We had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving in sunny Florida, while Minnesota was being hit by a historic turkey day winter storm. It made getting out of MSP a little tricky, and then round 2 came through as we were returning to Minnesota on Saturday, but we made it! The warm weather and memories made with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey were worth the travel issues we faced.
On Thanksgiving day, we had a wonderful time visiting with Deb and Whitey. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at home, we hit up a local Walmart (not too busy) to pick up a few things, and then the kids decorated Christmas cakes (I think G was the only one who ate a piece of his cake...it was mostly a fun activity to keep them entertained.)
We had a fantastic turkey dinner (thanks, Deb!) and then ventured out to a local state park (Blue Spring State Park.) The weather was perfect, and the manatees were happily floating around. It was interesting to read about the conservation efforts that have taken place there over the years. The water is super clear now, but when there were more swimmers there, the water quality was poor. Personally, I'm not sure I'd get into any body of water that I couldn't see in. We didn't see any alligators this time, but they were around!
We did see manatees (there were 153 sighted in the park that day,) lots of fish, a few turtles, and even a big snake. Wildlife was all around us!
Friday morning, we headed out to get breakfast at a diner, and then went north of Daytona to St Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S. (founded in September 1565.) We walked through Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century Spanish fortress that protects the city. We learned about life at the fort, and were there when they set off a cannon. G was very nervous, but he sat on my lap, and held his ears the entire time. And then he realized it wasn't that bad! We even saw a dolphin swimming by...fun!
After we finished up with the fort, we walked all around St Augustine's old town and did a little shopping (Ava and I went crazy with salt water taffy and ended up buying $40 worth of it! AUGH!) We had a late lunch and then hit the streets again before queuing up for the Nights of Lights tour.
For the Nights of Lights tour, the city's tourist trolleys were all decked out in Christmas gear and played Christmas carols while driving us around town to look at the lights. They gave each of us a pair of glasses that would turn every light into a snowflake (adult version) or a Santa face (kid version.) They were really neat and I can see how we'd use them again in the future!
We opted not to take the earliest flight back on Saturday, so we were able to head up to Orlando at a decent time i the morning (no 2am road trips for us this time!) No issues with flight delays, even though there was a storm rolling through the Midwest. It was pretty bumpy on our descent into MSP and there were moderate winds as we landed, which buffeted the plane a bit. I was wondering how we were going to land with a snowy and icy runway, but clearly the pilots knew what they were doing.
Last night we unpacked, dug ourselves out of the snow on the driveway, did some laundry, and had a relaxing night of pizza and another Marvel movie (Captain Marvel!) We're looking forward to a quiet day at home, getting ready for the week ahead of us. (And the craziness of the next few weeks with Christmas in 25 days!)
Taking advantage of the five-hour flight delay to relax with a few drinks and dessert (the actual dinner was purchased in a gift shop...sigh)
We attempted new hairstyles while waiting for our flight
So bored
We're finally on the plane - hooray!
On Thanksgiving day, we had a wonderful time visiting with Deb and Whitey. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at home, we hit up a local Walmart (not too busy) to pick up a few things, and then the kids decorated Christmas cakes (I think G was the only one who ate a piece of his cake...it was mostly a fun activity to keep them entertained.)
There's a little gecko hanging out on the bird feeder
We had a fantastic turkey dinner (thanks, Deb!) and then ventured out to a local state park (Blue Spring State Park.) The weather was perfect, and the manatees were happily floating around. It was interesting to read about the conservation efforts that have taken place there over the years. The water is super clear now, but when there were more swimmers there, the water quality was poor. Personally, I'm not sure I'd get into any body of water that I couldn't see in. We didn't see any alligators this time, but they were around!
We did see manatees (there were 153 sighted in the park that day,) lots of fish, a few turtles, and even a big snake. Wildlife was all around us!
G was trying hard to jump up to touch the moss on this tree
I can't believe how clear the water is...so pretty
The colors were amazing...and when the sun started to set, it was even more stunning
At the end, G wanted to burn off some energy in the playground, and even Ava enjoyed the swings.
I caved and let the kids get something from the gift shop...this is Manny, the manatee!
Friday morning, we headed out to get breakfast at a diner, and then went north of Daytona to St Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S. (founded in September 1565.) We walked through Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century Spanish fortress that protects the city. We learned about life at the fort, and were there when they set off a cannon. G was very nervous, but he sat on my lap, and held his ears the entire time. And then he realized it wasn't that bad! We even saw a dolphin swimming by...fun!
Distracting him before the cannon was fired
After we finished up with the fort, we walked all around St Augustine's old town and did a little shopping (Ava and I went crazy with salt water taffy and ended up buying $40 worth of it! AUGH!) We had a late lunch and then hit the streets again before queuing up for the Nights of Lights tour.
This apple pie cider was pretty taste - it was like drinking a pie!
Does this mean no angry faces? Ha!
For the Nights of Lights tour, the city's tourist trolleys were all decked out in Christmas gear and played Christmas carols while driving us around town to look at the lights. They gave each of us a pair of glasses that would turn every light into a snowflake (adult version) or a Santa face (kid version.) They were really neat and I can see how we'd use them again in the future!
It got a little chilly while we were waiting for our shuttle back to our vehicle. G was a sad panda because he was so cold!
We opted not to take the earliest flight back on Saturday, so we were able to head up to Orlando at a decent time i the morning (no 2am road trips for us this time!) No issues with flight delays, even though there was a storm rolling through the Midwest. It was pretty bumpy on our descent into MSP and there were moderate winds as we landed, which buffeted the plane a bit. I was wondering how we were going to land with a snowy and icy runway, but clearly the pilots knew what they were doing.
Enjoying a super early (like 9:30am) Orlando airport lunch of nachos, empanadas, and mac n cheese...yum!
This is Ava's standard expression most of the time now. I'm pretty sure she's judging me here. :)
Last night we unpacked, dug ourselves out of the snow on the driveway, did some laundry, and had a relaxing night of pizza and another Marvel movie (Captain Marvel!) We're looking forward to a quiet day at home, getting ready for the week ahead of us. (And the craziness of the next few weeks with Christmas in 25 days!)
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