In November we all went down to St. Pete Florida to celebrate Dad’s 70th birthday. It was a nice warm break from the cold weather back home. We stayed in a resort right on the beach that had pools, a huge blowup slide on the beach, and activities for the kids like paddle boats and zip lines. It was a really nice, relaxing getaway and a fun celebration.
the beach babesLauren and AriCousins! Not the best family photo
For Dad’s birthday dinner we went to a seafood restaurant that had a huge aquarium in the dining room.
The birthday boyThe whole fam
I think Dad enjoyed the weekend having the whole family around and just chilling on the beach. Happy Birthday, dad! We love you!
Over the last two years we’ve traveled very little. We had the big spring break trip last spring, and lots of road trips to VA and MD, and now in the last two months we’ve gone to NY as a family, Dave and I went to Chicago for the weekend, and the we headed to FL for the long President’s Day weekend. I’m so happy to be moving around again, but it also feels strange. Over the last two years, we been in very few crowded places and standing or sitting less than six feet from another person has been “unsafe.” So to crowd onto a plane and sit nearly touching knees with strangers is a surreal experience. Anyway, that’s just what we did.
For Christmas, we decided to take my family for a trip, and found a great house on a little island off the west coast of Florida called North Captive. Apparently it used to be connected to a larger piece of land, Captiva, but a hurricane in 1921 separated the northern tip and it became it’s own island, with no paved roads, no cars, and just a few houses. Most of the island is a nature reserve.
We flew into Ft. Myers, then hired a van, and finally took a ferry to get to the little island where we picked up our golf cart for the weekend. It was only a four seater, so we had to take two trips from the ferry to the house to carry all the people and luggage, but fortunately it was only about a quarter mile away (as I said, small island).
The house was bright blue and had a heated outdoor pool and was also a short distance from the ocean. It was exactly what we needed to escape winter in February.
Dave making dinner the poolDave and dad in the golf cartthe house Sophie with a coconut in the front “yard”view from the drivers seatour house was on Schooner Dr., just off Rum Rd.
We arrived on a Friday, explored the island and bit and then headed to the beach. The weather was really foggy and cooler, in the 70s, but felt a little cooler because there was no sun. Dave and I had a long walk along the beach to check it out and the girls stayed with mom and dad to relax and play.
That night Dave cooked dinner for everyone at the house. Since there is no grocery story on the island, we had to have all of the food ordered and delivered before we arrived.
The rest of the weekend had amazing weather – warm and sunny. We spent more time at the beach and exploring the island. Dad’s favorite thing to do was the cruise around on the golf cart. The house also had a roof deck and mom mustered up her courage and walked up the metal spiral staircase to see it. She had made a deal with Becky – if she could confront her fear of flying, mom needed to confront her fear of heights. So overall, I would say they were both successful, if not super thrilled about either.
Dad and mom on the roof deckView from the roofgirls on the beachSoph and another coconut!the beach crewArt hamming it up on the beachThe girls all crowded on the back of the golf cart on our way to dinnerThe Coughlin ladies!
Saturday night we went out to dinner at one of the three restaurants on the island called Barnacles.
On Sunday, Dave took the kids and Becky on a fishing trip. They had a blast and caught a lot of fish, but none big enough to keep. They also had a dolphin who swam alongside of the boat, hoping for some lunch to be thrown over the side. It’s the first time Ari has seen a dolphin, and she was thrilled.
While they were fishing, mom and dad biked around the island. They had bikes with huge tires so you can pedal on the sand. And I grabbed a kayak and went out to explore the area. Lots of birds, a few dolphin, and some nice quite time to myself!
We spent the rest of the day on the beach and watched the sunset.
sunset selfietortoise munching away on the path to the beachtortoise along the side of the road
On our final morning, Becky, Dave and I woke up before sunrise to hike out to the tip of the island – or as far as we could go. It was quite and beautiful and the perfect way to end the weekend (which we were all sad to see end). We walked along the beach as the sun was rising, and then moved to a trail that took us through the center of the island before ending up at the beach again.
sunrise
The next time we go to North Captive, and I’m sure there will be a next time, we’ll stay for more than three days. It was such a nice, quite get away and I’m already looking forward to going back!
The weekend after Sophie’s birthday I headed to Clearwater, FL for my annual girls weekend with Sallie and Aleen. We went to the same resort in Florida we did last year because it was spectacular. We went earlier in the year so that we were there for both Aleen and Sallie’s birthday month. Turns out Florida is actually a little chilly in March. But, it was still fabulous.
These pictures basically sum up the weekend. Lot of lazing around, sipping cocktails by the pool, and watching sunsets over the ocean. It was heaven.
On May 30th it’ll be Dave and my 15 year wedding anniversary! We don’t typically do much of anything for our anniversary, but this year we decided to take a short trip. We’re also both turning 40 this year, so it just feels a bit more significant all together. We decided on South Beach – we’ve both never been there, it’s a quick direct flight, and nice and warm. We had a blast! The weather was beautiful, the people are insane, and there’s great food. We enjoyed it all (although Dave will tell you it was all a bit too much for him).
It seems to be the town of selfies, so we got in the spirit ourselves.
We spent one afternoon in a neighborhood called Wynwood Walls, which was previously a blighted area and was recently (relatively) developed into a hipster/artsy neighborhood. We ate some amazing ice cream at a place called Dasher & Crank and saw some very impressive graffiti and large format art, including an exhibition of Kobra, whom I love.
And then we did what I guess you do in South Beach – lay by the pool, drink straight from a coconut, listen to amazing latin jazz, and meet ladies who juggle fire at a bar late at night.
It was a lot of fun and felt much longer than just three days (just long enough I think). The icing on the cake was getting upgraded to first class on the way home. One of the few perks of Dave’s crazy travel schedule.
For a quick blast from the past, please enjoy this! Look at those babies!
On December 28th, Lauren turned 5! We had an early birthday celebration at her school, since her actual birthday falls over holiday break.
She did the traditional Montessori celebration of holding a globe and walking around a candle for as many years as she is old, to represent how many times the earth has circled the sun since she as born. We also read a story to the class. Lauren picked How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and she passed out chocolate chip muffins that we made for her classmates.
And we were in the Florida Keys for her actual birthday.
Here she is doing her most favorite thing – swimming in the pool! On her birthday she decided that she wanted to be in the pool for the entire day. She made it about 5 hours straight before she threw in the towel (pun intended).
Last weekend we all went down to Clearwater, FL to celebrate dad’s 65 birthday. Mom, Dad, Becky, and Ari had made a week of it, driving from Virginia with a 3 day stop in Orlando, but we had to make it quick – arriving on Friday and heading out on Sunday. It was worth it though. The weather was beautiful and we got some good pool and beach time in.
While we were there we saw 3 beach weddings. The girls were spying on one here. We all had our own opinions about which bride’s dress was best.
The girls with the birthday boy
Cousins! Mom and Becky took the three kids to the aquarium (while Dave and I enjoyed some solo pool time).
The bathing beauties, Lauren and Ari
The sunset on Saturday night was beautiful, so we took advantage and tried to get some good shots.
The whole fam!
Becky and me
On Sunday morning the girls wanted to go and look for shells. There were a ton of really small ones all along the water line.
Dave had his annual sales meeting in Florida again, this time in Clearwater, so we made a mini-vacation of it and the whole family went down for 5 days. The weather was beautiful! We had 2 days with the whole family, and then 2 days with just me and the girls while Dave was in his meetings. We hit the pool early and stayed the entire day – it was lovely.
Carl, who works with Dave, brought his wife, Amanda, and their kids, Gianna and Ella. Sophie and Gianna get along famously, which was really nice.
Sophie, Gianna, Ella & Lauren in an chair perfect for 4 friends
We took a boat trip to a little island where the girls found shells (you can see Sophie and Gianna’s skirts are full of them). We also saw dolphins on our way back, and a bunch of cool birds.
The best shot I was able to get of the girls. Beautiful morning walk on the beach before hitting the pool.
In November Dave had his annual sales meeting in Marco Island, Florida, so we decided to make a little family vacation of it and went down a few days early. We stayed in a beautiful resort and for most of the trip the weather was lovely – in the 80s (while Philly was having their first cold snap).
The happy sisters
We took a nature hike through a national park. We were on the lookout for alligators, but unfortunately never saw one. Lots of birds and other little critters though.
If only we could walk on the beach in November every year!
Turns out one of my good friends who moved to Florida a few years ago lived just 30 minutes from where we were staying. We were able to get together and I met her son, Myles, for the first time. Here are Lauren and Myles after a marathon day in the pool.
