I’m BACK!!!! And this isn’t just a “weekend recap”, I have so much more to share with you from my recent road trip down to Florida. <3 After seeing how heartbroken Alex’s grandmother was when Alex graduated medical school, knowing that he was about to move to Florida, I knew I needed to create an excuse for her to go visit him! So I promised her and Alex’s mom that I will scoop them up and take them down there at some point to visit! Alex was so kind and generous to open his home up to visitors at any point, even when things are hectic for him!!! When Alex mentioned there was going to be an air show performed by the Blue Angels mid-July, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to take his family down. For anyone who was okay with a 15-hour drive, of course. After the previous road trip, I knew I had the energy and enthusiasm to power through the drive in one day!! π So after I had mentioned the idea to his family, they were on board and weeks later we were on our way to go see Alex! Oh, gosh… I was SO excited to see him, even though it had only been two weeks since the last visit! I’m going to see him next week, and I can hardly wait!!! π I’m REALLY hoping a pause button appears somewhere along my next stay because it’s my last planned Florida visit for the rest of the year. π π π I’m going to try to squeeze in a trip at some point when our schedules align!! Residency is no joke, especially when his fall schedule looks as insane as it does! But I’m proud of him!!! <3
A couple of personal notes! πΒ Biggggggg changes are coming to the blog!!! In fact, I haven’t made any announcements, BUT I am working with a website designer toΒ give my website and blog a new look!!! I’m soooooo excited to share it with you all in September! π Before that happens, I’ll be on the Florida Panhandle in August for oneΒ last planned visit for anyone who is interested in a portrait session on the beach!! π Whether you live there or plan to visit, reach out to me via email to chat more!!
Okay, now back to what happened the past two weeks…
** Excuse the fact that these were taken with an iPhone and not my camera. π I had to travel as light as possible for this trip!
Florida Adventures with Alex’s Family
Ollie was SOOOOO happy to be back with his favorite guy!!! <3 But I have to say that I was happier! π
Also, isn’t Alex the CUTEST?! HAHAHA! I came out for breakfast and found this!!
I’ll never get sick of this view!!! (excuse the iPhone quality on the road)
We all piled in the car and drove out to PensacolaΒ to watch the Blue Angels!!! Even my grandparents came up from central Florida to meet Alex and spend time with me. <3 LOVE THEM!!!!
The show was amazingggggg!!!! The thundering noises were incredible! There was even a point where a plane scared us because it came from behind. They fly faster than sound, after all! Crazy!
We made sure to indulge in a lot of ice cream the past two weeks. SO GOOD! The Thai rolled ice cream reminded me of my Chicago adventures. π
Alex had me come out to a shrimp broil one Sunday with other residents and Doctors. I was absolutely STUFFED. But gosh, shrimp and sausage? My kind of meal!!!!
While spending time with Alex’s mom and grandmother while Alex was working, we made the most of our time together. π HAHAHAHA! We tried out Florida Bingo … HOLY COW. I am a little traumatized from the experience because it looked so overwhelming!!! If you saw some of the regulars there, you would understand. They had 20 Bingo machines in front of them while also playing the paper version. And the announcer flew through the numbers so fast!!! I have a new respect for those who play Bingo. π HAHA!
We also spent a lot of time at Alex’s house working on random projects. One of them might have involved wigging with yarn. π Lol!
Some of my favorite times were watching Alex and Ollie together!!! <3 Gosh, I’m the LUCKIEST!!!! Look how happy Ollie is in this photo!!!
This was exciting! Alex’s grandmother gave him a palm tree as a housewarming gift!! He officially feels like a Floridian! π The most ironic part of the process wasΒ that we had just disposed of 16 heavy, full bags of pine needles Alex raked up the week prior. Well, after he planted the palm tree, the landscaper said we needed to purchase pine needles to keep it wet. Really?! We just got rid of every pine needle in his yard and then we had to buy some? So when we saw that they sold pine straw for $4 a bundle at Lowes, I decided Alex needs to open up a business. π HA!Β
Gosh… Ollie is ABSOLUTELY a Nats fan. He loves sitting on his dad’s lap and watch TV! So funny!!! Naturally, he also loved his new Nats bandana! π
Some of our favorite traditions!!! Taking Ollie to the beach dog park and Mi Gente tacos!!!! YUM. Although, we typically do tacos on the beach, I’m glad we squeezed this in during my last visit so his family had a taste of goodness!!!
One of my favorite nights!!! π Alex treated me to a night out and it was perfect! We had yummy Thai food … Hmmm … After mentioning we had Thai rolled ice cream the other day, I think we love Thai! π Then he took me to the Gulf restaurant (so romantic!!!) to hang out on the dock at night! Loved it!!!
Isn’t this restaurant beautiful?!
Another favorite adventure!!!! We drove down 30A, which is apparently a “must!” I completely understand why because the beach towns were so charming!!! The architecture was unreal too! I am planning to go back next week with my camera so I’ll definitely take photos to better show the atmosphere. It’s unlike any place I’ve visited!!!
Gosh!! I love him!!!!
I tried taking quick touristy photos with my iPhone through the car windshield β But again, I’ll have to share photos with you when I take my camera down next week!!!! π π π
My favorite little town β Aly’s Beach!!! It’s a photographer’s DREAM.
I tackled a few projects during my visit, which you know I love a good DIY project while being thrifty!! π Knowing that Alex needed a new table, and unfortunately, my huge farmhouse table won’t fit in his Florida home, so I was on the mission to find the next table set I could upcycle! I had been searching for the perfect set for WEEKS and didn’t have much luck. I knew this wasn’t something I wanted to force to happen because finding quality deals meant patience. I was accepting the fact that I wasn’t going to have a table to work on this past visit ... UNTIL … I ran across six sturdy wooden chairs for $10 a piece! They needed some love because the cushions had a bunch of stains and the wood was scuffed, but these are the kind of deals I was after!! I immediately jumped on it and envisioned the coastal look for his table set. That meant a layer of white paint and a blue upholstery fabric. Easy!!! I just needed a table… Well, while we were out driving 30A, something made us turn around to check out a thrift shop called Path of Grace. I’m so appreciative of Alex and his positive attitude as he patiently hung around three women shopping. π HA! Fortunately, the trip was worthwhile because we found the perfect table for $175!!! Veryyyyy sturdy and I loved the bone structure! To lighten it up and for it to not be too formal in his kitchen, I also knew I needed to change the appearance to make it fit with the coastal theme. π Which also meant a layer of white paint for the legs and a very light color stain for the table top!
I still cannot believe we fit the table in the car!!!!! It was meant to be. π
Here is where I left the project! When I return, I’ll have the pretty blue printed fabric to upholster the chairs, my sander and light colored stain to match the table top to the wood color tone on the clock! π I cannot wait to see it done!!! I’ll be sure to share updates!!!
Here’s another big project I’m planning to tackle, hopefully, during the next visit!!! The previous owner of Alex’s house left this freestanding cabinet behind to store canned, dry goods because the kitchen doesn’t have a pantry. It’s a great thought, but he needs more storage! I plan to build in a little bar area that will be great for storing away food and other kitchen appliances. A future owner can use it for this use as well, a coffee/wine bar or for utility. Either way, it will be a fabulous addition to the house!!! I found two upper cabinets ($20 a piece β BINGO!) that will fit the allowed space and I will build them in with a wooden countertop (same colored wood as the clock above) and a shiplap backsplash to make it look polished. SO pumped!!! I cannot wait to share a future blog post with this project!!!
Alex’s family wanted to make sure we celebrated his Birthday in person, even if it was a month early. π So we went out for a YUMMY seafood dinner on the shore! It was so good!!! BG and I sported the hood look. HA!
I got home and found this!!!!
It seems as though a rain cloud has hung around the Northern Virginia area for weeks! I hope the sun decides to shine this week as I have three sessions to photograph!!! π π π I’m excited to get behind my camera again and share more photos soon! I hope you’re enjoying your summertime and I look forward to sharing more updates soon!
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