And The Thunder Rolled

Thunder Beach 2009! Woo!

Spring break in Panama City Beach is one thing...the Thunder Beach Rally is another.

Over the weekend we spent two nights in PCB for a youth leader's conference. The conference was really good and we enjoyed meeting and getting to know other youth pastors in our district. It was a little strange...it had been years since I'd stayed overnight in PCB and here I was, an hour away from "home" and spending two nights in a hotel right on the beach. It was a nice little getaway and we had a great view from the 18th floor.

As we got closer to PCB we noticed signs welcoming Thunder Beach and we began to see more and more motorcycles. By the time we got to our hotel we clearly understood why what we had entered was dubbed "Thunder Beach."

Bikers. Everywhere.

To be heard outside, one had to yell to the other standing right beside them. It was nuts. As we headed to our room I realized that the room doors opened directly to the outside, which made me a little nervous. As it was Addie's first couple of nights to spend away from home it was all we needed to be kept up by the all night "thunder"storm.

Working in our favor, our room was a studio that had two doors - one to the outside and an interior door that led to our room. On top of that, our bedroom was on the beach side of the building, not the street side.

Addie enjoyed her stay away from home.

Here she is, contemplating sleeping through the night:

And she did! We had two nights of 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. She did great the whole weekend. She was fairly quiet during the conference sessions and won over those in attendance. She even endured a little shopping on Saturday afternoon and dinner at a Japanese restaurant with most of the group from the conference that night.

Addie and I had our first hibachi experience together. We shielded her from the flames and had a good time...until she got hungry! No hibachi for her. Yet.

The sights and sounds of the Thunder Beach Rally were nothing short of interesting. We did have positive encounters with anyone we came into contact with, but I'm pretty sure next year the conference will be on a different weekend. A much quieter weekend.

Sunday afternoon we started for home (yes, we got a Sunday morning off!) and ate at this diner before we left.



I love breakfast any time of day and this restaurant serves a breakfast bar = perfect.

Here's to a good weekend, an encouraging conference, and a great first overnight experience for Addie.

Goodbye from Thunder Beach!I am thankful for a good weekend with Addie...a great trial run before we head for home!