FORT WALTON BEACH.... Wow...it brings so many wonderful memories just to say that name.
So! Mark and I flew into Pensacola and out of Fort Walton Beach, FL when we went to his big tournament in Mobile. Our great friends, the Webers, are stationed at Eglin AFB and so we decided to visit them for a couple of days as well as visit Fort Walton Beach.
But WHY Ft. Walton Beach???
Back in 2008, Robert was assigned to go to Eglin AFB after he graduated dental school, for his dental residency. We knew nothing about the area--nothing. I was five months pregnant with Mark when we moved, Alex was three and Katya was five. We signed a lease on a house we found without seeing it first. We were just so excited to start a new chapter of our life!!!
We lived in Fort Walton Beach for a year exactly. This is the place where Mark was born! This is the place where Katya started school (at Mary Esther Elementary) and this is where Robert received his first true Air Force paycheck and not a stipend. We spent a wonderful year there and made many memories and good friends! We moved away when Mark was just a 7 months old baby, so I jumped on this opportunity to show him the place where he was born.
First stop was the hospital where he made his appearance to this world. We walked in and just looked around a bit. I kind of remember "running" down the hallway as my contractions were getting closer and closer together, barely making it to the proper room:).
Here is a picture of Mark and his Mama at the place where he was born.
Then miraculously I remembered the name of the doctor who delivered him! So I googled him right away and it turned out that the office was still located almost next door to the hospital. We quickly drove to the office (and everything looked the same as in 2008!) and asked the receptionist if it's possible to see Dr. Hennessy to say hello. They said, that we definitely could do that and that he loves when kids come back to meet him after he delivered them.
It was actually quite special for both Mark and me! Dr. H said that he had three sons who all played tennis and was excited that Mark also plays.
Then we drove to the Ella Ruth Drive and pass the house where we lived and where Mark started his life with us. It was also the last house where my dad came to visit and met Mark.
We also drove pass Katya's first school!
After our wandering around Ft. Walton Beach and realizing how things have changed, we drove to Bridget's house to hang out and stay with them. It is always great to see Bridget and her wonderful family! They are like family, easy going and so fun to be around. The kids played at the pool and we talked for hours.
The following day, Bridget was kind enough to spend the whole day with us. We went to the beach. And I must say that after all the traveling we have done and beaches we have seen....this area near Destin and Fort Walton Beach still remains among my top three favorite beaches in the world.
I mean, look at the color of that water...
It was also wonderful that the waves were mild so we could play in the water a lot more than we usually can in NC.
Mama and Mark at Florida Panhandle!
These colors are mesmerizing!
And the sand is squeaky white!
Oh yes, we had a blast with all the action photos I took of Mark.
I seriously couldn't believe how warm and clear the water was.
After the beach, we got some peel and eat shrimp, a whole pound of it for Mark which he promptly devoured. This kid loves shrimp.
And then we spent the afternoon with the kids and Tom.
This is Lizzie and Rebecca with me. Lizzie was Katya's really good friend in Misawa, she is a year younger than Katya. And Rebecca was Marks's buddy (see below).
And here are Bridget and I! Yes, we have changed a bit over the years. Bridget is the one who taught me how to play racketball and who dragged me out to the gym at 8 pm on snowy Monday nights to go play with her. She is also the one who forced me to sign up for the first 5K with her and we ended up walking/jogging it in 39 minutes which really sparked my interest in running. We shared a ton more wonderful and significant memories together and that's something that will stay with us forever.
Look at us, young and fresh at a Christmas dinner in Misawa! We have a joke between us how earrings make all the difference sometimes!
And here are Mark and Rebecca! Rebecca is a brilliant cello player now! I can't wait to see her perform somewhere professionally someday!
It's kind of from the series of "how it started"-hahaha. Mark and Rebecca spent A LOT of time playing together the whole three years we were in Japan. Such cute friends!
And we grabbed a picture of Mark and John. John is Alex's age and was his best friend the whole time we were in Misawa.
Proof! Here is Alex turning 5 years old with John by his side.
Bridget and Tom have two more kids--Nathan and Henry. Nathan was born in Japan and then Henry followed when they moved back to the states. They are all wonderful kids!
I had to repost this picture of Tom and Robert back in the day.... One of the most entertaining duos-dentists. These guys had FUN!
I am almost kind of proud of my creativity to make this whole plan happen. I was so excited to be back in the place where Mark was born and so excited to show him some of the special places that he couldn't remember. It's also so fortunate that I was able to stay with out great friends!
Grateful for these moments in life.
Lyana
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