The Adventures of Florida

Hello out there! It has certainly been a while. As you might have guessed, I took a week off from my computer, which also meant I, sadly, took a week of from the wonderful world of blogging. But I have to tell you, it was worth it. I needed a break from my keyboard and monitor. I’d become a slave to them over the past couple of months due to an exciting, but busy time at work.

So now I’m back, with lots to say and share, so let’s begin with Florida. As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I recently jetted off to the beautiful section of the sunshine state called Vero Beach to visit my pops who owns a house down there.

Our trip was amazing, to say the least. I won’t give you the day-by-day breakdown, but instead share a couple highlights. Let me preface my story with this – I saw a really cool commercial last night – (I think it was for TripAdvisor?), but the overall scheme was about a girl who left her “other” self at home to be somewhat adventurous on her vacation, and I just loved it because that is exactly what I tried to do on my trip.

I think I’ve mentioned a couple times now what a baby I am when it comes to stepping outside my comfort zone. There are only a few things in this world I’m not afraid of, which really makes me an interesting gal to travel with (poor Billy). So I sucked it up on this trip and did all those fun things that ocean-loving Billy likes to do.

Kayaking:
Anyone who went on one of the five Saco river trips with me knows I am not the best paddler when it comes to canoes and kayaks. My friends have usually asked me to put down the paddle to save themselves from having to find me on the side of the river with my canoe flipped over, so of course the idea of kayaking was a little frightening to both Bill and I. But I’m happy to report we did it anyways and it was so much fun. We went up and down the area of the Inland Waterways near my Dad’s house and even went over to a little island and did some exploring. Bucket List: Check!

Sharks:
No, I did not come in contact with any sharks, but I did spend about an hour in the ocean with my Dad and Billy diving into waves despite of my shark-aphobia. It was so much fun. I haven’t gone swimming in the ocean in years and I now remember what I was missing.

Alligators:
Yes, I did come in contact with some alligators – which was awesome! My Dad, Bill and myself did some research and found a local airboat tour that explored the St. John’s River where they have over 600 alligators flopping around.  It was absolutely beautiful scenery and a very interesting learning experience, in that the alligators weren’t aggressive at all. They were actually quite lethargic – who knew!?

What Else?
The area my Pops lives in is absolutely beautiful and there is so much to do, see and eat. We dined at a place called Squid Lips one day and got to see a dolphin show right outside the restaurant windows. Pretty cool stuff. Another day included going to Round Island and watching some manatees swim around. I’d never seen a manatee before in my life, can you believe it?

 

I feel obligated to take a moment and mention Billy's sunburn. I think a picture will speak for itself. Check out those legs and armpits. 

 

and this is how the next day at the beach went for him:

Lastly, I have to include a couple photos of my Dad, because he's the greatest. I think probably one of the best parts of the trip is how much the guys in my life love each other. My Dad absolutely loves Billy and the feeling is mutual.

Overall the trip was exactly what I needed. I loved spending some quality time with my Dad and Billy, while also checking a couple things off of my good ole' bucket list of coloring. Now back to real life. Thanks to my Dad and Billy for such an amazing trip!

Happy Spring!