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.

Big Love.

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

Honestly.

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.

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.

See Ya Later, Alligator.

On Monday, Papa and I made it a point to take Punky to one of the most talked about ‘kid-friendly’ attractions in town—The Saint Augustine Alligator Farm. It was quite crazy to me, seeing the plethora of sharp toothed beasts—and being so close, for that matter!

Not for Punky though! She was right up in there, nose-to-glass with excitement! Talking to the alligators, singing them songs, I couldn’t believe how comfortable she was around them; especially since she had such a, well, disliking for dinosaurs when she was a tot. Yet there she was---all giggles.

While we were there, we caught a show where the zoo-keeper was feeding the ‘gators. What a hoot it was for Punky!  All the way home, she was going on and on about how the alligators ate strawberry-flavored rats and how she too liked strawberries!  

We stayed until the park was closing down, and let’s just say that leaving them didn’t sit well with Punks. She threw a big fit, crying, kicking, screaming, the works. After explaining to her that we were late for a dinner reservation, she finally (willingly) bid her reptilian friends adieu, insisted on taking an alligator tooth home and off we went. Sniffle, sniffle, sigh and all.

All Smiles, Rain Or Shine.

Back to Saint Augustine we went!

Despite the fact that we can only stay for short stints, we still make it a point to head out to Saint Augustine as much as possible these days. This would make our third trip in two months and each and every time it gets better and better. No trip is the same, as we always find some piece of history to treasure or some tiny place to explore. This trip was no exception! Though it was rainy and I didn’t take many photographs, I still was able to capture a few wonderful moments and, as usual, I’m excited to share!

This time, my younger brother Scotty, who just got back from his first tour in Afghanistan, came down for leave, so we decided to back track on all of the awesome things we got to do last time—just to get on the same page. We did the ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!’ Museum and the Old Jail again, but I’ll spare you the repeats in photography. Just know that it was just as fun the second time, as it was the first! We also made it a point to hop on the Green Trolley and make our way through the various high points in the town, which included seeing the National Guard Headquarters, riding past the cemetery, all the memorials and even through the gorgeous tree-lined streets that surround the Downtown.

After a few hours of non-stop sightseeing and many grumbly bellies, we found a little shady niche behind the police station and had a teeny-tiny cookout. We spent the evening indulged in conversation, mouthfuls of potato salad and hysterical reminiscing about our past “Aha!” moments. We even got to skip rocks in the tiny lake next door---in the rain---that is, until we saw a family of alligators across the way.

Afterwards, the rain was coming down a little too much for the Saint Augustine Ghost Tour that we bought tickets for, so we just decided to stay in and take full advantage of my dad’s hotel pool. Accompanied by The Beach Boys tunes, the warmth of the rain, and the quiet hum of the distant thunder, we had a blast just being together! Plus, Punky learned how to paddle, float, jump in (with floats!) and even dunk her head under the water! I’d say it was a day WELL spent.