Vacation {part 5}

Welcome back!

Friday was a sad day only because it was our last full day in Florida. We slept in and skipped breakfast deciding to get an early lunch at the Orange Tree in the Orange Park Mall. Ya ll, they have they best chili cheese dogs I have ever had and I had been craving one for weeks. I am so not lying about that! I will be in big trouble one day if these chili cheese dogs are one of my pregnancy cravings. Heaven help us!

After all of us eating our weight in hot dogs, we did a little shopping at Old Navy where we found some really good deals! After shopping Stephen dropped me off at the nail place for a pedicure. Oh.My.Stars. It was totally awesome and felt so good! I used to get pedicures a lot in Florida...like almost every 2 weeks, but in Indiana there really isn't a need during the winter since people look at you like you are crazy if you wear sandals, ha! I didn't expect the women at the nail shop to remember me, but they sure did. It was nice to see familiar smiling faces and be treated just like an old customer...which I am!

Around the time my pedicure was finished Mom & Dad were back from Disney so we headed over to their house. It was so different walking in because they had the floors replaced and I have been used to this house with carpet for the last 23+ years. It was different to see, but it does look very nice:

We decided to get some dinner and so some shopping. After begging (literally) Hunter decided to come with us! :)

We made stops at Kohl's, Ross, Five Guys Burger and Fries, Wal-Mart, Grams house and Rita's Ice before heading back to Mom & Dad's house. Hunter's girlfriend Jessica snapped some family pictures of us:

She took a lot, but this one is my favorite! :)

I snapped a picture of Hunter & Jessica, too!

Bristol and Chance were happy to see me, it had been awhile!

After saying our goodbye's we headed back to Gram's house to load up the car. We wanted to leave early but ended up leaving a little later than originally planned. A 5:30am departure meant it would be dark when we left for home and dark when we got home...ugh. Thankfully Stephen drove the entire way (again!!!), and I was able to read a book cover to cover. I'm telling you if you give me a diet coke, a good book and a bag of gummy bears I can be happy all day long! Oh, the book I read on the drive home was The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. I thought it was amazing and a little different than his other books that I have read. Have you read it?

Here are a few pictures from the drive home:

How can he be comfortable enough to sleep like that?!

Well, that's the end of our vacation re-caps. We had a great time and really enjoyed the time with family. It's always nice to see people you love and eat the food you love too!

Vacation {part 4}

I was so excited to wake up Thursday because I knew we were going to St. Augustine. I LOVE St. Augustine. The people, the history, the water, the sea shells...I just love all of it! It's a place that I have many good memories with my family and friends growing up, so I was super happy that we had an opportunity to go.

Thankfully Louie was still happy staying at Gram's house so we left him there and headed toward the coast! The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the perfect temperature, too. We were so lucky!

Could the sky be any bluer? Not sure!

We grabbed lunch at The Columbia. It's a place that both Stephen and I love. It's only located in Florida though so we don't get much of a chance to dine there when we are in Indiana. Their Cuban and Spanish food is amazing!

That's the Original 1905 Salad...oh my yum!

After lunch we enjoyed walking around downtown and taking pictures of almost anything and everything. We went in and out of old shops and smelled delicious smells as we passed Pizzally's and Kilwin's Chocolate. Too bad our bellies were full from The Columbia!

I have a thing for hats...don't judge.

This is a view I can appreciate. Sailboats on the intercoastal...so right!

True Love <3

No trip to St. Augustine is complete without a stop for Gelatto. I chose Fruits of the Forest and Green Apple while Stephen choose Blueberry and Lemon. All flavors were delicious-as always!

We had to keep an eye on our time in St. Augustine because I had plans that evening with my cousin Mandi who is a blushing bride to be in April 2012. We headed out to David's Bridal with her MOH, Mom and our Grandma to find the perfect bridesmaid dress. Let me tell you...that is no easy task folks!

Heather is Mandi's Maid of Honor while I am her Matron of Honor...can I just say that Matron of Honor makes me sound like I should be old and have gray hair? It's just the way my mind works I guess...

Anyways, we tried on many, many dresses:

some were no's...

some were so-so's...

others were okay...

but this one was a YES!

After we decided this was the one Mandi was on the phone with her other bridesmaids and they all liked it too. Whew! Looks like we have all agreed on the dress for her April 2013 wedding! :)

Trying on all those dresses worked up an appetite for all of us!

We had a lovely dinner at Buca and talked more about the wedding and this exciting time in Mandi's life. It was a great night! 

Me, Mandi (cousin-bride), Heather

Check back tomorrow for the last installment of the Vacation Recap series! :)

Vacation {part 3}

Wednesday morning we surprised Gram by showing up at her house. Her face was priceless, I loved it! After explaining our concerns about Louie and watching him gobble up his food it was clear that he was comfortable at her house. We left him there while we ran a couple errands around town since we had the time and opportunity to do so. Our first stop was Zaxby's which was on our list of places we wanted to eat while in FL...or just south of KY in this case. Lunch was delicious and just a good as I remembered...Zaxby's should really bottle and sell their Zax sauce!

After filling our bellies we hit Discount Tire for a balance and rotation before getting a car wash. We started this trip with a clean car but you wouldn't believe the bugs you hit on a 16 hour drive, ha!

We grabbed an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse with Gram and Aunt Barb before heading to the cemetery. We chose to eat dinner earlier because it was raining and we wanted to try and not be at the cemetery while it was raining. Gram and Barb needed to change the flowers on both my Great-Grandma's graves and my Grandfather's too.

Being there was incredibly sad and made me miss being able to just stop by whenever I wanted to as I would if I lived in Florida...in the end though, I am so glad this was something we were able to do because it slipped my mind the last time we were in Florida and this time is precious to me.

We were able to beat the rain for a period of time but it did start to sprinkle on us...

but the rain made way for this beautiful rainbow and sunset. God's beauty and love were very evident!

Later in the evening we made a stop at Home Depot for Gram to pick out a paint color for her kitchen. She is so excited to be painting and updating some things and it is so cute!

After Home Depot, Stephen and I met an old friend of mine for yogurt at TCBY. While Matt and I stay in touch via email almost weekly, it was so nice to catch up face to face for a change! 

It was a great day of vacation...

Stay tuned for part 4 tomorrow!