Cottonmouth sighting...

We went to see the wading birds at Gatorland since it's nesting season. But the photo of the day was in their swamp walk of this deadly cottonmouth...

C-Ponies!

For our girls' weekend this time, Alex and I decided to try out C-Ponies - a beach horse ride and swim experience in the St Pete/Tampa Bay area.We did the first ride of the day so the Drum and Gypsy Vanner horses were still having breakfast when we arrived. It was nice to get to know them a little beforehand, they were all so beautiful and sweet-natured:).  We started out the experience with a short ride on the beach which helped to calm my nerves a bit...

Then we went out into the water, The weather was perfect and the view was so beautiful (that's the Sunshine Skyway in the background). It was fun to pass people on the beaches and boats in the water and watch their reaction!

My horse, Ariel, was just perfect - she went slowly for me and I felt safe with her the whole time. I loved her:)

After about 20-30 minutes, the instructor prepared us a little and then the horses actually started to swim! It was so wild!

It's such a lovely experience but tough to describe - so here is some video to give you a better idea:

After the swimming we posed for some photos. Alex was so brave - she did the stand!

This was my favorite shot of the day:)

It was so amazing - we both had a fantastic time! Afterwards we headed out to Gulfport Beach for lunch and to stretch our legs. It's a quirky, pretty little town...

We found out there was a "Faeirie Festival" in town so we had to know if there are adults that dress as fairies for fun. Apparently there are. Lots...

Bizarre - and it wasn't a small event either...

We rounded off the day with quality time with wine and Santi...

It was a perfect weekend - thank you so much Alex, I can't wait for our next adventure!

Senior Prom!

Maddy had a perfect senior prom and she looked absolutely stunning!

Seb looked so handsome too - they made a beautiful couple:)

Senior year is flying by as Maddy gets ready to head out to college. And she was delighted to accept an offer to the University of South Florida and we couldn't be any prouder of our beautiful girl. Go Bulls!

Oakland Nature Preserve

While Maddy was busy doing nails, hair and make up to get ready for her senior prom Mike and I went out for lunch and stopped by Briley Farm to see if any of his animals were out and about. We timed it perfectly and a baby zebra was feeding together with a couple of exotic cows, including some beautiful ankole cattle...

But we were really intrigued by this guy - we hadn't seen one before...

He was so tame, he came right over to see me!

We did some research and apparently it's a Gir - an exotic type of cattle originating from India. They are known to be very tame and social with humans. We thought he was very impressive!

Mabel's Baptism

Mabel's big day was a relaxed, laid back and joyful family event!

The Godparents!

Look at these cuties!

I think Mike likes Mabel's Belle tiara more than she does!

Early girls...

Adorable Rowan and Liz!

Congratulations Mabel - we love you very much :)

Dogs, dogs, dogs...

The new fence is a big hit and Bryce just loves laying out in the sunshine in peace...

Bath time is a lot easier now too!

 Although Juneau prefers the inside where she can guard her toys and sleep with one eye open...

Love those eyes...