FIRE on the beach!!!

One of the funnest things we did while staying at Cape San Blas, FL was building a fire on the beach at night! Even though the days were warm the nights were pretty cool, so building a small fire directly on the beach was the best remedy. We just sat around and talked, laughed, devoured some libations and had a great time! I will NEVER forget the fireside chats on the beach. This was a new venture for me and I'm so happy that we were able to do it. It's the little things in the life that make the biggest impact....or I'm just easily amused. LOL!

Did I mention that the sunsets were amazing???

Every single evening and night at Cape San Blas, Florida was an amazing sight. Our eyes feasted on the natural beauty of the day ending and everywhere you gazed it looked like a postcard. A mixture of orange, pink, gold, blue and purple was enough to make you stop in your tracks and "experience" the beauty of our planet. Our last night there was one for the books! It was the clearest night sky with the most stars I had ever seen. We all sat out on the deck just gazing at the sky in all it's glory and saw about 10-12 shooting stars. Simply magical (unfortunately I missed out on most of them because of Blake's big head blocking my view..Sigh). Almost makes me hate living near a major city...we really do miss out and take these things for granted. Florida I miss you.

30 miles away from civilization...

WOW, vacation was AMAZING!!! We had the best time at Cape San Blas, Florida and couldn't have asked for better weather. It was in the mid to upper 70's, no clouds, and not a drop of rain the entire time!!! We got sooooooooooo lucky, a local there said the week before we arrived it was in the 40's so we got down there just in time. Cape San Blas is unlike any place I had ever visited on the Gulf Coast. You are literally 30 miles away from civilization with no cell phone reception or internet connection. TRULY a paradise in some standards. If we wanted to go out and eat or get gas, groceries, etc. we had to do travel at least 30 minutes out of the way to do so. The beach, the surroundings, the condo was so beautiful though, you really don't want to leave. It was our home away from home and it was so hard to come back to reality. We enjoyed fresh seafood from a little market close to the beach, traveled to historic Apilachicola, took a hike in the State Park, layed on the beach, fixed dinners in the condo, played cards, took a horseback ride on the beach, laughed until we cried, built a fire on the beach, looked at the stars and just had an overall great time! Here are just a few of the many pics I took of our trip. I'll add some more each day as there are way too many to put on here at once plus I have too many stories to tell for one post! I highly recommend Cape San Blas to anyone looking for a Gulf Coast vacation and a different pace of life. This is the ultimate getaway with a clean beach and friendly people. I miss it already.

Leaving for Vacation...

Vacation...my favorite word in the English dictionary. Okay, well not my all time favorite but I definitely like the sound of it...well maybe more the meaning of it. :) Blake and I and his fam are packing the bags into the Ford Focus Station wagon (sweet ride....) and leaving for the beach!!!! We'll be making a stop in Alabama to visit Blake's Dad and Stepmom and I seriously can't wait! Getting together with family that we don't get to see very often is always a wonderful experience and spending time with them is never taken for granted. Kim and Steve, here we come!!!! WOOHOO!! Then we leave for the beach somewhere on a little cape in Florida for some rest, relaxation and of course some cocktails.Woohoo again! I'm so freakin' excited about this trip that I'm already dreading the day we have to come back. Unfortunately I'm sorry to announce that I have now come down with some sort of upper respiratory infection ( I think all of Louisville has had this) which includes a fiery earache and a sore on my throat. Oh joy profound...what impeccable timing you have allergies! I just love living in the Ohio Valley. And poor Blake is suffering for a clogged ear which he can't hear out of. We're falling apart over here!!! We'll make the best of it no matter what...you just can't feel that bad laying on the beach. I'm not sure how much I will be able to blog (if any) so I may be M.I.A. on here for a week or so. I'll miss you guys and I'll be in touch with the fam back here in Louisville. Love you guys...signing off...Dana and Blake.

Mimi my love.

While we are on the subject of furry friends I have to bring up our baby Mimi. She was Bab's sister and we raised them together. She did the absolute cutest thing last night and I just had to share. She somehow worked her way into the comforter on our bed and got completely covered with just her head and front legs sticking out. When I caught her in the act I ran for the camera and snapped these pics of her. SHE LOOKS TIRED! She is just adorable and warms my heart every time I see her. She's a very graceful and sweet kitty even though she's not friendly to new comers in the house. Most people don't even know we own her because she runs and hides when someone comes over. :( All her quirks set aside she is a precious treasure in our lives and we are so happy to have her.

I miss my baby.

They say time heals everything and while I think this is true, I've been finding it hard to think about anything else but my precious Babs. We lost her on December 13th and our household hasn't been the same since. I miss her waking me up in the morning (something I hated at the time) and I miss her cute little squeaky meow, the way she looked at me and Blake, I miss her laying with me every night and nudging my hand to be petted. There was something very special about her and I will never forget the happiness she brought Blake and I. She was my baby and being her mom brought me so much joy. The 3 years she gave us was something I will never take for granted and she will always hold a special place in my heart. I've been finding it hard the past the several days to think about her without crying like a baby so I'm hoping this post will help me heal in some small way. I feel like I need to honor her and this is going to be my way of doing of so. Bab's, daddy and me miss you so much and love you just as much as we did the first day we picked you up. You will always be our baby girl and we miss you. Thank you for being so strong and for trying so hard for us. I love you baby.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

If the old saying is true...than I'm a Goddess. I've cleaned the house top to bottom and still have a multitude of things to organize and bring together before we leave for vacation. I do enjoy a clean house but using up an entire day off from work to accomplish this goal isn't my idea of fun. And a big shout out to Blake who did actually pick up the 3 pairs of shoes from the living room floor and took them to the closet. WOW! What a big help! Can you hear my sarcasm? I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend and I sincerely hope that the upcoming work week is the fastest ever. We love you all!