Lovely Gailybird...

It feels like forever since I've seen my sister Gail! We started out her visit with a day at Gatorland - she was skeptical at first but I knew she would love it!

The wading birds are able to nest predator-free (due to the number of gators) so there are literally hundreds of nests and babies at this time of year. It's really an incredible experience to see!

This wood stork was so tame...

We even saw a rare black-crowned night heron:)

Awww...

Maddy bonded with the baby goats. She was the first person that they accepted food from - I wasn't surprised - I swear she can talk to the animals:)

I can take selfies with animals....:)

We had such a healthy week while she was here - 4-5 miles walking every day and we learned how to spiralize! This contraption is just fantastic and I use it all the time now!

Mike, Maddy and I took a couple of days off while she was here to get a mini-vacation at Longboat Key. It was as perfect as ever with breathtaking nightly sunsets...

Endless white sandy beaches and warm water....

And plenty of time just to be...

And to be grateful...

It was fun, simple, peaceful and we all loved it...

 

Miss you already so much Gay....love you xxx

It's Junior Prom!

Here are my favorite shots from Maddy's Junior Prom. She looked so beautiful and they all had a fantastic time:)

 

And with some very proud parents...:)

Anna Maria Island getaway...

We all needed a break after a busy start to the year and managed to sneak in a little trip to Anna Maria Island for Spring Break:) It was really hazy but warm the first couple of days so we spent hours on the beach reading, watching dolphins and walking. I took about a million bird pictures - it was heavenly:)

Maddy and Mike spent hours looking for an intact sand dollar...

The next day the beach was completely deserted since it was rainy. But it was warm so we did our usual walk anyway and enjoyed the solitude...

I saw a flock of blue-crowned parakeets that are now wild. Apparently they have been around since the 80s after either release or escape...

And just before we left Mike scored the jackpot :)

 

Now it's back to work until Gail gets here! I can't wait!

Hoppy Easter:)

We woke up early on Easter Sunday to volunteer with Maddy's friend Kaley by delivering boxes of food to families in need. A really rewarding way to start the Holiday :)

Once we were done we headed over to Rita's to see the family:)

And after lunch, the hunt was on!

 

Milo cleaned up!

Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Birthday Michael!

It was really nice to have Zoe and Zach here for Mike's birthday:). We all went over to Crystal River to see if we could see any manatee before the season ends. It was lovely just to be out on the water in the Florida sun...

We got really lucky and not only got to see several, but one in particular was really friendly and came over to interact with the group. He was such a show off - rolling over and chewing on the divers' masks!

After he was done and swam away, we went snorkling in the spring. I love this group shot!

And then Maddy got up close and personal with this one on the swim back to the boat:)

Happy Birthday Mike!

Thanks for coming Zoe and Zach:)

What an amazing day!