What have I been up to?

Nothing much, honestly. Reading on gardening and picking out seeds, harboring a second bout with back pain that is slowly getting better, and riding the waves of enjoyment and loss as we watched our rabbits (finally) have a small litter and then lose them.

But other than that, nothing much.

So let's go over the last part of December, which was jam packed with warmth; from friends, family, and indeed the sun.

R had a rough couple of months; working long hours and generally stressing out. So we booked a quick trip to Florida to rest up.



I found a little place that got good reviews and was decidedly within our budget. Ever since sleeping in a hut steps from the ocean with no a/c or hot water, I can't bring myself to spend money on a room. The hut (click here) had to be my favorite beach side experience.

This cutie of a building was juxtaposed right next to some towering ones which I'm sure charged double ours, and I smiled at our good luck. Plus, we had a tiny bar & grill located on the first floor. Isn't that all you need?

I apparently couldn't spend money on a taxi either, because I forced R to bus it from the airport. $3.50 vs $50? Um, we're hanging with the locals, R. Somehow we made it the entire way without spending a dime, as the driver felt sorry for both us and a couple from Amsterdam for not knowing what we were doing.



We were only there for a couple days, so each morning we rushed downstairs to fall back asleep under the rising sun.



And then we'd wake up to take long walks along the deserted beach. Note to self: only travel during the week. What uncrowded bliss!



After our jaunt, we'd plop back down onto our chairs for a pina colada, or other rest-inducing drink.



I'd look over occasionally and find R testing out his US Army survival manual that he chose to bring along, by trying to light stuff on fire through his glasses.



I would periodically sit on the hammocks to remind myself to never stay where there is a bar & grill so nearby again.



Or we'd go body surfing for a couple hours. I was the judge this time around.



We'd see guys running around with a football, and R would have gaze longingly at them. He stood nearby like how all young kids do when they want to play, but don't want to ask. Politely, with hands behind the back.

Alas, he was never asked.

After our beachside retreat ended, I called up my cousin that lives in the area. She picked us up and promptly took us to a 5-star quality dinner... in their backyard! I have never, never had such thick and well-prepared steak before, in restaurants or at home. It was delightful, and B served us up some official drinks along the way.



I mean, has anyone ever used that measuring cup before? I didn't even know what it was.. maybe to hold whole eggs for an English dinner?

No, it actually has a use, and by golly she used it. I was impressed.



After they put their son to bed, we headed outside to the hot tub for loud laughs and fun conversation, and even an occasional push into the pool.

And yes, they provided us with robes! Where are we?? This is a long cry from the hut, my friends.



Thus ended a great few day escape for the two of us. If I could put that trip into a bottle, I would. It'd sell, I'm sure of it.

Feetsies

What is my obsession with feet in photos? There's no logical thought process since I don't even take care of them, so why should I photograph them?

But I do.

And now you have to suffer.

Some of these I've blogged about (and have linked back to those posts) and others I haven't, but wish I had.

Hot summer weekend trip in Iowa. Cool, sweet water.

Just prior to having a semi-heart attack on the Brew to Brew: 50 mile relay race from Boulevard Brewery in KC to FreeState brewery in Lawrence. The worst part was knowing that after your team drove past cheering you on, they immediately rolled up the window to say how sorry you looked. I know this, because we did it to every other person on our team. But I'm sure they didn't do it to me. Right. RIGHT?

Hiking the Grand Canyon. What a glorious day, despite R almost dying.

Garage sale shopping with my mom. This was a terrifying flash forward of our lives when she literally parked in someone's front lawn. Not on purpose.

What you don't see above these feet is a girl dry heaving on Little Corn Island, Nicaragua. Apparently I don't like heights?

After wearing heels for too long, asking R if I could borrow his shoes for a few minutes. No I wasn't wearing socks either.

[collective groan / shrieks of horror]

Dancing the Thriller...in sneakers. If I saw a zombie coming towards me in white tennies, I'd either poke him in the eyes (and hope he doesn't block me with the finger shark fin) or run my butt off. He might've died running, you know.

Do you see the steep stairs in this Irish castle ruin? And the rain water? You do the math.

Visiting our cousins in the Sunshine State. This is also a good reminder: Kids, always remember to put sunblock on your feet. Do not, I repeat, do not stop at your ankles.

Costume / Dance Parties. Oh, penny loafers.

Camping / Hiking - and facing my fear of the granddaddy spider of 2001.

And last but certainly not least... running through fields. I was apparently really excited to get to something.... probably food.

As I was looking around, I found even more feetsies photos. Oh yes, there will be a part two. Who sighed? I heard that.

Rain Schmain

I will never again be afraid of rainy forecasts. Just like my St. Louis birthday trip, last weekend promised an onslaught of droplets sure to ruin everyone's Memorial Day plans. R and I shrugged our shoulders and didn't worry about it.

Thank goodness too, because in the end, everything worked out wonderfully. We stayed with our cousins B-squared and their two children. They live on a canal that goes straight into Tampa Bay. Plus, they're really relaxing hosts, so it instantly felt like a vacation. All the more reason to schedule another vacation back. It was great.

The first day, we drove out to St. Pete's beach and frowned at the clouds overhead. Don't even think about it, clouds. And you know, they listened to me. After a 30 second rainfall, they were done. That was it. Over. The rest of the day was sunny mid-80s.

I grabbed a drinkie-poo and we found a place to lay-out, already feeling rested.

We sun-bathed, played around, talked, ate, and swam. R & I had an ice cream eating contest with the sun. The sun won.

Both evenings we lounged around their house, zapped of energy. We literally did nothing all day and yet we were both exhausted. Well, maybe part of our energy was spent on making friends with the little ones. This may have been the first time that kids gravitated towards me rather than R. I jokingly refer to R as "Jesus", because kids are just drawn to him. These two wanted nothing to do with him, though, and at one point the oldest child (not even three yet) saw R sitting on the couch and muttered loudly "Guess I can't watch my movie now." We laughed so hard. It wasn't until we were on the way to the airport that R got some giggles out of them.

I was saying 'Cheese', by the way. That's not my normal smile.

The next day, they took us out on their boat. R enjoyed being the Jr Skipper and helping out B.

We stopped at a couple places, one of which is a little island appropriately named "Beer Can Island" where boats anchor around the beach. Almost like a mini Party Cove.

I had to get a photo of the o07 boat.

We even got to see dolphins! If anyone knows my love of marine life, you know how excited I was. Good times.

BBC

This photo encapsulates our weekend. Most people take a photo of their feet against various backdrops. Me? My food.

Boats. Beach. Cheetos. A great outing. More on our Memorial Day weekend to come.