31 July 2011

A Night of Papa.

 After secretly selling his Warped Tour concert tickets, Papa decided to make the two hundred mile trip over here to see us for the weekend! Had I known well in advance, I would have taken the time off of work and wouldn’t have stayed on schedule all weekend long. But it sort of worked out better this way anyway, considering Kiri and her Daddy got to spend some really nice (and adorable!) time together, one on one.

On his last night here, Kiri wanted to show him her favorite part of town, the little park on ‘Main Street’. (Yes, the same little park I posted about a couple of days ago!) So we picnicked there and talked until it almost got dark. Kiri had a blast showing him around like she was queen of the playground or a tour guide or something. Papa made it a point to swing her like there was no tomorrow. And boy, did she love it! 



Ninny even got to join in on the fun!




Afterwards, Papa surprised her with a trip on the most prized “toy” of all…the merry-go-round. And she was smiling from ear to ear the whole time.





It really was a wonderful night. Too bad he had to go back to Tampa the next day. But that’s alright, not too long before they can become permanent.

Honestly.

28 July 2011

Big Love.




Words cannot describe how much love I have for this little girl. 

Honestly.

25 July 2011

Sunshine, Smiles and Pruney Fingers.

It’s been a steady ninety degrees here in our neck of the woods, so we’ve been living it up poolside.







Did I mention just how much I love it here?! Honestly.

For the love of Independence.



Our fourth of July was a wonderful one. My parents and I planned a beach getaway for the family, beating the hype of the downtown fireworks show to watch them over the skyline instead. along with my brother Scotty, his girlfriend Jennifer and fellow soldier, Church.



We made our way to Vilano Beach, an island nestled on the corner of Saint Augustine and enjoyed barbecued food, football and more laughs than you could imagine!


 Papa came over from Tampa to visit--


 --along with my brother Scotty and his girlfriend, Jennifer.


Kiri enjoyed playing in the sand and making castles on the coastline.


and we even buried my sister Morgan beneath a mound of beach sand...all in good fun of course.


If you know anything about my family, you know we're a football-watchin', football playin' clan.

That is, until the boys decided it was time to play a round of tackle-football. Bumps, bruises and concussions? No thank you.

The water was so warm and foamy.


and the sand made for a nice shelter.


Punky kept stating that it was "Kiwi's Fort".


I really hope that it’s as great a holiday next year as it was this one. Because frankly, my heart’s STILL melting over how sugary sweet it was. Honestly.



15 July 2011

New Beginnings.



I apologize for the distance between this post and my last; a lot has changed since I last updated here. A whole whopping mess of drama went on in my little family’s life; drama so big, it changed the course of our entire future. As it stands, I am now an official resident of Saint Augustine, Florida—I told you it was my safe haven—along with little miss. Papa, however, is still stuck in Tampa; living with a friend of his, finishing out the police academy. It’ll only be this way for eight more weeks, which seems like forever for such an emotionally-close married couple, but we’ll make whatever sacrifices we have to in order to be happy, once and for all.

.



In the meantime, life here is amazing; TRULY. It’s a complete one-eighty from what I’ve been subjected to over the past three years of my life and I couldn’t be more content with things. I am now a full-time working mama; I do late night/weekend day housekeeping, laundry and front desk shifts at a really nice hotel. It feels phenomenal to finally get back out there and be a part of the working class again. I feel as though I can contribute more to life, and my marriage, than just a cute kid and a clean house. Plus, there’s the perk of living so close to the ocean! I mean, look at it! How would waking up to this, a cup of tea and yoga NOT immediately make you feel like gold?! [I KNOW, I KNOW!]





As for Punky, she’s completely blossomed since being here. She adores the beach, she loves the tiny parks and malls; nothing short of starry eyes and ooh’s and ahh’s for this girl. Seeing her so excited to start the day, every day, is an accomplishment all in itself for me. It gives life an extra gleam of satisfaction and happiness. And nothing in the entire universe could be better.



From our family to yours, sincerely.