This was our last day on Siesta:( Much of our time was spent cleaning up the condo and packing our stuff. We got out of e condo by 10:30 and went to The Broken egg for a well deserved brunch. It is amazing food, and orange juice, and coffee. The girls got HUGE Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes, Caroline's was chocolate chip and Taylors was banana. I had Bubbas Skillet. Matt and Julian got omelets.
After a little shopping at Hurricane Ritas, suck a cool store, could have bought tons of stuff, but instead just bought a wine glass for Jayme, we headed back to the swimming pool so the kids could take a dip! I got in also as it was so hot outside. I laid out in the sun a little too long, but it felt so good soaking into my skin!!!
After swimming we went to downtown Sarasota to get a snack before heading to the airport. We went to a cute coffee and pastry shoo and got Tiramasu and smoothies, baklava, cookies, and turnovers. It was a perfect way to end out time there.
Our flights were good, we got held up on the Tarmac in ATL and had a REALLY hard landing in Indy, but all was good and after waiting almost an hour for a shuttle we got to our Indy hotel about 1am. Vacation over. Back to reality. Can't wait to go back:)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Siesta Day 6
Today was very educational! We headed straight out to Mote Aquarium to catch our nature cruise and we really lucked out! Noah the marine biologist who did the cruis was even shocked at how lucky we got. So a nature cruise involves everyone getting on a big boat, taking the boat into Sarsota Bay, learning about what wildlife lives in the bay, the ecosystem basically and finally getting to witness nature.
A rundown of what we saw: dolphins, great blue heron, white cranes, pelicans, pink birds I cant remember the name, birds nests, osprey, many fish, including pin fish, puff fish, cow fish, some other fish, sea horse, sting ray, crabs, star fish, and mating manatees. All these things we incredibly interesting and I got as many pictures as I could, although the dolphin and manatee are a little hard to spot! The kids, even Julian, loved it! They were able to touch many of the marine life.
We went back to Cha Cha Coconuts after that for some lunch, then I stopped in a art store and found the most wonderful picture. I had to have it. So it is being sent to my house!!
It was then beach time. The water was perfect and the kids got tons of great swimming in while we took turns laying out and cooling off in the water.
By suggestion we ended up on the other side of the island at Turtles. It was a great restaurant on little Sarasota bay! Like all the other food. It was excellent:)
Then it was time to come home start cleaning up and repack. Booooooooo. We have had so much fun this week!
A rundown of what we saw: dolphins, great blue heron, white cranes, pelicans, pink birds I cant remember the name, birds nests, osprey, many fish, including pin fish, puff fish, cow fish, some other fish, sea horse, sting ray, crabs, star fish, and mating manatees. All these things we incredibly interesting and I got as many pictures as I could, although the dolphin and manatee are a little hard to spot! The kids, even Julian, loved it! They were able to touch many of the marine life.
We went back to Cha Cha Coconuts after that for some lunch, then I stopped in a art store and found the most wonderful picture. I had to have it. So it is being sent to my house!!
It was then beach time. The water was perfect and the kids got tons of great swimming in while we took turns laying out and cooling off in the water.
By suggestion we ended up on the other side of the island at Turtles. It was a great restaurant on little Sarasota bay! Like all the other food. It was excellent:)
Then it was time to come home start cleaning up and repack. Booooooooo. We have had so much fun this week!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Siesta Day 5- Ft Myers
Today we got off to a slow start. We got on the road about 1130 with plans to stop in Punta Gorda for lunch.
Fisher mans Village is a great spot to stop shop and eat! We had lunch at harpoon harrys and then did a little shopping. Aunt Pat and Charlie were even able to come meet us and say hi and get some pictures. I bought the girls a little toy and bought Wynn a baby shower present! I got her matching hawiian outfits for the kids. I thought they were adorable!!!
We spent the afternoon at wynns spectacular house and pool! The kids had a blast and Rocco swam with them the whole time. Wynn was so cute with her little pregnant belly!
When Kathy got there we all left to eat at Doc Fords for dinner. The ribs were amazing and I hear the seafood was great also! We took lots of pictures and went to get ice cream together before headi back to the condo. Traveling time was about 2 hours.
Wishing this vacation was a couple days longer!!!!
Fisher mans Village is a great spot to stop shop and eat! We had lunch at harpoon harrys and then did a little shopping. Aunt Pat and Charlie were even able to come meet us and say hi and get some pictures. I bought the girls a little toy and bought Wynn a baby shower present! I got her matching hawiian outfits for the kids. I thought they were adorable!!!
We spent the afternoon at wynns spectacular house and pool! The kids had a blast and Rocco swam with them the whole time. Wynn was so cute with her little pregnant belly!
When Kathy got there we all left to eat at Doc Fords for dinner. The ribs were amazing and I hear the seafood was great also! We took lots of pictures and went to get ice cream together before headi back to the condo. Traveling time was about 2 hours.
Wishing this vacation was a couple days longer!!!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Siesta Day 4
Today was for relaxation and playing for the kids. The day started early, because for some reason when you are on vacation it is so much easier to get up early. Especially when that means making a cup of coffee and sitting on the lanai watching other people jogging!!
Although the wind Wasserstein slightly chilly this morning it did not stop the kids from wanting to get to the pool before 10am! Luckily I bought a book on my ipad that I had plenty of time to relax and read today while the kids swam!!!
We went into the village for some piazza before heading to the beach. We were the first customers of the day for the pizza place and the food was again, amazing. Kind of a theme here.
What can I say about sitting on the beach all day. And I do mean ALL day. We are all pretty burned, but it was worth it. The Gulf water was perfect for the kids to play in plus they had a new boogie board to play with. I got some great pictures of them riding the waves. Or at least trying to.
After we came back to the condo I put a lasagna in the oven and we had a somewhat homemade meal. At least it was cheaper than a restaurant! Of course after that we had to go out for ice cream because that is a staple of vacation! I got a chocolate smoothies from SunniBunni! It was fabulous. Complete with soy milk and yogurt and lots of chocolate!
Time for bed:)
Although the wind Wasserstein slightly chilly this morning it did not stop the kids from wanting to get to the pool before 10am! Luckily I bought a book on my ipad that I had plenty of time to relax and read today while the kids swam!!!
We went into the village for some piazza before heading to the beach. We were the first customers of the day for the pizza place and the food was again, amazing. Kind of a theme here.
What can I say about sitting on the beach all day. And I do mean ALL day. We are all pretty burned, but it was worth it. The Gulf water was perfect for the kids to play in plus they had a new boogie board to play with. I got some great pictures of them riding the waves. Or at least trying to.
After we came back to the condo I put a lasagna in the oven and we had a somewhat homemade meal. At least it was cheaper than a restaurant! Of course after that we had to go out for ice cream because that is a staple of vacation! I got a chocolate smoothies from SunniBunni! It was fabulous. Complete with soy milk and yogurt and lots of chocolate!
Time for bed:)
Siesta Day 3
The day started off pretty slow as the rain moved in and we had tons of laundry to do. It was fun to watch the storms come in over the Gulf though.
After the rain( and the laundry) we headed out to the St Armonds area to go to Mote aquarium. Apparently everyone else had the same idea as there were a million people there.. We saw the rescued birds,, lots of fish, the dead giant squid, many sharks, sting rays, manatee, and a dolphin show.
Julian w less than thrilled with our adventure, 13 is such a boring age!!!
After the aquarium we headed into St Armonds circle for some dinn and some expensive shopping! Cha Cha Coconuts did not disappoint. The food w amazing as usual. Julian even disco red he liked shrimp and Matt paid each of the kids for trying it! I watched in horror waiting for someone to break out in hives! Luckily we are safe as far as the kids go!
Unfortunately matt found a dress store to buy Caroline a beautiful dress for the father daughter dance. That meant Taylor needed one also! So $160 we have only 2 new dresses:(
To make me feel better we stopped at Kilwins for some treats. I really needed some ice cream at this point and the sprinkle covered waffle cone just added to the already destroyed weight watchers week I am having!!!! Totally worth it by the way.
To make up for some of it (like 1 sprinkle) we went for a sunset walk on the beach and it was amazing. The sun peaked through the clouds just to set! BEAUTIFUL. The kids found all sorts of shells and Julian even found a live sand dollar! I only had my phone with me for pictures, go figure!!! What a great night, I loved spending some time with the kids!!!
After the rain( and the laundry) we headed out to the St Armonds area to go to Mote aquarium. Apparently everyone else had the same idea as there were a million people there.. We saw the rescued birds,, lots of fish, the dead giant squid, many sharks, sting rays, manatee, and a dolphin show.
Julian w less than thrilled with our adventure, 13 is such a boring age!!!
After the aquarium we headed into St Armonds circle for some dinn and some expensive shopping! Cha Cha Coconuts did not disappoint. The food w amazing as usual. Julian even disco red he liked shrimp and Matt paid each of the kids for trying it! I watched in horror waiting for someone to break out in hives! Luckily we are safe as far as the kids go!
Unfortunately matt found a dress store to buy Caroline a beautiful dress for the father daughter dance. That meant Taylor needed one also! So $160 we have only 2 new dresses:(
To make me feel better we stopped at Kilwins for some treats. I really needed some ice cream at this point and the sprinkle covered waffle cone just added to the already destroyed weight watchers week I am having!!!! Totally worth it by the way.
To make up for some of it (like 1 sprinkle) we went for a sunset walk on the beach and it was amazing. The sun peaked through the clouds just to set! BEAUTIFUL. The kids found all sorts of shells and Julian even found a live sand dollar! I only had my phone with me for pictures, go figure!!! What a great night, I loved spending some time with the kids!!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Siesta Day 2- Universal
Today we spent the day at Universal Islands of Adventure. The home of the Wizardly World of Harry Potter. Of course Mom and Julian were very excited.
There were SOOOOOOO may people there. I mean it was so crowded that it was hard to walk through the park. The map was small and hard to read. But it is so beautiful. There are trees and flowers and the buildings are gorgeous.
So first we had to figure out how to get to Harry Potter. We found the people handing out tickets to get into Harry Potters world. Then we went to a magic show. Julian loved it and we bought about evey trick they sold! The kids have been watching the DVDs ever since.
Trying to find drinks was also rather difficult so we were all very hot and thirsty before we got in line to get some drinks. So after aimlessly walking around for a hour we were able to go into Harry Potter. What a neat place, I took tons of pictures of the buildings. We had fast pass so we went to the small roller coaster. It was Taylors first big roller coaster and she loved it! Ironic it was small but to Taylor it was big!
Then we went to lunch at The Three Broomsticks. The food was fabulous and we even got Butterbeer. It was so good!
We split up and Matt took the girls to Dr Suess world and Toon town where they got drenched! Mom Dad Julian and I got in line for Harry Potter big ride. Wow, it was really cool. Made me pretty motion sick though. Then Mom and Julian went on the Dragon Challenge. They said it was great, plus with the fast pass they only waited 5 minutes!
After meeting back up we went tontoon town had a rest and a snack then split back up so Mom Matt and Julian could go on Spiderman and Hulk. Caroline Taylor Dad and I went back to Dr Suess. Caroline and Taylor thought it was hilarious to get papa dee wet on One Fish Two Fish ride.
Then it was time to leave, where to next? MARGARITAVILLE!!!!!
A great dinner, some fabulous souvenirs, and the long walk back to the car!
There were SOOOOOOO may people there. I mean it was so crowded that it was hard to walk through the park. The map was small and hard to read. But it is so beautiful. There are trees and flowers and the buildings are gorgeous.
So first we had to figure out how to get to Harry Potter. We found the people handing out tickets to get into Harry Potters world. Then we went to a magic show. Julian loved it and we bought about evey trick they sold! The kids have been watching the DVDs ever since.
Trying to find drinks was also rather difficult so we were all very hot and thirsty before we got in line to get some drinks. So after aimlessly walking around for a hour we were able to go into Harry Potter. What a neat place, I took tons of pictures of the buildings. We had fast pass so we went to the small roller coaster. It was Taylors first big roller coaster and she loved it! Ironic it was small but to Taylor it was big!
Then we went to lunch at The Three Broomsticks. The food was fabulous and we even got Butterbeer. It was so good!
We split up and Matt took the girls to Dr Suess world and Toon town where they got drenched! Mom Dad Julian and I got in line for Harry Potter big ride. Wow, it was really cool. Made me pretty motion sick though. Then Mom and Julian went on the Dragon Challenge. They said it was great, plus with the fast pass they only waited 5 minutes!
After meeting back up we went tontoon town had a rest and a snack then split back up so Mom Matt and Julian could go on Spiderman and Hulk. Caroline Taylor Dad and I went back to Dr Suess. Caroline and Taylor thought it was hilarious to get papa dee wet on One Fish Two Fish ride.
Then it was time to leave, where to next? MARGARITAVILLE!!!!!
A great dinner, some fabulous souvenirs, and the long walk back to the car!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Siesta Key Day 1
Today could not have been more perfect. If it had lasted forever that would have been ok! We woke up and Matt talked us all into walking to breakfast. He said it was just down the street. So 1 mile, 25 minutes and starving we arrived at the Broken Egg for breakfast. We waited about 25 min for a table, but it was totally worth it all! The food was amazing, we ate outside, and the walk was so refreshing after being cooped up for 6 months at home!
It was then time to get on suits and take the girls for a swim! The pool is very nice and the girls are like fish. Even Julian jumped in. Matt bought all the kids snorkel gear so they took some time to check that out and I got some video, oh I mean sun!! My parents went straight to the beach to check out the sand we kept telling them about.
The girls could have just stayed in the pool all day, but we did finally talk them into going to the beach, life is so hard here! Haha! Once there we set up our chairs and the girls headed to the water, which surprisingly wasn't all that bad. The water Wasserstein the most beautiful color and the temp was perfect!
Me and Julian layer in the sun, we needed some work on our tans! It took at least 2 hours to find Mom and Dad as none of us had our phones! Hey it's vacation! Finally we sent Matt back to the condo to call them! Once back together we played in the sand a little then packed everything up to get ready for dinner.
We took the car this time and headed back into the village for dinner. We got to The Hub about 5:00 and got right in! It was also fabulous, I had a burrito, matt and Taylor shared ribs, Julian got caesar salad. It was a place that had it all!
After a little shopping and some Ice Cream we headed back to the beach to see the most amazing sunset ever! And listen to the drum circle! Those drummers started at about 7 and did not finish until..... Very late. I could still hear them when I was going to sleep!
After watching the sunset, did I mention 'most beautiful ever!' we built the official Hess Sand Castle. Don't worry, we got pictures!
Time to go to bed, big day at Universal Islands of Adventure tomorrow!
It was then time to get on suits and take the girls for a swim! The pool is very nice and the girls are like fish. Even Julian jumped in. Matt bought all the kids snorkel gear so they took some time to check that out and I got some video, oh I mean sun!! My parents went straight to the beach to check out the sand we kept telling them about.
The girls could have just stayed in the pool all day, but we did finally talk them into going to the beach, life is so hard here! Haha! Once there we set up our chairs and the girls headed to the water, which surprisingly wasn't all that bad. The water Wasserstein the most beautiful color and the temp was perfect!
Me and Julian layer in the sun, we needed some work on our tans! It took at least 2 hours to find Mom and Dad as none of us had our phones! Hey it's vacation! Finally we sent Matt back to the condo to call them! Once back together we played in the sand a little then packed everything up to get ready for dinner.
We took the car this time and headed back into the village for dinner. We got to The Hub about 5:00 and got right in! It was also fabulous, I had a burrito, matt and Taylor shared ribs, Julian got caesar salad. It was a place that had it all!
After a little shopping and some Ice Cream we headed back to the beach to see the most amazing sunset ever! And listen to the drum circle! Those drummers started at about 7 and did not finish until..... Very late. I could still hear them when I was going to sleep!
After watching the sunset, did I mention 'most beautiful ever!' we built the official Hess Sand Castle. Don't worry, we got pictures!
Time to go to bed, big day at Universal Islands of Adventure tomorrow!
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