Last Day In Florida :-(

Unfortunately this is our LAST day in Florida - ugh!  It's sad that we have to leave already!! But we have had such a wonderful time here.  Today we drove to Longboat Key, where Mom used to spend her summers with Grandma and Grandpa when she was my age.

 Longboat Key.  It was also a beautiful beach - the waves were quite rough, I'm assuming because of the hurricane?  Anyway it was nice!

This is the house right on the beach that Grandma and Grandpa used to own!  Isn't it gorgeous?  Anyway, the beach backs right up to it and Mom says she spent many summers there.  It was SO nice....can you imagine having the beach right in your backyard??!!

 A group shot - except for me, of course.  The only pictures of me were awful so you'll just have to be content with these.  :-)

 Beach scenery is so much different than desert scenery - you know, I'm just about to pack up and move here!!  Anyplace where I can walk barefoot and wade in 88* water is so much nicer than rattlesnakes, dirt, and tumbleweeds!!!  But.  Home sweet home is just around the corner and we'll be back in the desert tomorrow......thankfully right now is a very pretty time of the year for where we live so it's actually pretty nice right now.  :-)

Palm trees are just gorgeous, don't you think??!! 

Mom and I leave here early tomorrow morning and have a full day of flying, so please pray that all goes well.  I'm armed with granola bars and Wheat Thins, plus my ipod full of Adventures in Odysseys as well as a good book, so I think I'm set for a looooong day of flying.  :-)

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Out and About

Yesterday and today we did a little shopping - mostly browsing actually!  But I did get a few fun pictures.  First we went to Wal-Mart to get sunscreen for the beach.  I got several really cute shirts there that our Wal-Mart doesn't have back home! 

 Grandma and Grandpa showed us this cute little boutique.  It was really quaint - lots of nice stuff but very expensive.  We knew it was a little beyond our league when Mom picked up a pair of sandals that had a price tage of $200! 

They had an entire wall devoted to purses, bags, etc.  It almost made me dizzy just looking at all the fabrics!!  

Today, after the beach, Grandpa surprised us and took us to Wendy's for lunch!  It was great!  

Our meal.  We were wondering what the deal is with their new "fresh cut" french fries.  They advertise them as being more healthy but I think it's just marketing, personally!! French fries are prettty much french fries! 

We were talking over lunch about Jonathan's ability to eat three or four of Burger King's "value burgers".  Grandpa wanted to show that he can eat just as much as a 16 year old and is demonstrating here that this was his sixth burger!!!  He has you beat, Jonathan!!!!   (Kidding, obviously!)

I decided at the last minute to get a Frosty.  It was very good on a hot day!

Grandpa's being silly!!  Anyway, we had a great time today and this is continuing to be a wonderful vacation.  :-)

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At The Beach Again

We had such a great time at the beach yesterday that we decided to go again this morning!  Grandma and Grandpa dropped Mom and me off at the beach around 9:00 AM and then they went off to get a few things done.  We stayed until 11:00 and had the most relaxing time!  I could really get used to this beach life!  Siesta Key Beach is supposedly the #1 beach in the country...I think I agree. :-)

 This was my view as I layed on my beach towel (well, Grandpa's beach towel actually).  It was slightly cloudy today plus there was a slight breeze, so the weather was quite pleasant.  The sand was so incredibly soft!

The water was really warm - the life guard shack had a sign up with all the current temperatures and apparently the water was 88*.  That sure beats our unheated public pool back home!  There were so many little kids building sand castles - I seriously was about to build my own sand castle, the sand was so luxurious!!  :-)

 Looking for shells!  I got quite a few nice ones.  I was looking for one of those big scrolly shells....but I don't think they just sit on the beach shore.  :-)  You probably have to go looking for them - swimming for them, that is - and I wasn't in the mood for a shark attack.  (Just kidding!  Actually I didn't want to get all wet because we were going to be driving home in Grandma and Grandpa's car.)

I think Mom is still really enjoying this vacation! Actually I KNOW she is!  She spent many summers on the beach with Grandma and Grandpa when she was my age, so she says this brings back fond memories for her!

A few shells I grabbed.  I like the ones that have lots of different colors on them - but even the white ones are an incredible testimony to God's detail in creation.  It was so wonderful to just walk the beach and listen to the waves crash up on the shore.  Like I said, I could really get used to this!

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Florida Trip Day 3 - The Beach!

We just got back from a wonderful outing at the Siesta Key Beach!  It was great fun - it's been probably eight years since I've been to a beach!  I took a lot of pictures...so this is a long post.

We got there about 9:30 in the morning.  It was still fairly cool out and the beach was pretty empty; by the time we left, though, it was starting to get packed!  

 Grandpa said this was a stork......I don't think I've ever seen one in person before!  It was just walking around in the parking lot and didn't seemed bothered that there were moving cars around him (or her). 

Just gorgeous!  

 Heading out to the water......it was so fun to take off my sandals and walk in the soft sand!  It sure beats rocks and dirt!  :-)

I just loved the water - it felt so wonderful.  Seeing so many little kids building sand castles totally reminded me of doing the same thing when I was little.  We kept thinking that Isaac and Joshua would have had an absolute blast here at the beach!  

Mom and me having a great time.  This is such a fun vacation!

 It was amazing to see all the birds flying over the water; there were a lot of them!  They kept dipping down to grab little fish from the water. 

A wave coming in - I'm telling you, it was so relaxing to just walk the beach.  The sound of the water and the birds was so peaceful.....we collected a few seashells and got to see all the colorful coquinas burrowing under the sand.  They were all different colors and so neat to watch!

 I loved this picture.  There were so many little tiny fish right along the shoreline that I assume this bird was trying to eat.

Look at all the seagulls!

A beautiful palm tree - one of about a thousand here!  REAL trees are such a treat to see.  We had a terrific time at the beach and may come back tomorrow! 

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Florida Trip - Day 2

Hello from beautiful Florida!  I am so enjoying the green here - of course, back home we have lots of green right now too, but that's only because it's monsoon season, and it's all weeds anyway.  :-)  This here is REAL grass and AUTHENTIC trees!  Amazing!

Grandma and Grandpa live in a beautiful independent living facility - the landscaping is amazing there and they have several gorgeous fountains in the pond.  We went for a walk around the grounds today....there was so much green and water and flowers around every turn that I got some great pictures!  It was pouring the whole time though, which was nice.

I, for one, am really enjoying this peaceful, low-key trip.  We're all healthy (no plane sickness, thankfully!), and when we eat an incredible meal in the dining room there are no dishes to clean up.  Now that is a real treat!  Mom is really enjoying being able to sleep through the night without Isaac and Joshua waking her up.  :-)

 This little bird was running around the grass - there were a lot of birds around; ducks and even a heron!

It was pouring when we took our walk, but since the bridge over the pond was covered, we didn't get wet.  It's amazingly humid here - I had almost forgotten what that was like!

Can you see the frog this bird is eating?  

 All the landscaping is beautiful.  I just love all the flowers and shrubs here - we have almost none of that back home because nothing like this will grow without pampering it to death! 

 My incredible mom and wonderful grandparents.  It is such a treat to see Grandma and Grandpa after so many years!  Today we had lunch in their room - Grandpa made balogna sandwiches, which was a new experience for me.  I have never tried bologna but now I have - and it was great! 

 This is a shot of the independent living facility.  It is truly beautiful.  Grandma and Grandpa have an amazing view of the fountain and pond right out their front window.

 (Narnia, anyone?!)

These little ducks came swimming up under the bridge where we were standing - apparently they are used to being fed bits of food!  

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In Florida!

Well, we finally made it!  Mom and I took our first flight at 5:30 AM - which meant a super early morning for us.  But our flights were on time and went smoothly, so that was wonderful!

I couldn't help taking pictures from the airplane window - it is always incredible to see everything from so high up.  Plus, David has never been on an commercial airplane that he can remember, so here is a glimpse of what it's like, David!!

This is the scenery we left - beautiful.  The mountains are incredible when you look at them from an airplane.  :-)

We ran into some weather on the way to Florida, and ended up going around several thunder storms.  It made for some great cloud pictures!

Whoohoo...landing in Florida! Look at all that green!

And look at the water!!!!

 Well we're here and safe and sound....had a great meal and now time for an early bedtime.  We're exhausted and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Hopefully I will post a bit tomorrow!!  

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