Mama Kat Thursday: Panama City Beach

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 Today's Mama Kat topic is: "Reminisce About A Recent Trip Plus Pictures!

    Who doesn't like a beach retreat, right?"
    The Laguna Beach Christian Retreat Center is just west of Panama City Beach and the site of our annual spring Christian conference for military singles & couples from several local bases about an hour east of where we live.
      Most of the retreat facility is located across the road from Gulf and though the beach side is lined with homes, the beach is public, accessible via numerous walkways like the one below:

      Hubby and I and our Eglin team of military singles put this years conference together. We decided not to have a central speaker. Instead, we divided the group into small numbers to attend various 30-minute topic presentations, then had participants pair off together to trade info on what they learned.

      We had music Saturday morning & evening, led by our team member, Kullen. (In the plaid shirt. He also helped us put in our block landscape wall a few months ago.)
Friday night we had a "Testimony Scavenger Hunt." It was an idea our leadership team came up with that involved having everyone ask each other their testimonies on how they came to know Jesus, then checking off whatever "scavenger" list item best fit that person's story, such "accepted Jesus in college." Everyone really enjoyed the game!

    This pool was our view when we walked out of our room. The facility has 5 pools. It's a bit more like a summer camp then a hotel. There's no daily maid service and you have to bring your own bed linens, pillows & towels. Rooms range from massive bunk rooms for youth groups to smaller rooms and houses available for vacationing families with double beds, bunk beds for kids and kitchenettes for home-away-from-home cooking. 

     The place does get a lot of church youth groups, but not just that. There was a big group of Mary Kay reps having their own retreat the same weekend we were. Everyone kept commenting on all the "pink cars." 


     On Saturday night we had skits. We asked each group from each military base to come up with one.
    Pictured here is the Pensacola Naval Air Station gang performing a skit called, "The Bean Skit." The two guys in green are Marines. The older guy in the plaid shirt is our friend, Bernie, and the girl is his daughter, Button, both Navigator Staff at the Navy base. (Yes, that's her real name.) She said she found the skit on YouTube. Needless to say, it was hilarious!


     Before we left on Sunday, I walked down to the water for a couple photos. The beach was mostly vacant; not even any seagulls close by---just the beautiful emerald surf.



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Hope you enjoyed sharing my trip! Thanks for stopping by!

Comments

Unknown said…
I've never been to Panama City Beach, but I have done the beaches of Fort Walton. They are beautiful! It's funny. I grew up in South Florida and the Panhandle seemed so far away! Now it's where we "beach."
May 1, 2014, 3:15:00 PM
TMWHickman said…
Nothing like the beach to put a person in touch with the Almighty. It sounds like you had some fun!
May 1, 2014, 3:24:00 PM
Unknown said…
Sounds like a great trip! I haven't been to PC Beach in years, but we used to go all the time :)
May 4, 2014, 6:31:00 AM
KatBouska said…
The beach is the perfect, peaceful place for a retreat! Time well spent. :)
May 4, 2014, 11:07:00 AM
May said…
Have only been there once and have been waiting (impatiently) to return ever since!
May 5, 2014, 7:06:00 PM

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