I wanted to capture a running list of places we explored while living in South Florida. My hope is to link each one to their own post with more photos and detail, but I thought beginning with a recap would be the way to capture them. These aren't listed chronologically, or in order of favorites, simply listed out as they came to mind!
1. Theatre of the Seas
2. Ft. Lauderdale Beach
3. Tree Tops Park
4. Shark Valley
5. Everglades Holiday Park
6. Long Key Nature Center
7. Viscaya
8. Key Biscayne
9. Frost Museum of Science
10. Hollywood Beach
11. Naples Pier and Clam Pass Beach
12. Sanibel
13. Ft. Meyers
14. Jupiter - river
15. Big Banyan downtown
16. Bonnet House
17. St. Augustine
18. Orlando
19. Kennedy Space Center
20. Downtown Historic Ft. Lauderdale
21. Wynwood Walls
Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts
Monday, July 1, 2019
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Home
Max: "Mom, I noticed you haven't posted on the blog for awhile."
Me: "I know, right?! We've kinda been juggling a lot huh?"
Max: "Well, as your biggest fan, and probably the main reader, I think it'd be awesome if you posted again."
Sometimes a nudge is just what's needed to get back on the wagon and start posting again. Where to begin? So much has changed and yet everything has stayed the same, so I'll simply begin again:
In June we'll be moving to Atlanta, GA! While we've loved embracing the endless beaches and summers, they pale in comparison to the amazing people and experiences here. "Home" from a geography perspective has changed for us - Georgia will be our 6th state in 9 years (!). Each place has been a stepping stone on a path we never expected and has cultivated growth in ways we never knew possible. Our hearts are so full as we reflect on the abundance of memories. We are humbled and grateful for the journey. "Home" is so much more than a physical address and we are grateful to hold a piece of "home" in our hearts for South Florida (and the other amazing "homes" we've lived). We look forward to cultivating our new "home" in Georgia!
This transition has had its own rhythm of chaos, but we have seen again and again how mindful the Lord is of us.
Me: "I know, right?! We've kinda been juggling a lot huh?"
Max: "Well, as your biggest fan, and probably the main reader, I think it'd be awesome if you posted again."
Sometimes a nudge is just what's needed to get back on the wagon and start posting again. Where to begin? So much has changed and yet everything has stayed the same, so I'll simply begin again:
In June we'll be moving to Atlanta, GA! While we've loved embracing the endless beaches and summers, they pale in comparison to the amazing people and experiences here. "Home" from a geography perspective has changed for us - Georgia will be our 6th state in 9 years (!). Each place has been a stepping stone on a path we never expected and has cultivated growth in ways we never knew possible. Our hearts are so full as we reflect on the abundance of memories. We are humbled and grateful for the journey. "Home" is so much more than a physical address and we are grateful to hold a piece of "home" in our hearts for South Florida (and the other amazing "homes" we've lived). We look forward to cultivating our new "home" in Georgia!
This transition has had its own rhythm of chaos, but we have seen again and again how mindful the Lord is of us.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Ft. Myers
We were so grateful to spend time together with a few of Mike's coworkers and their families in Ft. Meyers. I'm scratching my head a bit that we never took a picture of everyone together, but it seems when we're all either in the pool or at the beach, we're all beautifully unplugged, and that's a memory worth cherishing just as much as any photo.
The red tide was still in swing, and while we were in the southern pocket of it, you could tell it was around. Beyond chasing the crabs, we really didn't play "in" the water as much as we would typically. But that didn't stop us from having a wonderful time together! Kite flying, beach volleyball, and digging in the sand. We loved the accessibility of the pool! It was pretty amazing to stay at a place where you could walk in and out of a pool right next to the beach!
We surprised the kiddos with a jet ski rental and they had such a blast! Mike and I took turns taking everyone out. I loved all of their reactions and how they each absorbed the speed and the overall experience of being in the ocean differently. And it was really interesting to get out on the ocean - the water was amazingly clear, and no signs of the red tide were anywhere to be found. So interesting!
Abigail screamed and giggled the whole time - she said "this is amazing!" over and over and told me "it was like a roller coaster on the water." Tayler laughed and laughed. Alexis loved seeing the shoreline and LOVED the speed. She held on tight and wanted to go as fast as possible. Max loved everything about it and was fascinated how you could move and turn so easily on them. I think I had a permanent smile.
The view from our room that morning. The sunrise was beautiful!!
We're all fascinated by the sea turtles this time of year. Loved this info letter from the hotel!
So grateful to create these memories together. There are so many beautiful places to discover!
The red tide was still in swing, and while we were in the southern pocket of it, you could tell it was around. Beyond chasing the crabs, we really didn't play "in" the water as much as we would typically. But that didn't stop us from having a wonderful time together! Kite flying, beach volleyball, and digging in the sand. We loved the accessibility of the pool! It was pretty amazing to stay at a place where you could walk in and out of a pool right next to the beach!
We surprised the kiddos with a jet ski rental and they had such a blast! Mike and I took turns taking everyone out. I loved all of their reactions and how they each absorbed the speed and the overall experience of being in the ocean differently. And it was really interesting to get out on the ocean - the water was amazingly clear, and no signs of the red tide were anywhere to be found. So interesting!
Abigail screamed and giggled the whole time - she said "this is amazing!" over and over and told me "it was like a roller coaster on the water." Tayler laughed and laughed. Alexis loved seeing the shoreline and LOVED the speed. She held on tight and wanted to go as fast as possible. Max loved everything about it and was fascinated how you could move and turn so easily on them. I think I had a permanent smile.
The view from our room that morning. The sunrise was beautiful!!
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Day off of school
Monday, the kiddos were off from school, and the weather was fantastic for a trip to the beach! So grateful to embrace "beach days" in this chapter of life together! The ocean was calm and the kiddos were able to swim and look for seashells. We took the opportunity to learn more about why we had the day off - it was for the Jewish holiday, Rash Hashanah, and how we could honor that tradition we knew friends would be celebrating. It was beautiful to chat about amazing traditions of other faiths that surround us. And I was so happy to have a mom day with this crew. We're definitely in the chapter of lots of things happening all over different places, homework, and all kinds of things in-between, so to reconnect and enjoy time at the beach was so wonderful.
And I can't help but look back on these photos with a big heart. They are all growing so much and share so much friendship with one another. Absolutely, there are arguments, and door slamming moments, but goodness, the connections and moments where they thrive together are ones I hope to keep soaking in with a front row seat. Love this crew and the amazing individuals they are becoming.
Saturday Service
We have a back-to-back trend of Saturday service projects. This one was with Mike's company to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the acquisition. We went to Bill Baggs State Park and spent the morning cleaning up garbage along the beach.
Two things we learned from this:
1. Wow. So much garbage. And so small. Like little plastic that won't break down, straws and SO MANY plastic bottle caps.
2. It was really, really hot. Can't even put words to it.
Sometimes it's so good to just get into the thick of doing something hard together. I think we'll look back on this day with laughter and a sense of resilience of doing something in hard conditions. We have so much to be grateful for, and it always deepens perspective to get out and serve in the community. And that we can all be a little more mindful of what we're doing with our trash!
Getting the directions from the Rangers of what to look for, and to track everything we pick up on a sheet (they do research on the garbage and like to know what's getting picked up).
Max found some cool blue crab legs!
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Feeding South Florida
Yesterday, Max, Alexis, Tayler and I were able to participate in a food-sorting shift for Feeding South Florida.
The car-ride out was full of voices like "when will we get there?" and "how long will this take?" and I wasn't really sure how it'd all pan out.
But the moment we stepped in the building, we were blown away with the small part we were going to play in a very large orchestra of goodness.
The three hours flew by. We loved doing it side by side 100 other folks, and so grateful for the large group of folks from our church that came together. Having the opportunity to lead these service opportunities, while I must say often feels overwhelming and difficult being so new to the area, has actually been a huge, fulfilling gift. Theres' something so magical about uniting together with the purpose of helping one another and helping others that completely connects us in deeper, more meaningful ways.
The car ride home was filled with a new sound - perspective.
To think a little more about how we can continually contribute. To think a little more about the needs of those right around us. To think a little more about what we can let go of in order to give. The principle of service is something we are continually striving to teach, learn and grow from. This experience definitely added a drop in that bucket.
The car-ride out was full of voices like "when will we get there?" and "how long will this take?" and I wasn't really sure how it'd all pan out.
But the moment we stepped in the building, we were blown away with the small part we were going to play in a very large orchestra of goodness.
The three hours flew by. We loved doing it side by side 100 other folks, and so grateful for the large group of folks from our church that came together. Having the opportunity to lead these service opportunities, while I must say often feels overwhelming and difficult being so new to the area, has actually been a huge, fulfilling gift. Theres' something so magical about uniting together with the purpose of helping one another and helping others that completely connects us in deeper, more meaningful ways.
The car ride home was filled with a new sound - perspective.
To think a little more about how we can continually contribute. To think a little more about the needs of those right around us. To think a little more about what we can let go of in order to give. The principle of service is something we are continually striving to teach, learn and grow from. This experience definitely added a drop in that bucket.
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