Vacationing at the Beach

HI! 

Life just keeps moving moving MOVING and all of a sudden it is 153 days until Christmas!!!!  EEEKK!!!  did you panic JUST a little?! 

I'm excited - I love Christmas and the season and the music and the decorations! I can't wait!!

The weekend after my dad's surprise party, The Husband and I made our way to Longboat Key on the gulf side of Florida.  His parents vacation there every year and we TRY (and sometimes fail) to make it to their vacation destination.  You can read about past trips here and here.

This year we planned to be there when Larry and Anngela would be there so we could vacation as one big happy family! =) It was so awesome...sans the rain on Saturday and Sunday night. We missed the sunsets those nights but Monday's sunset was GORGEOUS!!!!

We spent a lot of time Saturday and Sunday on the beach - lounging in and near the water.  The boys fished in the surf - targeting pin fish for our fishing trip we planned for Monday. 

   

Sunday night, we went driving around looking for somewhere to eat dinner. The restaurant we WANTED to go to was pretty much under water from the 'monsoon' we were having...so we drove in the other direction.  Us girls know our way to some yummy food because we helped lead the men to Old Salty Dog...DELICIOUS!!!

 

and of course - we didn't let the rain OR THE DARK ruin our opportunity to take some pictures =) 

 

On Monday, The Husband, Larry, and I all went offshore fishing.  I caught my first red grouper! =) 

 

He wasn't a keeper but it was my first and I was proud =)

Finally on Monday we were ACTUALLY able to get some sunset pictures and group shots...to be honest we went picture CRAZY on Monday night....there were three cameras being used! It was so much fun!

    

It was a MUCH NEEDED four day weekend...one where we just went and had a good time. We didn't have to worry about anything....oh and did I mention that The Husband and I got WASTED?! hehe!!! not chocolate wasted either ;) We are definitely light-weights who don't drink a WHOLE lot too often...we were living it up on vacation =)  

Here is what happens to US when we drink though....

NOTE: this is not staged at all - we for real, laid down in our normal clothes and just passed. out! AFTER our round of giggles =) 

Vacation is amazing and needs to be taken more often by us...seriously I think this was our first vacation since 2010 when we went to Longboat and to The Keys.  We need to do this more often =) 

Where was the last place you went on vacation??

Stay-cations Are The Best

Hey Y'all!!! I'm back!! I had to step back from everything -- well mostly everything and just take some time to be with The Husband. Work has been so stinkin' stressful and then we have been just SOOOO busy that we have hardly had time for just the two of us. In addition to relaxing together, The Husband and I also worked on some home projects.  We did a little of everything and I will share those projects tomorrow; I will share one tomorrow and then one on Monday or Tuesday. =)

After nearly two years, we finally felt compelled to go back to the beach. I know you are probably thinking we are crazy for living so close but never going but the truth is The Husband doesn't like the sticky/salty feeling and doesn't enjoy just hanging out in the sun so we haven't been in about two years. It just isn't his thing. I love reading in the sun and lounging but I know he would be bored to pieces!

A group of our friends were going and the guys were going to surf fish and surprisingly The Husband was looking forward to the trip. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, with a nice breeze and tons of sunshine! oh and word to the wise -- MAKE SURE TO PUT SUNSCREEN ON YOUR FEET. Seriously our feet were SCORCHED!!

It was so wonderful! I read my nook -- Catching Fire

The Husband caught some sharks. 

It was a great day! I think The Husband would even be willing to take another trip to the beach!

Oh and we ended it with a slurpee for the ride home. This girl LOVES a Slurpee!! YUM!!

Monday afternoon, we went shooting/fishing/hunting. Yes - we did all those things but thankfully only went to one location; an orange grove that a friend of The Husband's has access to.
He fished and I got bored so I grabbed a beer and hung out with Aeron while The Husband walked the ponds.

 

Car-bar anyone?! OK this is a lot little staged -- don't worry Mom!! =) 

We shot some plastic bottles while we waited for the sun to start setting so we could go get us some hogs!

I took a shot and missed. I was so sad! Seriously, it is the first thing I have shot at to take down and missed. I am sure some of y'all are not into harvesting/hunting but it is fun being outside and looking for food. I felt so Hunger Games without the fighting for your life scenario. I will tell you one thing - this girl would NOT have survived. Once we were dropped off in the orange grove, I felt VERY lost and disoriented. I know I would have just curled into a little ball and cried in HG. I definitely wouldn't have been out there alone - yes I'm a fraidy-cat even when I'm armed!

All in all, we had two full days of being outside. It was so amazing. We wanted to go out on the boat but after the beach on Sunday and getting a wee bit too much sun, we decided staying in pants or indoors was our best option.

Tuesday we did some grocery shopping and laundry. Other than that, we watched Unstoppable; awesome movie!  We also caught up on our recorded shows - like 100% caught up. We are NEVER caught up. I was actually a little disappointed because I don't like commercials and I like having a variety lol.

It was so nice to reconnect as a couple and as friends. Time together is so important for us - especially when we can be silly or creative or serious or whatever together. Sometimes it has to be all about US.

Happy Halfway through the Week!!!

J & A Chronicles: Family Vacation

Every year, J's parents go to Long Boat Key, FL for a two week vacation.  It has become tradition for J and his brother and their girlfriends to go out and stay, at least for a weekend.  This was my first experience with a real family vacation with my husband's family.  I rode with his parents because J was on a fishing trip in the Bahamas -- yes he fished for 23 hours! When the tournament was over, he made his way to us.  He was exhausted the entire weekend but we still had a good time!

 

The August I moved in with J was the first time my family had taken vacation in Ocean City, MD.  We had such a great time that we decided we wanted to go back the next year.  So in August 2008, we packed up the vehicles and drove from our happy little place in Florida to Ocean City, MD.  We stayed in a rented townhouse and played and ate for a week.  My God-mother and her husband came down from New York and stayed with us for a few days.  J isn't usually a beach person but he sucked it up and we had a blast with my family! AND did I mention the amazing food we were able to partake?! YUM! I hope we are able to go back soon!

 I can't WAIT to go back!  We had SUCH an amazing time!! We weren't able to go in 2009 what with the wedding coming up and everything and we weren't able to go this year because, well, life is a little crazy right now =)

*Next Week: J & L's birthdays!