How I Spent My Summer Vacation

My family and I have fallen in love with the beaches of Florida.  After visiting Anna Maria Island in 2009 and New Port Richey in 2010, we decided to drive a little farther south this year to Cape Coral, Florida.  It was absolutely paradise.

We drove ALL THE WAY TO TAMPA and stayed there the first two nights.  (Yes, we all survived that 14 hour drive!)  We went to the aquarium and went sightseeing around Ybor City.

This is as close to a shark as I ever hope to get!

Can you find the sea turtle?

We drove on down to Cape Coral on day 3 and spent the remainder of our vacation there.  We rented a beautiful house with a BOAT that we had all to ourselves!  After so much "togetherness" it was nice to have a little more space to spread out.

Home Sweet Home (for a week)

Isn't the mailbox cute?

We saw lots of dolphins - some right off of our deck and even several manatees. They were just a little too quick for the camera and me.  We were greeted each time we left/arrived at the house by these little burrowing owls:

I think the kids would agree that the highlight of the trip was touring the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. (Ha!Ha!)  Seriously, this tour was really quite interesting.  Whenever I think of Thomas Edison I think of the light bulb, but he was such a very, very smart man. He only attended formal school for three months, and yet went on to obtain 1,093 patents.  He is credited with numerous inventions, including a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, recorded music, and motion pictures, to name just a few. Wow!  I think I may have a crush on this guy!

Thomas Edison

Edison's Lab

Since all of the flooring and furnishings in his home were the originals, we had to wear these "coverlets" over our shoes.

A desk in Edison's Winter Estate

The Dining Room

Edison and Me Under a Banyan Tree

So, on to the beach.  I spent a lot of time looking for shells.  The shells were everywhere!

Sally sells seashells by the seashore!

We spent a lot of time on the boat!

The boys went out fishing one morning with a guide named Captain Gary.

It's hard to tell, but this is a shark that David caught.

This is Collin's trout that he caught.

Collin did a lot of swimming and some snorkeling.  He was so excited when he found this starfish!

You can see how pretty the water is.

...And look who was waiting for us at home:

Freckles & Mia

 I missed them so much while we were gone.  I think they are happy we are back now, too!

It was a terrific vacation!  I was able to get plenty of rest and relaxation.  I am now revived and ready to face a new school year that begins in 2 days -  I think!  YIKES!

 

Where has the summer gone?

Well, it seems my summer is winding down this week.  School starts back for me on Monday.  ~Sigh!~ Part of me is sort of ready to get back into a routine, but the other part of me will miss these lazy days of summer.

  I  have completed several craft projects that I have really been dying to do:

Chicken Wire+Fabric+Old Picture Frame=New Earring Holder

Old Bulletin Board+Fabric+Ribbon=New Necklace Holder

Old Chair+Old Cushion+Spray Paint+New Fabric=New Chair and Cushion 

I have also worked in the kitchen on several recipes.  I follow a great blog called Seeking Love First.  Each week on her blog she posts a Menu Plan for the week with links for the recipes.  I've tried several of her Crock Pot Recipes, so that  I am not heating up my kitchen too much with the oven.  She chooses quite a variety of pretty simple recipes with only a few ingredients. So far I have tried:  Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Slow Roasted Pork, Oven Roasted Green Beans,Garlic Oven Fries, Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes.  All of them have been delicious. Tonight we are having Apricot and French Dressing Crockpot Chicken Over Brown Rice. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Collin returned from CONVO, a retreat held at Seashore Assembly down on the coast.  My prayer is that he came back recharged to live passionately as a disciple for Jesus Christ. However, the first thing he said to me when he got off of the bus was,  "Hey Mama!  I dressed up like a girl." I haven't quite gotten all of the details about how that fit into the worship and fellowship of the retreat, but I know he had a great time!  I found a picture of him on Facebook!  Doesn't he look pretty?

Photo courtesy of Gracie via Facebook

While Collin was "enjoying" himself at camp, my hubby and I made a quick getaway to Memphis.  We made a return trip to what has become our new favorite Mexican restaurant: 

It was absolutely delicious!  It was packed with locals, so you know it has to be a pretty popular place.

...And how is this for portion size?  You will not leave here hungry!

Tacos

 

Chimichanga

 

Wow!  Yummy!

The hubby and I decided to try one of the juices that they serve.  (It seemed like the "local" thing to do.)  I had the cantaloupe and he chose the tamarind.  We decided to get ours to go.  That juice was so refreshing to drink on such a hot day!  I still crave that cantaloupe juice and will definitely order it again!

As August is getting closer, I am getting so excited to see the movie, "The Help."  It opens in theaters on August 10th. Most of the movie was filmed in my hometown. I was an extra in the movie. 

That was such a fun day!  I loved every minute of that 14 hour day! My hair was teased so huge and stiff, that I had to wash it four times!  I hope I can catch just a glimpse of myself on the "big screen," however, I did notice that the blur in the background of this picture of "Skeeter" is my arm/profile.

Look carefully to the left. - You may need a magnifying glass!

 

Well, I guess that's all for now!  Enjoy these last days of your summer vacay!  I know I am planning to!

A Bittersweet July 4th

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July.  My family sort of celebrated a little early.  Our town had a city-wide celebration on the 30th.  This has become an annual event, except this year it was moved to a new location.  The new location was on the river and this year it included a boat parade and competition for the best decorated boat.  The fireworks display was great and the river backdrop made them truly spectacular to watch.  

Fireworks on the River

We decided to cook out on Saturday, the 2nd, with my hubby's parents.  

I downloaded this from a blog I follow, spray-painted an old frame red, and used it as my table centerpiece

 As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, my sister and her family have planned to spend 6 months in Ghana on a mission trip.  Their church hosted a farewell church service and reception for them on Sunday night.  It was so heartwarming to see the support and prayers lifted up for them.  So many of our relatives came, too.  It was so good seeing all of them and getting a chance to catch up.  We don't get to see each other nearly enough!  Needless to say, our 4th of July was pretty lowkey after all of those "celebrations."  They left for Ghana on the 5th and have hopefully made it there safe and sound by now.

Ghana Flag

You can follow their faith journey here:  www.fivefollowers.blogspot.com

Collin has returned from camp.  He had a great experience and loved being at the beach.  He didn't spend all of his money and came back with everything except his sandals.  I thought that was pretty good.  His pet-sitting business has been pretty successful this summer and he was able to use some of the money he has earned to replace them with some new flip flops.  He's headed out again this weekend for another retreat on the coast.

The hubby and I rode our bikes to the downtown farmer's market.  We had quite a productive morning.  I went specifically for this:

Mockingbird bread and my friend Dee Dee's pimiento & cheese

We ended up with this too:

A free mint planting and some sunflower seeds.  I have planted both.

Shrimp - Yummy!

Did you know that June is known as Cat Adoption Month?  I didn't know that either, but I am so glad that  my family adopted our sweet little kitten, Mia.  We should have adopted her in July because she has become quite a little "firecracker."  She is still taking all of this:

Mia's Meds - She is oh so much better!

Remember that 4th of July Centerpiece I mentioned earlier, she climbed on the table and broke all of my other cute decorations.  That framed picture was the lone survivor.  She has become quite inquisitive.  She is really smart and seems to know her name now, too.  I caught these rare photos of her actually being still:

Even if you missed Cat Adoption Month, any Humane Society is probably still bursting full of cats and kittens that need forever homes.  It's never too late to think about pet adoption!

My family attended The Buddy Holly Story at our local little theater.  Some of my older son's friends were in the production.  It was truly awesome.  I was pleasantly shocked that this was actually my hubby's idea!  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon together as a family.

Well, I guess that about sums up what we have been up to lately.  I hope the rest of your summer is spent making fun memories with your family and friends.