Having Fun

My Grandpa mailed me a bracelet last week that says "Have Fun".  It's to serve as a reminder during the whole wedding planning process that the main goal is for us to be happy.  I've been focusing on that a lot this week.

*Wedding update:  we've decided on the location for our ceremony and reception; so now we're ready to set our wedding date. We are moving it back three weeks to accomodate one of the groomsmen because he is having a baby in March and is flying in from Oregon. The extra few weeks will also benefit my bridesmaid who is having a baby in February. So - it looks like our wedding will be in April 2011!*

In the spirit of having fun, Austin and I fed some ducks last night.

These babies hatched a few weeks ago and have been living in the retention pond behind our apartment.

The momma duck sat back and let the babies eat the bread crumbs.

All the ducks lined up in a row!

We also went on a fun date on Friday night.  We browsed the selection of tuxedo rentals at Men's Warehouse, then we ate at Le Petite Paris, my new favorite restaurant.  I had the Boeuf Bourguignon, and Austin had Chicken Provencal.

For dessert, we had a PB&G - Peanut Butter & Ganache.  The waiter was so cute - he cut the dessert exactly in half - including the pecan!

We ate a fun breakfast this morning!  My fiance made us stewed bananas and waffles!  They were phenomenal, and reminded us of all the fun we had on our cruise!

"Follow your dreams. Just make sure to have fun too."

- Chris Brown

What's your favorite quote about having fun?

Wakulla Springs

On our first day of vacation, we flew out of the DFW airport into Tallahassee and met up with my Aunt, Uncle and cousin.  I hadn't seen them in two years so I was thrilled to spend the weekend with them.

We made a pit stop for lunch at a deli called Talk O' the Town.

I had a Mediterranean Sandwich with cucumbers, red peppers, and tomatoes on it.  Austin had a Grilled Reuben, which I must say definitely trumped my veggie sandwich.

After lunch, we hung out at my Aunt's house for a little while before heading out to visit Wakulla Springs.

It started raining almost as soon as we got there, but we decided to go for a dip in the 68 degree water anyway.

We splashed around in the water for a while.

We even swam out to the platform and jumped off. 

The rain started to really come down, though, so we headed inside to the lodge to look around.

We went back to my Aunt's house and she made us a delicious Italian dinner.  Flank steak stuffed with cheese, marinated in red sauce and served with angel hair pasta, asparagus, and garlic bread.

Annie helped set up the table decorations.  I loved the flamingo centerpiece, it is so festive for summer!

The next day, we got up and ate a yummy french toast casserole for breakfast.  Then we headed back out to Wakulla Springs for the morning.

Austin and I jumped off the high-dive platform a few times.

Sadly, the rain interrupted our fun.  There was thunder and lightning, so we left the park and went home for lunch.

We relaxed for a while and played with the dogs. 

Daisy is the perfect lap dog because she is so cuddly!

The storm cleared up in the afternoon, so we hopped back in the car and arrived just in time for the boat tour.

The boat tour goes approximately 1.5 miles down the river.  Along the way, we admired the wildlife and beautiful nature.

Cute baby turtles!

I loved seeing all of the unique birds!

There was also a wide variety of alligators of different colors and sizes.

There is no barrier between these gators and the swimming area.  Of course, alligators are naturally scared of humans, so it is their instict to stay away from the swimming area simply because of the noise and commotion.

The boat ride was approximately 45 minutes long, and was very interesting.  I would definitely go again!

When we got home, my Aunt made us another wonderful dinner!  My plate consisted of BBQ chicken, sweet potato, green beans, and mushrooms.  I also snagged some steak off of Austin's plate, and it was delicious as well!

On Sunday night, we re-packed our suitcases and went to bed early.  In the morning, we got up and drove to Jacksonville!  Vacation recap continued here.

Do you like swimming in cold water?

It takes a minute to adjust to it, but I love how refreshing and clean the spring water feels!

Vacation is Over

I just got home from an awesome vacation!  I've been gone for the past 9 days, so I'm currently unpacking and getting organized for the week.

I will be doing a much more in-depth recap of my vacation in the upcoming week or two, but here's a glimpse of the fun I had during my trip.

Austin and I flew to Tallahassee to stay at my Aunt's house for the weekend.  They have two dogs, Mack and Daisy.  These two cock-a-poos (a mix between a cocker spaniel and a poodle) are hilarious to watch wrestling.

We went to Wakulla Springs while we were in Tallahassee.  This is one of the most gorgeous state parks I've ever been to.

The wildlife was so diverse!  We saw several different types of birds, fish, and of course, alligators.

On Monday, we drove to Jacksonville for our cruise to Key West, FL and Nassau, Bahamas.  We met up with my Grandpa and boarded the Carnival Fascination.

The food was amazing, the scenery was awesome, and we had a blast on our excursions.  I especially enjoyed getting to spend time with my family!

We spent a lot of time by the pool.

We got massages, went shopping, snorkeling, kayaking, and watched the dancing and comedy shows on the ship.  But mostly we just ate tons of food.

I took hundreds of pictures, so don't worry - I will definitely be elaborating on all the food we ate.  Meanwhile, I've got to unpack and get ready to go to work tomorrow!

I hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Turtle Crossing

Before setting out on my 14 mile bicycle ride on Thursday night, I fueled up with a bowl of cereal with blackberries and a blob of peanut butter on top.

I had a smoothie in a bowl after I got back from my ride.

On Friday night, we made an easy dinner. We had herb chicken tortellini, steamed broccoli, and baked beans.

Then we went bowling!  We each have a pair of our own awesome bowling shoes.

We played two rounds of games.  Austin won - but I did at least score over 100 on both games!

On Saturday morning, I tried a new twist on breakfast.  I made fruit omelettes.

Each fruit omelette included sliced strawberries, pineapple, and blackberries, with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and coconut sprinkled on top.  Served with fresh squeezed orange juice.

This was an interesting recipe.  Neither of us could quite get used to the combination of fruit and eggs.  It was different, but good!

For dinner we tried a new Vietnamese restaurant.  The first thing I spotted on the menu was tapioca smoothies!  We shared a blueberry tapioca smoothie, and it was delicious!

For our entree, we ordered pho with lean beef and veggie spring rolls. 

The veggie spring rolls were made with fried tofu!

After dinner, we watched Bride Wars.

This was a 2009 release starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway.  It was a silly movie, but I was in the mood for something low-key. My plot summary: two best friends fighting and competing with each other because their weddings occur on the same day.  The thing that bothered me in this movie was Kate Hudson's haircut.  Her bangs looked ridiculous!  Did anyone else notice that?

This morning, Austin and I got up and went on a 13 mile bicycle ride.

As we were riding, we came across a turtle crossing the road!

We have a special affinity for turtles!  Austin decided to help him across the road into the grass on the other side.  When he picked him up, a liquid started streaming out of his shell.  We didn't know if he was peeing or if the water was just collected on the inside his shell? 

We continued on our way, stopping a few times to check out the scenery.

We rode by a gorgeous lake, but unfortunately access was restricted to members only.

After our ride, we packed up a picnic and ate lunch by the swimming pool.

Our sandwiches were made with three seed bread, turkey, mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and avocado.

My favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon is relaxing outside by the pool!

Do types of wildlife do usually find in your neighborhood?

We typically see squirrels, deer, birds and frogs, but not many turtles!