Momma-cation

Say WHAT?!?  Yep, that's right.  The title was not a typo, nor are the words a foreign language...I snatched up the chance for a weekend getaway to Florida to visit one of my favorite ladies, and it was just the recharge I needed!

{This is how I imagine Heaven to be.}

Since this was my first trip out of State on pleasure since before Luke was even a twinkle in my eye, I decided to make it a fairly quick trip.  When I booked my flight, I didn't know that just a short month prior I would be heading out to CA on business, so at that time, I thought that this would be my first extended trip away from Libby.  Either way, the timing worked out well because lovely friend, J, jam-packed the time we had together full of fun and adventure...that's just how we do. ;-)

I flew in to FL on a Friday afternoon (hooray for 2 hour flights!), so we took a little excursion to one of the most amazing outlet malls I've ever seen.  Brilliant me was so stunned by the plethora of shops, that I did not snap one.single.picture.  I will tell you, though, that I got a good handful of decent deals (and was able to use some coupons on top of those deals!), and we didn't even put a small dent into the shops.  It was just that big!

Friday evening, we enjoyed some pampering at the Mall with a mani/pedi, and then we hopped on over to Fishbones to meet J's main squeeze for dinner...and boy was it uhhhh-mazing!

Saturday morning, we ventured a little South to Manatee Cove at Merritt Island, which is on the Indian River, for a little kayaking adventure.  We started out in a cove with very calm waters.  It was chocked full of manatees.  The instructor warned us not to "pet" the manatees, as they are very friendly mammals and they could easily tip us over in an attempt to play.  Not to mention, they are an endangered species, so it's illegal to touch them anyway.

I didn't get very good pictures of the manatees because they surfaced and re-submerged quickly, but it was amazing to be so close to such massive creatures.

We paddled out to a little man-made island and got to discover a sea cucumber, stone crab, and umm...a hermit crab, maybe?

On our trek back to the cove we saw four dolphins (at least I hope they were dolphins!).  I didn't get any pictures because A) I'm a slow poke and couldn't fumble my phone around quickly enough to get a good shot, and B) I'm a slow poke (did I already mention that?) and I couldn't paddle myself close enough to get a good picture anyway.  I swear, by the time we got back to the cove my arms were jello.  We had a nice, swift wind that was blowing in our faces, and it made for a tiny bit of resistance.

We decided that Cocoa Beach was calling our names for some R and R after such a tough work-out!

{Cocoa Beach, FL -- a piece of driftwood stabbed my left food at the Manatee island}

Saturday night, Daytona Beach was the destination for our dining experience.  We made a pit-stop at the Daytona Speedway for a photo op.

And then headed beach-side for dinner.

After waiting an hour and fifteen minutes for our food, we decided that Bahama Breeze would be a better option.   

Let me just say that the martini more than made up for the craptastic service at that other place. :-)

After dinner, we headed back to J's home where my head hit the pillow for a restful night of slumber...nary a worry even crossed my mind.  Maybe it was the super-fab pillow, maybe it was the spiked drink.  Whichever the case, a full night's rest was very welcomed by this woman's exhausted bod.  I didn't even realize how tired I really was until I slept an entire night through. :-)

Sunday morning, I headed back to the airport for my flight home.  There was a bit of a snafu with the plane(s) that was supposed to carry me to my beloved homestead, but I scored a free round-trip ticket out of the deal, so a three hour delay didn't damper my spirits one bit!  (Nice recovery, Southwest/AirTran!)

And returning to this crew helped a little, too...

For those of you ocean lovers who can't get enough of the soothing melodies of the sea, I brought you back a little something:

Maybe next trip will be a fam-cation. ;-)

School Days

As most of you may already know, Luke started Kindergarten on Monday.  Such a big milestone in my little man's life.

{Beautiful Day}

 

He was all smiles and full of excitement in the morning, before we left for school.

 

When we pulled into the parking lot, though, his mood shifted a bit, and he admitted, "Mommy, I'm scared.  Look at all of those cars!".  Through a lump in my throat (that I quickly swallowed down), I also admitted that I was scared, too.  I asked him if it would be okay if we walked to his classroom together, and he agreed that that would be a good idea.

You can see the anxiety in his face through the progression of pictures, but I assure you, he settled in just fine with the help of some Play-Doh. :-)

I decided that I would pick Luke up after school on his first day.  I'll admit, this was mostly for my own peace of mind.  I guess that was a bad idea on my part, though, because there was a bit of confusion, and he almost got put on the bus to go home (he'll be a bus rider the rest of the school year).  I didn't realize how important it is to stick with the same routine as much as possible, even on the first day.  The kids get a lot of help the first week with getting on/off the correct bus and then after that, they're on their own.  I just couldn't bear to not see my big guy off, though.  Oh, well, live and learn!  I'll know better for next year, right?!

After school, I had big plans for some special time with Luke before we picked up little bro and sis, but within 10 minutes of leaving (appx time it takes to get home), Luke was O-U-T!  I guess Kindergarten is some exhausting stuff. :-)

I have to say, I was very apprehensive about Luke's first day of K in the months days leading up to it.  I was just sure that I would be an emotional ball of mess...but ya know, what?  I wasn't.  In the past few months, I've learned that Moms operate on survival mode, pure instinct, and frequent rushes of adrenaline.  In situations when their composure is needed, they just keep it together.  For the love of babes.  Blood and guts used to make me pass out, but when it's my kiddo bleeding?  Well, they need me...no time for getting weak in the knees and face-planting onto the pavement.  And on Monday, I could tell my guy needed me to put on my game face, and so that's just what I did.  No tissues needed, thankyouverymuch. :-)

Days like Monday symbolize growth, maturity, and independence...and I am reminded of just exactly how special Luke is.  All of our children are special, no doubt, but being faced with the realization that this day was fought very hard for makes it all the more precious.  And it makes me take a second look at what I have...what we have as a family.

This morning, I took my sweet Levi to his first ever day of school.  He is now officially a Little Saint at All Saints. :-)  He will have two years of preschool there, just like Luke did, and he also has the same teacher that Luke had for both of his years there.  We really love her and her aide!  It was cute to hear Luke tell Levi all about Mrs. Callaway and Mrs. Laing, about how much he was going to love school, and to hear him give brotherly advice on how to not be afraid this morning.   

Our little Curious George was a smidgen reluctant to let go of my hand this morning, but eventually I was able to slide away as his teacher preoccupied the class with a basket full of dinosaurs. :-)

Even so, I think Levi was pretty excited to see me after school.

It's become a bit of a tradition to eat at Mr. Happy Burger after the first day of Preschool for Luke and I, so of course I had to keep the tradition alive with Levi!

 
That Trolley has been the source of many childhood smiles, even dating back past B's days as a youngster.

It's been a busy week, and boy am I exhausted!  We're finding our groove, and I have a couple of projects up my sleeve to help streamline our morning routine.  Having two kiddos in school, one being full time, is different already, but we're going to adjust and continue to grow and learn as we go along.  I'm so proud of our boys.  I loved school SO much, and I know that they're going to love it, too!

{ Natalie the Kindergartner...you're welcome. :-) }

The Circle of Life

Last weekend was a celebration of life...the life of a long-time friend whom I had to lay to rest, a sweet little boy's first year of life, and the birth of a precious, long-awaited-for baby girl.  There were highs and lows, deep sorrow and overwhelming joy, sprinkled with happy moments in-between.  

I blog about most things that are important to me, so I find it only fitting to say a little something about my loyal companion that has shared the past 13 years of my life’s journey.  Lindsie’s story begins on an early Fall day with a 19-year-old college girl looking for someone/something to call her own, to care for, to keep her company, and to ease the loneliness that comes along with heartbreak and being away from home.  It’s true, I needed a constant.  I needed someone who wouldn’t leave my side, someone who would love me unconditionally.  My life was unpredictable, and I needed stability.

Lindsie was found by A Cause for Paws after her Mother had been hit and killed by a car.  I remember the first time I ventured into the makeshift store at our local Mall.  My eyes landed right on a crate containing two little puppies.  Unsure of her breed or history, I didn’t really even care, I gravitated straight toward the puppy snuggled into the corner of the crate.  Lindsie nudged my hand onto the top of her head immediately…inviting me to pet her and to twirl her floppy ear between my index and middle fingers.  Her big, brown eyes gazed up at me, pleading with my heartstrings to scoop her up and take her home.  Yep, this was the one.  This was the girl that I would spend the craziest of times with.

Sparing you the intricate details of the past 13 years of my life, I will just say this:  Lindsie was everything I needed and more.  Her role in my life, and mine in hers, evolved as life ran its course, but our bond remained the same.  If there was a poster child for “best friend”, she would be it.  Little did I know that on that Fall day thirteen years ago, while I was looking for a pet to take care of, I would actually find the kindest soul to in turn take care of me.


There is a lot to be learned from the loyalty of man's best friend.   

"All his life he tried to be a good person.  Many times, however, he failed.  For after all, he was only human.  He wasn't a dog."
--Charles M. Schulz

I miss her a lot.