Florida ~ 2019
Hello Everyone,
My family and I have returned from Florida. Vacations go by so fast! I always make sure that I take an extra day to have to myself to get things done at home.
Well in today’s post I am going to walk everyone through our little Florida adventure!
Our flight was great and Lauren LOVED flying! She never stopped looking out of the window and when I asked her what were her thoughts she said, “It wasn’t that bad mom. I don’t understand why everyone made such a big deal about it”! Okay, I took that as a good sign.
The first place we visited was a restaurant called Deck 84. It is a casual waterfront restaurant. So I finally got my dining “al fresco” completed this month!
I ordered the grilled chicken breast meal with sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes with vanilla rum butter sauce. It tasted so good!
These were my step-sons’ fish tacos. They looked amazing to me!
The next day we headed to Miami.
We did some walking around the outdoor shopping mall and looked at a few placed to grab lunch. I loved this area. It reminded me of some of the chairs that I have seen in some Pinterest photos from France.
I did end up finding a Ted Baker store. We don’t have one here in Indy so being able to go in one was a wonderful opportunity.
Everything was so beautiful and well made. If you are interested in these wallets you may find them here.
After looking around and shopping we did manage to find a place to grab some lunch. We ate at a place called Taverna. I ordered the quinoa salad with avocado, tomato, corn, cucumber, cilantro, and grilled chicken. It was so delicious!
On Thursday we visited the Everglades. I am sorry I did not take a lot of pictures. Visting a swamp and traveling by airboat was not my thing but I wanted to be a good sport. The airboat was not that bad and the alligators that we saw were female so they were not that big. We did stick around and watch an alligator show. The young lady was using her chin to keep one of the alligator’s mouths shut. Not my idea but my husband enjoyed it!
Of course, a trip would not be a trip if I did not go shopping! I managed to find a Homegoods in Boca Raton (which is where we stayed). Then I realized that I could not shop! We flew! I did not have a truck to take stuff home! Oh, the horror!!!
Then I found this! A beautiful green ginger jar. Isn’t it beautiful! Yes, I had to ship it. I should have it by Thursday (I hope).
We also stopped by a place called L’Chole Cafe for rolled ice cream! It was interesting watching the process but my family and I enjoyed it.
And for our last day of the trip, we spent most of it at Boca Raton beach. It was a lovely trip and so far no one has caught any flesh-eating bacteria. I must admit. I did worry when the kids were in the water. But I kept reminding myself what kind of trip would this be if I did not allow the children to get into the water. Just pray about it and let go. It turned out great!
I really enjoyed my time off from work but the more I think about it the more I am tempted to do a staycation in the near future. I really enjoy being at home.
I hope you all enjoyed this post!
Have a great Monday!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)
Dear Mrs. Shockley,
Your trip sounded lovely. It is good for the soul to change locations for a while….no household work. But, returning is always a scramble to make up for lost time and get things in order for the week.
I enjoy traveling, yet I find that day trips or just a few days away when we drive (to bring home treasures) is just as enjoying and relaxing. Less stress. So, we travel more often and shorter trips.
I'm glad it was a safe and happy vacation for all.
Warmly, Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
I love the way you travel. My husband and I, and our 2 young girls went on vacation this summer, only 3 hours away. Wow! That was a game changer for us. We usually drive 18 hours to S.Florida, but I just thought a shorter drive could be more enjoyable with 2 little ones-and I was right.
Mya
Hi Kathleen,
You are right. It is wonderful for the soul to change locations and to get out of your normal routine I liked not having any housework or cooking.
I like the idea about having day trips too. You both are right. It is less stress and less money that you will spend.
We have driven to Florida 3 times and this year my husband and I both thought… no way. It's too far and I hate being in the car that long.
Day trips sound so much better and so does a staycation! Thank you both for stopping by!
Hi Mrs Shockley,
I was surprised to see you put out a post this week! Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation. And I have been thinking the same thought about a staycation. It would be nice to actually have time off from work, spent at home, completely relaxing and just enjoying the home. I'm considering taking a staycation in the Fall or near Christmas.
Best,
Mya
Hi Mya,
We did enjoy our vacation! I am with you! I am thinking about planning a staycation around the holidays also. It get so cold here in Indy and it would be nice to have a week home to take my time decorating and visit some of my favorite stores to get some new ornaments this year!