our last day of staycation was simple and relaxing.  we slept in, went to church, had lunch with friends and then they came back for a beach day.  all in all, i’m surprised that staycationing was such a success.  I never cooked a thing and hubby stuck with me throughout.  we got out and did some things around here that we wouldn’t usually bother with.  and we had the added benefit of getting to spend some of our time off with great friends.  we didn’t do anything huge and exotic but I also feel like i’m rested enough that going back to work isn’t going to be a nightmare (no moreso than any other Monday 😉 ).

today was another park day.  eden gardens state park is just down the road and I hadn’t even heard of it.  we stopped at Panera for breakfast and sammiches to bring for picnicking.  we did a tour of the old house which was Victorian house that was bought back in the 60s and renovated into antebellum style.  it houses the 2nd largest collection of Louis xvi furniture in the US.  I kind of wish that it had been the original Victorian but it was still a nice walk through.  the gardens weren’t at their prime but it was still a nice grounds to walk through.  we sat at a table by the bayou (in fl that means a body of water that is land on three sides and attaches to a bay on one side) and watched the ducks while we ate.  we then walked around some of the nature trails and ran up on a raccoon and the most frightening hive of bees I’ve ever seen.

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9 years into happy ever after

today was a relaxing day of sleeping in and lounging around before our big anniversary dinner. we grabbed a couple friends and made our way west to the melting pot. kids, I can’t possibly express just how much I heart the melting pot.  it’s just always a fabulous meal and experience.  and I can’t even remember the last time we ate at one.  our friends haven’t experienced this joy before so it was great to be the ones to expose them to the wonder that is terrific fondue.  although trainwreck went into it with some apprehension as he thought that fondue meant that everything was going to be cooked in melted cheese (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).  it was definitely a night of great food and even greater companionship.  oh, and mojo bullion… oh my goodness!  I couldn’t stop eating the broccoli florets because they soaked the flavor up so strongly.

since we moved here, I’ve been wanting to go to fl caverns state park.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve suggested this as a nice little weekend activity for the hubby and I.  last year, a couple neighbors invited me to go with them while hubby was out of town and I jumped at the opportunity since it started to look like hubby was never going to be interested.  it turned out to be a very nice little park and pretty decent caverns.  today, I finally convinced hubby to go check it out with me.  we stopped for breakfast on the way and then grabbed some publix subs to pack for a picnic lunch.  we did the cave tour and hubby agreed that it was a very worthwhile experience for fl.  we walked around some of the nature trails and checked out the blue hole springs swimming hole and had an all around pleasant day, aside from hubby nearly stepping on a copperhead snake who was none too happy about our invasion of his solitude.

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to give hubby some down time after his race, we decided to try a mini staycation. the rules are that we have to do things (not just sit on the couch), we have to be together (he can’t go off with the boys for a bike ride), and above all… no cooking! today was a good start. we slept in, walked to a diner for a late breakfast, walked to the mall to see the new ironman movie, came back home and rested, and then went to bonefish for a yummy dinner and anniversary dessert.

hubby completed his second half-iron distance triathlon today. his first one was two years ago and he did a great job and had fun. today, he managed to take 34 minutes off his time!!! I couldn’t be more proud of him. and now we’re halfway through the year of ironman training!

demonstrating his swim technique	for a short while, we had matching purple heads
1.2 mile swim... check!	56 mile bike... check!
a little wet but at least that kept the run cooler	13.1 mile run and completion of another half-iron... check!
so proud of my hubby after 5 hours and 56 minutes of giving his all!

and then this was him upside down in the passenger seat trying to get his legs to stop aching while I drove us to his parents’ for mother’s day 🙂

What a week!  my eldest nephew broke his arm again over the weekend and had to have surgery this morning to add a plate and screws his skeletal assemblage.  the operation went well and i pray that his recovery is swift and smooth.

A very dear friend came to me this morning for a shoulder to cry on.  she is going through some very difficult times.  my heart hurts for her as i have been through that darkness myself and know how hard it is.  i love them and pray that they can find the healing they need.

My daddy stopped in for a brief visit last week and i really enjoyed seeing him.  i got the feeling he was keeping something from me and his wife quasi-confirmed that but wouldn’t fill me in.  i pray for my dad’s health. 

I pray for hubby and me.

Lord, please hear these prayers and the prayers of my heart. in your son, Jesus’ name… Amen

i got a call from my sis-n-law a couple weeks ago saying that they had moved to GA and bought a restaurant.  i was a bit sad over the fact that i won’t get to see my sweet little baby girl very much anymore (not that i see her much now but my visits to Orlando are definitely more regular than my visits to GA).  all in all, though, i know that it’s a good move for my brother and his family.  they have the chance to really build something together and that’s a wonderful thing.  my sis-n-law is a terrific cook and has excellent scruples so i have faith that she can make this work.  they had a soft opening this week and are already off to a booming start.  I’ve done what little i can to help by building a website and spreading the word to all of our friends who are near there.  i can’t wait to make a trip up there and check it out for myself!