Until this trip, I had not been to Panama City Beach since Spring Break my Freshman Year of college. Needless to say that things have changed! I was sad to learn that the Miracle Strip had been torn down. That is the amusement park that I finally got up the nerve to ride the "big swings" all by myself. I will never forget that night. "Shout" by Tears For Fears was blaring across the park as I sat in that swing waiting for the ride to begin. My heart was racing and my hands were sweating profusely. I contemplated getting off the darn ride, but my grandfather was watching and I didn't want to disappoint him. I absolutely loved the ride and was so glad that I did it. Things like that I can remember like they happened yesterday. So many memories of fun times at that amusement park that my boys will never experience-my heart was broken. To my surprise, though, one thing that is still there is the "Original Goofy Golf" putt-putt course that has been there for 100 years. If you have ever been to Panama City, you know the course I am talking about. It is the one with the huge monkey in the front. I have made many a picture in my lifetime sitting in that monkey's hand. It is neat now to look back at those pictures to see how much I had grown each year. There was never a question about it, my boys HAD to have their picture made in that monkey' hand, even if we didn't play the course! On Thursday night, my one and only mission was fulfilled. While everyone else waited at Captain Anderson's to be seated, Todd and I took our boys and Ross and Hunter to have a photo shoot with the monkey. My boys loved sitting in his hand and really wanted to play the course. We didn't have time as we had to get back to Captain Anderson's but I promised them that if we went to Panama City again and the course was still there, we would play. I wish now that we would have made time to do that on this trip...all I keep thinking about was memories...that's really what we do these things for. Yes it's fun while we are doing them-sometimes it can be hectic and you wonder why you even thought of doing it in the first place-but when it's all said and done, you have made a memory that will last a lifetime. I guess that's why I'm so big on taking pictures and doing special things with my boys. I want them to look back on their childhood and smile and say "if only I could go back". To steal a line from the Hokey Pokey, "That's what it's all about"!
Here are pictures from our photo shoot:
My little monkey Jackson sitting in the monkey's hand
Carter and the monkey
Ross takes his turn posing for a picture
Cooper looked so little sitting in the monkey's hand
Mommy was not going to leave until she got her picture made with the monkey
Even Daddy was a sport and sat in the monkey's hand...like he really had a choice!
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