The time with my family was so special! We had nothing pressing, no “to-dos”, just the time to enjoy each other. Before I left home I really felt that I needed this break to survive the winter. I know, sounds so dramatic, right? I just felt so many burdens weighing me down. Then we got to Florida. What a reprieve! I told my dad that I should’ve probably gone a little later in the year, when it was high 70s, but I needed the break right when I got it. I “put up with” 60s and 70s in order to be completely refreshed when I needed it most.

Now we’re back. It’s 24 degrees. But I’m so grateful for the time we had in Florida. I can’t complain about being back. I flew over my friend Tasha’s house and my church as we descended into our home airport. So instead of being depressed, I sat and looked forward to all of the friends I would see the next day at church and in the days to come. I needed that reminder! Because I cried buckets when we left my parents. Baby Girl held on to her Papa! When he put her down she started crying a heart-broken, silent cry. Leaving was hard. But now we have so many memories and millions of pictures! And the promise that next year will be just as sweet!

Thanks, Papa and Nani! We love you!

*Just as an addition to this post: One thing I didn’t put in my suitcase on purpose? My mousse. It was almost gone. I figured I’d be fine without the little bit left. I thought I had another one at home. I didn’t. So I’ve spent the week with my hair in a ponytail. Oops. And it would have fit in my suitcase. So that’s awesome.

Anyway, despite my huge suitcase I couldn’t fit the things I wanted most. Here they are, in no particular order.

- the king bed   It was SO comfortable! Our bed here is a hand-me-down and needs to be replaced. This bed, though? Heavenly!

- the pillow   Again, just incredibly comfortable. If the waves weren’t pulling me out of bed (or the kids, which is more realistic), I could’ve stayed in bed all day!

- The view   I took pictures, but nothing beats being there, hearing the surf, watching dolphins, seeing the sun rise and set.

- The sand  The sand in Florida is white and gorgeous. I’d rather see that kind of white out of my window 90% of the time! (I do love a good snowstorm every once in a while.) Not only that, but sand is nature’s best exfoliator! My feet are soft and smooth!

- My parents   When I left they told me I wouldn’t have to cook for three weeks. And I didn’t. I got to have some time alone every day to walk the beach or run to Target. We chatted, we played on the beach, we teased each other. I would love to have them closer.

- My brother and his family    I loved watching Baby Girl play with her cousins. I loved hearing her tell me she loves them. Before this trip, she didn’t really know who they were. And I loved watching her tease her uncle. Besides, it sure would be nice to have more family nearby.

See? These things couldn’t all fit in my suitcase. But I sure wish they could!

I did this on February 8th. It’s over a week ago. Deal with it. I’m on vacation!

4:50 Buddy fusses. I get up. He stops. I go back to sleep.
5:07 Buddy wants to eat. I feed him and put him back to bed. He plays in his crib and I fall asleep. He’s ready to get up at 5:30.
I change his diaper and we go to the living room to play.

While he plays I check my fb, email, etc on my phone. I’m really starting to get the hang of using my phone as my computer. I don’t love it, but it’s working for this trip.
I checked out the sunrise.


This child is non-stop! He is now cruising around the furniture and making me nervous!

7:00 Baby Girl wakes up saying, “I heard someone and hoped it was Dada.” Awww! She watches George while eating her favorite breakfast (they’re usually a special treat from Papa).

I went back out to check the weather conditions.

Yup, looks good out there. Don’t you think? Smooth as glass!
7:15 Attempted a valentine’s craft with Buddy, then fed him breakfast…oatmeal and Cheerios.

7:25 Tylenol for teething boy
8:00 Buddy down for a nap
8:15 Buddy asleep (I wasn’t risking a picture of this one.)
8:25 Off for a walk and some alone time. Gorgeous out there!

Not the greatest picture, but I was trying to get the water in the picture.
9:00 Making Valentine’s with Baby Girl

9:20 Buddy up to eat
9:45 Buddy and I head to Target

10:30 Home. Decide to head to the pool. And the process begins. It takes forever to get two kids and a mama ready for the pool…swimsuits, noodles, sunscreen, bathroom stops, etc. Whew! We got to the pool around 11:10!

Swim until noon.
Baths for the kids.

I love this picture! Cracks me up. Dressing this child or changing his diaper is like a wrestling match. And he’s strong! He’s just always on the go!
Shower while Buddy screams to be fed…so relaxing!

Yes, his crib is in the bathroom. It works for us!
12:30 Feed hungry boy
12:40 Lunch on the porch. It’s gorgeous today!

1:20 Buddy down for a nap. Baby Girl resting, which turns into a nap. I clean up a little bit.
1:30 On the porch, feet up, eating some valentine hearts. Time to read in the sunshine!

2:00 Ugh! Buddy is up. He needs a diaper change and won’t go back to sleep!
2:45 Go down to the beach with Buddy to play.
3:30 Head to Naval Aviation Museum with my dad and Buddy.

Walk around the museum, taking in all the planes. This place is amazing, and we only saw a tiny bit of it!

 We check out a lighthouse on the way home. I love lighthouses!

4:50 Home for supper
5:15 Watch an amazing sunset!

Pictures seriously don’t do it justice!
5:30 Dinner: chicken, veggies, jello, bread. Yummy!
6:00 Buddy to bed. He is a tired guy after such a short nap this afternoon!
6-7 Some down time while Nani reads to Baby Girl.
7:00 Baby Girl to bed.

7:00 Some pinterest, fb, blogging. Mom sits here knitting. Listening to the waves. Ahhh.

7:30 Channel surfing, talking to my man on the phone

9:00 Get ready for bed. Do my ab workout

9:20 Feed Buddy

9:30 Text my man good night

9:40 Sweet sleep!

Valentine’s Day was on a Monday that year. We had classes, so we decided to each plan a weekend on either end of Valentine’s Day. My man decided he wanted the first weekend. All he told me was to dress casual. I sort of wondered if he would ask but I tried really hard not to think about it. I wanted to be surprised. I tend to over-think everything, which makes surprising me difficult.

He picked me up around 9, I think. I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie…so fancy, you know? He had a cooler, maps (before GPS), and lots of secrets. I tried to guess what we were doing the whole time. I finally figured out the first thing. We were going horseback riding! He remembered the one time I mentioned that I had never ridden a horse by myself. We rode through the woods with Table Rock Mt in the background. We had fun!
Next stop was for lunch. We drove to a state park for lunch. Earlier in the year we had visited a state park in the area. My man thought we were heading to that park. Little did he know that he mixed up two nearby state parks. We drove around the state park trying to find where we thought we were supposed to be. At this point I started thinking, “There’s no way he is proposing today.” My man is thorough. He would have maps printed, exact times set, etc. There was no way he would get lost on the day he was going to propose.
We settled on a nice spot by a lake (with Table Rock in the background) to eat our lunch. The park was fairly empty (it was February, after all). We sat and ate a delicious lunch and chatted. After lunch I was just sitting on the blanket, and my man says, “Wanna skip rocks?” At this point I thought, “This is our special date? We’re skipping rocks?”  We started picking up our lunch. I was shaking out the blanket when I heard him call my name. When I turned around he was down on one knee. I was shocked, and maybe a little ashamed that I had those few unkind thoughts moments earlier. I don’t remember exactly what he said. I wish I did. But I know I said yes. (I might have said, “Seriously?” first.)

We ended up finding the other state park, and it was crowded. We’re pretty glad we had our own private lunch at the first park. We headed home, where I found a dozen roses waiting for me. We dressed up and went to a Japanese hibachi grill for supper, then downtown for ice cream. My man even stopped so that I could tell my best friends in person.

We’ve been through a lot in the last seven years. We’ve lived in five homes, two states, finished grad school, had two kids, and the journey is just getting started. I know this, though, I wouldn’t take back that “yes” for any reason.

I love you, Babe! Thanks for asking.

By the way, I don’t remember what we did on my date weekend, but I know it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the weekend before!

We are having a wonderful time! Have I said that already? Yes, I think I have. And while I miss my friends and my church, I am seriously wondering if I could just switch my ticket for the end of February.

Yesterday my dad and I went to the Naval Air Museum. Pictures can’t do it justice. There are planes everywhere! Huge planes, tiny planes, jets, helicopters. It is amazing! And we only saw a tiny portion of the museum. Would you believe I’m hoping for a rainy day so that I can go back?

Then I got home and go to witness this:

Such a gorgeous sunset! This morning I took another picture…of an equally gorgeous sunrise! Seriously, this place is like heaven on earth.

Yesterday I did my “day in the life” post for Laura’s link up. You should join in. It’s a blast to document the entire day!

This whole trip is my Friday Favorite. I think it counts for this link-up!