything we had seen in all the souvenir shops earlier in the week. Sometimes the best finds aren’t where you expect them.
The Walk Back and Reality Setting In
After dinner, we made the walk back to the condo, and that’s when it really started to sink in.
We still had one more night, but the trip was basically over. We had to be out of the condo by 10 am the next morning, which meant packing everything up, loading the car, and starting the drive back to Michigan.
And just like that… the week in Gulf Shores was coming to an end.
Final Thoughts: A Week That Was More Than Just a Beach Trip
When we first planned this trip, it was pretty simple… get out of Michigan, find some warmer weather, and spend a week at the beach. And we did all of that.
We had the beach days. We had the sun. We had the time to sit in a chair, listen to the waves, and forget about everything back home for a while. That alone would have made it a successful trip.
But looking back on it now… that’s not really what stands out the most. It’s the moments we didn’t plan for.
It’s Ethan collecting starfish like they were seashells and then realizing maybe we shouldn’t have been taking them out of the water. It’s driving nearly an hour to play a disc golf course, only to get turned away at a military base because we didn’t have the right ID. It’s Eli stepping back onto a course after nine months away and somehow playing like he never left… even beating both of us more than once.
It’s the random volleyball games with people we had never met before, turning into a full-on “Michigan vs Kentucky” battle that we’ll probably talk about for years. It’s the quiet mornings on the balcony with a cup of coffee and a book, with nothing pressing to get to and nowhere we needed to be.
And for me… it’s the moments that probably don’t show up in pictures. It’s the walk on the beach with Susie, talking about life and realizing how much we both needed a break from the constant pace back home. It’s the small, unexpected moments where we were able to slow down, reconnect, and just be together without distractions. Those are the things that stick.
We went to Gulf Shores for a spring break beach trip… but it turned into something a little more than that. It was a chance to step away from the routine, spend time together as a family, and appreciate the kind of moments that are easy to miss when life gets busy. And now it’s over.
We’re back to real life… work, school, schedules, and everything that comes with it. But this was a good reminder that sometimes, you don’t need anything complicated to create a great trip.
Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery… a little bit of time… and being open to whatever moments come your way. Even the ones you didn’t expect.