This town is our town, this town so glamorous

I've been lucky enough to live in some amazing places.  Places full of natural beauty, culture, good food, good people and strong communities.  More recently, to my utter delight, I've lived in places steeped in varied and vast history.  Our little town in Florida is no different.  Honestly, I've felt a bit like I have been on vacation ever since we got here.  In between unpacking, decorating and landscaping, we've spent our time taking endless walks, getting homemade ice cream at the local fudge shop, and hanging out at the beach.  Like I said, kinda like a permanent vacation.

A typical day starts with breakfast and flower-picking in our lovely backyard, followed by a morning walk down to this cute little beachside park

Followed by a relaxing picnic here:

After preschool and dinner, we usually take a walk downtown.  Along the way we see all sorts of natural beauty.  Like this flamingo who flew into my shot at just the right time:

Or this secret fairy party spot:



I almost love the downtown area more than the beach.  I know, that's crazy.  But true.  It has a homey, laid back feel to it that just begs you to slow down, breathe in the smells and take in the sights.  Of course, we can't go down there without stopping for some delicious homemade ice cream to enoy on our walk.

A great part of this town is all the hidden nooks and crannies, all of which are filled with explosions of of bright and beautiful flowers, trees, plants, along with conveniently placed benches to sit and enjoy it all. 



But our walk is not just full of natural beauty.  We also see varied ethnic restaurants, bakeries, vintage clothing stores, antique stores, and kitchy tourist shops.  Outside many of these shops you can see a colorful array of sidewalk art from local artists.  I love the vibe of sidewalk art.  It is good for the soul and promotes a creative community.  Plus it adds lovely colors to our daily walks.



All the buildings here are pre-twentieth century.  Some date as far back as the late 1600s.  It gives you a sense of being able to touch the past.

And one thing I didn't realize before moving here is that our little island was a hiding spot for some pretty famous pirates.  The town embraces this heritage and you see pirate statues, signs and paraphernalia all over the island.

As a result, Lily has become convinced that there is buried treasure somewhere downtown.  She spends much of our walk gleefully searching for it.

Our walk ends at the harbor at the end of center street.  If we're lucky, we get to see some egrets, dolphins, manatees, or any number of wildlife.  But we are always assured to see sailboats and shrimp boats dotting the water.



Last night we got to witness a mama dolphin playing with her baby.

As we left, we even got a little wave from the baby:

Can you see it?  It was difficult to get a good shot, but you can still see the little tailfin if you look close.

 We also got to see a pretty spectacular show at sunset.

Thanks for visiting our town.  I hope you love it as much as we do.

Growing backwards

I know it is a total cliché, but sometimes I look at Lily and think that I can't believe how grown up she is.  Just yesterday I was snuggling a newborn on my chest and now she's practically grown.  Okay, so maybe she still has some growing to do, but you know what I mean, right?  It seems like every time I blink, she grows up a bit more.  It is all happening too fast.  Maybe that's why I take so many pictures.  I don't want to forget a single second of it.  Any of it.

The other day Lily and I were chatting on our walk and she said "Mommy, being three isn't as much fun as being two.  Can I grow back to two on my next birthday instead of growing to four?"

You know what, baby?  That sounds good to me.

Wide as a smile and narrow as a wink

After six weeks, and a very long drive in an enormous moving truck (yes, I drove it, and yes, I am The Woman), we are finally back home.  Lily and I had a lovely time in Arizona, despite the suffocating heat the last few weeks.  Even though I forgot my camera, between my parents' camera and my own cheap camera, I did manage to capture a few memories from the trip.  We packed so much into such a short time, but much of it didn't get on film.  Here are the highlights that did:

A princess tea party!  Of course, a trip to Grandma's house would hardly be complete without a princess tea party.  When she saw Grandma's table, Lily declared it to be "très elegant!"

Lily's first camp out.  I know, I know, I can't believe it took three-and-a-half years to get around to it, but I am a consummate procrastinator so you really shouldn't be surprised.  Lily had a great time the first night, but she woke up with a tummy ache and ended up throwing up all over the tent, the hammock and my dad's truck.  I felt so bad for my poor baby.  I hate it when she is sick under normal circumstances, but having a temperature of 104 and throwing up while camping, I've discovered, is so much worse.  Still, my little trooper says she had sooooo much fun on her first camping trip and can't wait to go again.

We also spent some quality cousin time at the zoo.  Lily loved the new orangutan exhibit.  If you haven't seen it, it is definitely worth a visit.

She also loved the camels.  I was very surprised when my overly-careful daughter agreed to a camel ride.  I was even more surprised when she didn't cry or get scared, but actually smiled and even LAUGHED!  I have mixed feelings about these rides, but it sure was fun.

 We also got mani/pedis with Grandma and Aunt Jenny.  Yet more fodder for the idea that Lily is the Empress of the Universe.  As if she needed more...

And a trip to the west coast would not be complete without a roadtrip to Lily's birthplace.  Sunny and beautiful California.

 
Where Lily got to hang out with her Uncle Johnny.

 And wrestle with Grandpa and Tommy.

We went to SeaWorld...

Where she hung out with Uncle Johnny some more.

She got spoiled by Grandma...but just a little, I PROMISE!

And she spent hours watching the dolphins and whales.

She got to visit some swanky L.A. hotels (further promoting the whole Empress-of-the-Universe concept)

And rub elbows with some pretty impressive stars.

And she rode every single ride she could get on at Knotts Berry Farm.

I'll be honest, she's a big flirt.  She had these guys eating out of the palm of her hand.  I am both amused and horrified by this aspect of her personality.

  But the fun didn't end there.  Oh no...

When we got back to Arizona, we took Lily to see Suessical AND Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Broadway Palms theater.  Ever Thursday this summer they have tickets for dinner and a show for only $18.  I thought it was a steal and if we'd stayed longer, we would have gone to see more shows. 



Sadly, I didn't get any pictures from Cinderella.  She loved seeing the "real, live theater", informing me afterward that the regular movie theater is too plain and she only wants to see live shows.  Yes, I know...I've created a monster!

I love spending time with family and friends.  We don't get to see my Arizona peeps nearly often enough.  We packed a lot of fun into our time there, but we also got to spend plenty of time just chatting and catching up with everyone.  It was a long vacation, but it was definitely fun.

But getting back to our new house has been fun too.  And check out the view from our front lawn...

I wonder if we'll ever get sick of walking down to the beach everyday?...

Somehow, I doubt it.