Winter Park in the Spring ~:o)

(Kraft Azalea Park and Gardens)

(One of the many reasons we love Florida)

We recently took a family outing to beautiful Winter Park, Florida!! I found out about this Diamond in the rough through the March/April edition of Victoria Bliss Magazine!! I was so thrilled when I found out that this area so close to where we live at was featured in one of my favorite magazines that I just had to visit!! There is plenty to do in this area just outside of Orlando. They have a Winter Park Canal tour ride, The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, several stunning public parks, and a village of shops for the shopaholics ~;o) Well worth visiting if your in the Orlando vicinity.


On another unrelated subject, I am very happy to announce that my sweeheart and I have recently become engaged!! We will be getting married in about a week and I am going coo-coo with the last minute details!! We are both very excited!! Hoping to blog more as soon as everything settles down!! I am very excited about June and this summer!! Lots of fun things to look forward too!! Got any exciting plans for the summer? Going anywhere special? I'd love to hear!!

Waterfront Dining in St. Pete!!

(Appetizer -- Lamb ribs -- YUM!!)

(The Pier in St. Pete, Florida.)

(We have plenty of these to go around~;o)

(The usual crowd, waiting for a free meal~;o)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day and got to spend it with someone special! Isabella spent the afternoon visiting with her Grandpa and Grandma while my sweetheart and I drove to "The Pier" for some waterfront dining at The Columbia Restaurant! There are several Columbia Restaurants here in Florida and I have visited two. My favorite of the two is in St. Petersburg. I love this one because of the view, it is surrounded by water. There are also many shops, an aquarium for the kids (and young at heart of course~;o) fishing, stunning parks, and of course the beach near by. Stop by for a visit sometime, well worth exploring~;o)

A Day at the Park!

(Winter time in Medard Park, Florida.)

(Isabella, 5 months old! ~;o)

(First time in the swing, she LOVED it!)





(Orange Groves across the street from the park.)

We took Isabella to the park this past weekend. This was a new park for all of us, but it wasn't her first visit to one. She was however, able to sit in the swing for the first time! She just loved it!! She was distracted by pretty much everything from the other older children playing to the squirrels scampering up the trees!! It was fun to watch her happily kicking her little feet in the swing~;o) I have posted a couple of pictures of the Edward Medard Park above. This is a fantastic park to visit if you are in the Plant City vicinity! There are many MANY shelters for Birthday Parties, docks for boats and canoeing, an Equestrian center with horse back riding, camping grounds, nature trails, a lookout tower, and of course a playground. It appears to be a little slow during the winter days, but we look forward to visiting again perhaps in the spring and summer time. This is by far, certainly another Diamond in the Rough!! Until next time darlings ~:o)

Plant City Rib Fest 2009

(Camellia Rose Tea Room)

(The best kind of fine china, oh the nostalgia!)

(She's such a little Ham~;o)

(Old Rustic Charm)

Last weekend we visited Plant City to attend their annual Rib Fest!! There must have been over 20 different vendors selling ribs to choose from!! I didn't get too many pictures of the festival because it was too crowded. However, after enjoying some yummy samples from several different booths, we made our way to the Historic District of Plant City. They have a good handful of antique shops in the area, a tea room, a nice little park, and a really neat railroad station. The homes in the historic district are well worth driving around to look at too. If you enjoy these things and your in the vicinity, check it out! Until next time~:o)

Ruskin Seafood Festival 2009

(Picture courtesy of Daddyo~;o)

(Salt water marshes on the beach.)

(Yummy fried food!!)

(More serenity.....)

(A single palm tree graces the beach.)

(Isabella enjoying some fun in the sun~;o)

So we went to Ruskin a couple of weeks ago to attend their annual Seafood Festival. It is actually a lovely little family friendly, recreational area! To my surprise, it was right by the beach and E. G. Simmons Park! The park kind of reminds me of Picnic Island only better~:o) It was a busy festival! Some of the activities included: Various artsy vendors, moon walks, games, the Mote Aquarium and some of their fantastic sea animals, a live karaoke band, multiple raffles, and the food of course~;o) And the beach was a bonus!! If your in the area and looking for a diamond in the rough, visit E.G Simmons Park and Beach in Ruskin, Florida. Until next time friends~;o)

Tarpon Springs November 2009

(I'm smiling lots now hee hee!!)

I absolutely LOVE Florida!! There are so many fun things to see and do!! All we need is more rain and a little bit of snow (which we never get) and this is one of the top ideal places in the US to reside~;o) That is at least I think so~;o) So we took Isabella to Tarpon Springs for the first time. She loved it!! Practically slept the whole time!! Have ya caught on to my sarcasm yet? "Yeah Rebecca, it was rather cheesy, just stick to the post and cute baby. Okay ya'll no problem he he~;o) This was another great opportunity to practice my amateur photography skills~;o) The sponge docks are always fun to visit here, they have a trolley that circulates around the vicinity, a park and a beach right up the road. If your in the area it is worth visiting. Wanna read more about this area? Click the orange link in the post, you can also click here. I thought I'd also post a new recent picture of Isabella, this was taken while in Tarpon Springs and she was about 8 weeks in the picture. We also went to Ruskin this past weekend, I will post pics of this in a new post soon!! Until next time friends~;o)

Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands

(The Ferry to Caladesi Island)

(Sand Dunes on Honeymoon Island)

(A pose by the Sand Dunes~;o)

(Serenity)

(Love the way these Kayaks were tossed upon the deck.)

(Caladesi Island Beach)

(One of the local residents of Honeymoon Island)

(Boat ride back)

(I really like the boat on this Sundial.)

We went out of town for the day to visit Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands. At first it rained when we got there for about a half hour. I was bummed out, but after that the day turned out rather beautiful! I was able to get a couple of great shots in, and Caladesi was filled with many beautiful shells! This time I made sure I brought a ziploc bag for them. Who ever invented those was a genius and a lifesaver!! If you'll recall last time when we went to Egmont Key late in November of last year, I had to use my hat. Caladesi and honeymoon Islands are definitely worth visiting, though I will say this, Egmont Key has been my favorite Island to visit so far. It costs $8 per vehicle to get onto Honeymoon Island, and the ferry to get to Caladesi is $10 per person round trip. Not bad compared to a theme park friends~;o) Some of the highlights include cafes on both beaches, a dog beach, kayaking, biking, a playground for the kiddos, wildlife nature trails, shelling, and of course the water! Enjoy the pictures and until next time friends~:o)

The Zoo, Sulphur Springs, and UT.....

(One of my favorite zoo animals~:o)

(Baby hippo and mama)

(Diamond in the Rough)

(Sulphur Springs Water Tower)

(University of Tampa Structure)

(A look inside the school)

(Five months pregnant~:o)

We went to Lowery Park Zoo, Sulphur Springs, and the University of Tampa a couple of weekends ago. I have been meaning to post the pictures and have just now finally gotten around to doing it! I also had a little fun and added a picture of me finally sporting a baby bump~;o) I find I am moving slower these days with a bigger belly too! Savannah should be interesting, yes we booked the hotel~:o) I am so excited! I'm really looking forward to a relaxing vacation, I am also looking forward to taking lots of pictures and sharing them with you soon!! Until next time~:o)