Wordless Wednesday

A perfect end to the weekend ...

Last night was the perfect way to end the weekend. Kirsten (a friend that I don't see as often as I used to or as often as I'd like) came for dinner and to soak up some Abby time. I put my homemade ziti in the oven, Jim used his new gadget to grill some meatballs, and Kirsten put together a tasty salad with homemade Italian dressing. Needless to say, it was quite the yummy dinner. Don't worry honey, I'm sure next time you won't burn the meatballs. ::wink, wink::

After dinner, we enjoyed playtime with Abby.

She is quite the entertainer these days!

Abby loves to play with Kirsten!

Look at those smiles :)

Catching up with a great friend, enjoying a meal together (with my parents too!), and playing with a baby that can make us smile and laugh... What a perfect combination to end the weekend!

Do we seriously live here?

That's a question I ask myself every now and again and I thank God for giving us this beautiful place to now call home. Living in Sarasota has many perks, yet there are many things we haven't taken advantage of... yet. Since my parents are in town visiting us, I wanted to find something different to do. Something different than the usual trips to the park, mall, and favorite restaurants (and yes, we did all those things too).

Enter Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Jim and I have lived here for almost 6 years now and have never taken the time to explore the beauty of the Gardens. When I was pregnant with Abby, my dad came to stay with me for about a month when baseball season started. We got into the routine of walking down by the marina almost every night. Dad would walk faster (much faster!) and longer, but at least I would tag along for some of it. Most of the time, I would find myself relaxing on the swing overlooking the water, but that's beside the point. The point is, we would always walk by the fence of the Gardens and always comment on how it must be such a beautiful place. So.... our chance to visit came along and we jumped right on it, despite the heat.

The Gardens are almost 10 acres, with a collection of over 20,000 different types of living plants. I would have never expected it to be like this ... it truly is a magical place! Even though it was blasted hot outside, we enjoyed looking at the plants, watching fish and boats in the water, and touring the historic home on site. It was definitely something different and such a wonder to see!

Gramma & Grandad take a break to look for dolphins in the bay.

Abby only saw boats and little fishies instead!

Abby & Mommy enjoying the breeze on the bayfront.

What a beautiful view!

I was also excited to try some different things with my camera. This camera can do so much, that sometimes it's overwhelming to me. I still have so much to learn. I'm getting there! I put away the standard lens that I'm most comfortable with and used the zoom lens today. It was fun taking pictures of a subject other than a child that moves too quick for a good picture. The shots of the plants turned out great!

We will definitely take another trip back to explore even more of the Gardens during the winter months, when it's a bit cooler. At least now I know what beauty the Gardens behold and instead of saying, "I want to go there someday", I can now say "The Gardens are a beautiful, magical place."

Thankful Thursday (a day late)

Before I ramble off a few things I'm thankful for, my blog is under construction for those of you that noticed. It's not quite the same anymore and yes, the background is just greenish yellow right now. That's because I used Scrappin' Blogs for my background and they have pulled all their codes off their website due to some problems with Photobucket. So unfortunately, I will need to redesign my blog, which may take a few days. Ugh!

Things I'm thankful for today :

1. The fact that my parents do not fly, yet drive almost a thousand miles to visit us. They are here with us now, enjoying every moment with their granddaughter. I may be away from the blog because of all the family time and for that I am thankful!

2. The gym. Yes, you read that right. I have found a class called "Muscle Works" that I take on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Even though I leave there looking like a wet noodle and am sore the next day, it is soooooooo worth it. It's the first time in a LONG time, that I have enjoyed going to the gym. I am loving it!

3. The man involved in the murders of the two Tampa policeman (along with others) turned himself in the day before the funerals were held. To me, this is a huge blessing for those families to know that he isn't roaming the streets any longer.

4. Looking forward to pizza with the family this weekend. We haven't had pizza for a while and it's my favorite. If I've been working so hard at the gym, don't I deserve a slice of pizza, or two?

5. The rain we had last week. As much as I whined about it then, our grass is absolutely beautiful again!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.... We'll be keeping busy with Little Miss Abby and enjoying our time together with the fam. I will have plenty of pics to share in my next post! :)

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost)

Miserable

mis·er·a·ble

adjective

1. Being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness.

2. Being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness when wearing shoes for the first time in ones life.

Red, white, and blue ... and different.

I have to admit this 4th of July was quite different than ones in the past. Usually Jim has a game, whether it be home or away and I spend the day in Galesville with the fam. Since we are home this year and not in Maryland, we actually got to spend this holiday together. We are usually apart on the 4th of July, although I do remember a couple few handful of years back, a game was cancelled due to rain in the area. Amazingly the rain cleared before the fireworks and Jim and I spent our first 4th together that year. So this, I believe was our second.

Anyways, we were invited to a BBQ on Saturday (the 3rd) and spent the evening with great friends. An evening of tasty food, swimming, and babies everywhere. Unfortunately, we had to miss the fireworks display to get the little one home to bed. Thanks to Becky for thinking of us, we had a wonderful time!

Chloe + Abby = Best Friends in the making :)

Sawyer (cutest little man EVER), Best Friends

Madie & Camdyn :)

Then, the actual holiday came around. We dressed Abby up in her patriotic wear and headed to the outlet mall shortly after breakfast. We didn't have any big plans for the day so we figured it was something we hadn't done in a while, the rain was passing, and it wasn't too hot out. Abby ended up with a new pair of kicks and Mama, well all she got was new work out clothes. (I will fill you in on a hardcore workout class I've been taking at a later time - it's crazy but so worth it!) After a day of shopping and playing at the house, Jim and I enjoyed a beer with some neighbors, while watching the fireworks from the driveway. Quite festive, huh?

Throughout the day, I kept thinking of the fam back home. I wondered what they were doing at that moment. Were they just putting food on the grill? Ahh, I could almost smell it. Were they in their lawn chairs watching the Galesville parade? I could hear my Dad start up the old tractor and envision him with his straw hat and ear to ear smile. Were they laughing at jokes or playing baseball in the backyard? Was my Dad shooting off the canon for the whole town to hear? Whatever they were doing, I missed it. Jim missed it. Abby missed it.

I pray that one day our families will all be together for holidays such as this. In the meantime, I keep thanking God for giving us the friends that make Florida feel like home.

Thankful Thursday

In the world of blogging, I've come to realize that Thursdays are a special day to reflect on things in your life, for which you are thankful. Hence Thankful Thursday. I've never really taken part in this, only because I don't post each and every day. However, this Thursday I'm finding myself thankful for so many things. A lot has transpired in the past week that has made me count my many blessings.

Many of you have heard about the shooting of two police officers in Tampa, Florida. This tragic story made not only local headlines, but has been spread nationally. The police are doing what they can, yet have still been unable to catch the man behind this heinous crime. I was saddened to hear about the families that were left behind without their loved one. One officer was married and a father to four boys and the other officer was married, his wife expecting their first child in a week. I have been unable to get these women out of my mind. I can't imagine what they are going through right now. One minute, you have everything... and the next minute, your whole world is turned upside down.

Just last night, I came across another family who could use some prayers said for them today. I follow many "mommy blogs" on a daily basis and one that I read regularly led me to a new one. In one night, after catching up on old blog posts, I felt like I had been on this journey with this family the whole time. Tears welled in my eyes, I said a prayer, and went right to bed, with more tears. You should definitely check out Megan and Brent's blog, but here's a quick summary of their journey. (Just get your tissues ready if you visit) Megan and Brent found out at 22 weeks pregnant that their little Cohen had not only one congenital heart defect, but four. Having one could be manageable, but having four together is very rare and could be very dangerous. Cohen was born on June 7, 2010 and just days later, on June 18, 2010, he became a sweet angel in heaven. For a family that was so deserving, they were left with this unimaginable heartbreak. The memorial service is being held for Cohen today, so please take a moment to say a prayer for this family.

If you would like to participate in A Moment of Silence for Cohen,

post this banner in your blog.

I've had a hard time processing how these things can happen to such wonderful people. Life just isn't fair sometimes. So after having a few sleepless nights, I am sitting here this morning extremely thankful for what God has given me. A wonderful husband, a sweet baby (one that I snuck in her room last night at 2am just to give her a kiss), and a life filled with love. My heart goes out to these families that are dealing with a time of grief and mourning and I continue to pray for God to grant them the strength that they will need to get through the hard times ahead.