Siesta Key Beach Trip 2018

If you've been following me on Instagram, you've seen that we usually take a trip to Siesta Key each year around this time. It started out as our yearly anniversary trip, but it's turned into a family trip. We weren't sure that we were going to make it this year because Olivia had been hospitalized a few days before our trip, but things started looking up and we got the okay from her doctors to go. We spent a few days in Orlando around mid May, but this time we got to spend four days with all our family. I can't tell you how awesome and much needed that was for us. The weather was perfect, Olivia got to play with all of her cousins in one place, and we got to try out some new restaurants.

We stayed at the Parrot Beach Cottages again. We stayed there last year and loved that it was such a short walk to the beach. We didn't use the pool last year because it rained a lot and when it wasn't raining, we were at the beach. This year, the kids might have enjoyed the pool more than the beach. It was easier for them to get in and out and didn't have to worry about being covered in sand. Olivia decided that she wanted to learn to swim and ditched her life jacket in the pool. It was crazy! She just started swimming and jumping in on her own. Obviously, there was always an adult in the pool with her though. The rooms where we stayed are super cute and decorated with beachy decor. They have a full kitchen, 1 bedroom, a full bath, and a pull-out couch in two of the rooms. There are four rooms total there. So, if you didn't want to eat out everyday, you could make your meals there. It's also not pricey compared to all of the other beachfront locations. 

The first night there we met some family that was down from Tennessee at Outback. That's always a yummy meal. You can't go wrong with delicious bread, steak, and veggies. It was nice getting to see everyone and meet cousins we didn't get to see last year. The second night, we went to Gilligan's Island Grill. The only thing good about this place was their music. It was super busy and we had so many people in our party, I think the server got a little flustered. The kiddos were all tired, so it went down hill fast. We decided on our last night there that we wanted to eat at The Hub Baja Grill. We would have eaten at this place every night if we could. We ended up just ordering our food to-go because we didn't want to miss the sunset. Dannie and I ordered the Chicken Quesadillas and the Hub Dip Sampler. They were both super delish and we didn't even eat them right away. After dinner, we picked up some of the donuts over at Meaney's Mini Donuts. We ate breakfast twice at The Village Cafe. It's some of the best breakfast I've ever had. We didn't even order anything fancy. We saved money on our other meals and brought snacks and food to make in our room. 

 It's a little crazy to think next year when we go that Livi will be five. I love traveling with her because she thinks the best part is staying at different hotels or houses. As much as we love Siesta Key, we miss the quietness at Longboat Key. It's beautiful and so close to the beach where we stay at Siesta, but it seems to be getting a little wild there and maybe not as family friendly. I'm already missing the beach though and secretly living through other people's photos I see on Instagram. I was hoping we'd make it back to the beach for some day trips this summer, but Livi started steroids and her little cheeks get so red from just running around. I can't imagine if she was out in the sun for a few hours. We made a summer bucket list with some local places around Ocala and Gainesville. I'll share that later. We haven't had the chance to do anything yet because it's either too hot outside or it's raining. Florida weather is so unpredictable.

Disney Days

We've been to Disney a few times now and each time it's a different experience. We have the weekday annual passes, so we can only go when Dannie can take off work. It's really nice that we are an hour away though. The last few months we were able to go to see the fall decorations, Christmas, and even try some park hopping. The weather has been different each time which has been interesting. When we went in October it was shorts and tank tops, November we wore pants and t-shirts, and yesterday we had pants, jackets, gloves, and hats.

Disney during the Holidays is so much fun. I wish I would have taken more photos of the decorations, but I was trying to live in the moment. Unfortunately, we were not able to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, but the decorations they put up make it so magical! It will definitely get you in the Holiday spirit!!

We had a lot of first times on this trip. Olivia was finally tall enough to ride the Barnstormer! She loved it, but said she wouldn't ride it again because it scared her. She put her arms up on the climb up and it was so cute, but once it went down the first hill she was cuddled up next to her daddy. She wasn't that scared because she rode it on our next trip and said the same thing. We rode the ferry for the first time on our way into Magic Kingdom. We've actually rode it every time since because it's much faster than the monorail. Livi got to see Merida for the first time and loved her. She requested a bear afterwards and named him Harris, which is one of Merida's brothers.

YAY! We got our Holiday Magnet!

Siesta Key Recap

Well, we finally got a vacation! I don't think we have traveled to the beach since the summer of 2015. We stayed in Siesta Key for four days it was much needed. It's so nice to get a break from our every day routines. No dishes, cleaning, or work for four whole days! Our only worries were if it was going to rain and where we were eating dinner.

We left on a Friday and our check-in time was 2 pm. I think we ended up finally leaving our house around 11:30 and we arrived at 2:30. The weather on Friday was gorgeous. I think we unpacked some once we got there and then headed to the beach. It was pretty hot so it didn't take us long to get in the water. Our little home away from home was probably a three minute walk to the beach. We stayed at the Parrot Beach Cottages. We stayed in Suite 4 and it had the cutest distressed blue wood on all of the walls. It came with a queen size bed, a pull-out sofa in the living room, small dining table, small kitchen, a bathtub, and all of the kitchen utensils you could think of. It was small, but we didn't need much since it was just the three of us. There was a pool, but we didn't swim since we were so close to the beach. There was a small grocery store (The Siesta Market! It's so cute!) within walking distance so we picked up some eggs, milk, and sausage to cook for breakfast. For lunch we made turkey and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls. Then, we would eat out for dinner. That helped us save money!!

I can't believe how fearless Olivia was in the water!! She would go out with us and wear her Puddle Jumper. Dannie found tons of sand dollars, but we didn't keep any since they were still alive. Unfortunately, we didn't see one sunset while we were there. Most evenings it was either raining or we were at dinner. For dinner the first night we decided on The Old Salty Dog. It was about a ten minute walk from our room. One of the things we like most about Siesta Key is that you can walk everywhere if you stay close to the village. When we're on vacay we don't want to drive unless we really have to. I think I ordered the charbroiled chicken, a house salad, and fries.

The sunset that we missed.

The second day, we got up and we were at the beach by 8:15. That's mega early for us to be up and motivated. I was pretty surprised! Everyone else joined us around 8:30. We were able to stay at the beach until around noon that day due to rain. Sadly, it rained most of the day so we napped and ventured out to a few stores. We picked up a Siesta Key sticker for my car, a postcard for The Rex's, and some mini donuts. If your going to SK and love donuts, you have to stop there! We tried the cinnamon & sugar, powdered, and glazed with sprinkles. They were so good we picked some up after dinner that night too. Calories don't count when your on vacation, right?! Since it was raining we weren't able to walk to dinner that night so we all decided on Outback. It was SO yummy! I've been having some stomach issues lately, so I had to make some smart choices when ordering food out. I had grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, the most delicious house salad, and a glass of White Zinfandel. Of course I had some bread and a few bites of a blooming onion too! ;)

Day three we got up super early again and went down to the beach around 8:30. We stayed at the beach until about 11. Then, packed up our beach stuff and grabbed some pizza and met up with some family at their condo. It was fun to be able to get together with them since they live in Tennessee. Olivia also enjoyed having someone to help her look for shells and dig in the sand. Usually anytime we go to SK, we get pizza from Solarzano Bros. Pizza. Since we were in a hurry, we just ordered a pepperoni and cheese pie. We've had their greek salad and it's to die for! I'm sure everything on their menu is amazing and you can just order pizza by the slice also. We had a blast at the beach and wore the littes out too! I don't think we left the beach until around 4. We had time to go back to the room and get a little nap in before getting ready for dinner. Our goal was to meet at The Hub Baja Grill for dinner, but the wait was an hour and half and the rain was about to start. We decided on Nepoli's and it was pretty good. I just had a salad and cheese sticks. Dannie had Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo. If you can't tell by now, we love food and love to try new places. We walked around some stores after dinner and then hung out with The Braswell's in our room until we were all about to fall asleep. 

Monday was check-out day. I was up at 7:30, showered, and finished packing everything up. Then, I woke up Dannie and Olivia. Once we were all checked-out we met up with everyone and ate breakfast at The Village Cafe. Literally, the BEST breakfast EVER! The service was great and the food was exceptional. I ordered a pretty simple breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and sourdough toast. Maybe we were just hangry by the time we finally ate. But, it tasted better than our normal breakfast spot which is Cracker Barrel. We will definitely make it back there on our next trip. 

Reading back over this it sounds like we ate a lot, but we really didn't. We just went to different dinner locations each night. Haha. SO, if your in Siesta Key, you know where you should be eating! We really enjoyed that everything was within walking distance, but Dannie and I agreed that we missed how secluded and quiet the beach is when we stay at Longboat Key. Granted, we do have to drive everywhere there, but almost having the beach to ourselves is pretty nice. We will have to weigh our options when we start planning next years trip. What we love most about the beaches in the Sarasota area is clear water and the white sand. We don't care for big, huge waves like the Atlantic side and the water temps are always tolerable on the gulf side. Oh!! I almost forgot and less shark sitings in the gulf. Olivia came home with lots of shells and a few stories to go with them. She enjoys putting them up to her ear and listening to the ocean. She did really well the entire trip which made it easier on us and the salt water helped her peeling feet and hands. Woo hoo! 

What's Up With Us

Well, hello! It's been a long three and half months and it's been quiet on here. I need to get into the habit up updating at least once a month or when something really exciting happens. I could say that we've just been really busy, but that's not been the case. Life gets in the way and I have trouble finding time to sit down to type on here. 

We got to celebrate Baby Peyton in June. She is just the cutest thing ever and has the prettiest blue eyes. We really enjoy getting to snuggle her and are so excited about Olivia being able to do some girlie things with her little cousin when she's older. Olivia also finished her swim classes for the month of June. She's still pretty fearless in the water, but I can't say that I was very impressed with the place we took her. We also celebrated Dannie getting his bachelor's degree. He will get to walk with his class in Orlando in February. He's spent a long two years studying and staying up late every night and it has finally paid off. We are super proud of him! :)

Dannie and I had tried to eat better and start exercising, but a stressful event happens and throws us off. I have gained about 15 pounds since last year and it's taken a toll on me. I've been taking daily probiotics lately because it seems anything I eat (usually not the healthiest) upsets my stomach. The probiotics have been helping, but I know I won't feel 100% better until we change what we're eating and are exercising. We didn't do anything for the 4th of July this year because Livi had a cold. But, we did make up for it with eating bomb pops pretty much the whole month of July. I think we watched the neighbors fireworks and Olivia thought they were too loud. Olivia discovered Zootopia in July and it quickly became her favorite movie. 

Olivia recently had a flare-up. She didn't have a cold or anything so it was a mystery at first as to how it all started. She just woke up one day with a fever and that escalated into a rash. Unfortunately, this happened on a Friday and her doctors are not in on the weekend. So, we either had to take her to the ER or wait it out to see if it got worse. After speaking to her doctor, they thought giving her two injections a day may help instead of bringing her to the hospital. It did actually help. We were able to take her in for a check-up and all of her labs were elevated. So, it was decided to go up on her injection dose to 1 full syringe once a day and also up her oral medication. We are still trying to work out all the kinks with the oral medication though. She seems to get itchy when we go up on the dose. 

September is one of the busier months for us. It is my parents anniversary, my sisters birthday, grandparents day, and we are adding a ice cream fundraiser to benefit the arthritis foundation this year. We are pretty excited to be helping out the arthritis foundation. It may just be a small fundraiser, but some our close friend's and family will be able to help out as well. 

It's been really hard keeping Olivia busy lately. We've been working on some small crafts I found on Pinterest, but it only keeps her attention for about 10 minutes. I can't wait until it starts cooling down outside so we can spend more time outside. I see lots of trips to the park in our future. I've been thinking about pulling some fall decorations out, but I'm really trying to control that urge because it doesn't feel fall-ish quite yet. A lot of our favorite shows came back this month so we've been keeping busy with those in the evenings. 

Lots to look forward to in the upcoming months with fall festivals, the pumpkin patch, and holiday time :)

Off to Dannie's graduation celebration.

October Festivities!

Here are some photos from our October adventures.

I just love the trees in Micanopy and McIntosh. It has to be one of my favorite parts of the town. We didn't end up purchasing anything at the festival in McIntosh except food and a Peppa Pig hairbow for Olivia. Lemonade, hot dogs, and fried pickles. It definitely wasn't a healthy day, but we had fun and the weather was beautiful.

The weekend after the McIntosh festival was the Micanopy one. The town there is even cuter and is filled with adorable little historic houses. Let's see..we stuffed our face with funnel cake, lemonade, gyro's, and arepas. I did purchase an old windowpane though for $20. I'll have to repaint it, but, I want to hang it in our living room.

Olivia had fun and enjoyed the family. She probably felt like she was at a dog zoo because so people take their dogs to the festival. She even saw goats and a pig :)

We usually take a big blanket to lay out under the trees so we can all eat together :)

I just love these two below. They were both rocking their arthritis shirts at the McIntosh festival. I made Olivia's shirt, but I ordered the Cure Arthritis one from for just $15. They also have some bracelets, some racing shirts, and a big pack that comes with a shirt, buttons, posters, bracelets, stickers, and a bumper sticker. That is the way to go to raise awareness :)

We love us some QUILTS! :)

We took Olivia to her first "Trunk or Treat" on the Friday before Halloween. She was adorable! She cracked us up because she was pretty confused at first about what to do. Once she realized she was having candy put into her bucket though she would walk up to the vendors on her own. She even said "Trick or treat" a few times before we got there, but she didn't say much once we were there. She was too busy checking out other kids, it was loud, and she was just excited they were giving her candy! Most of the candy wasn't toddler friendly, so she probably had one piece. We just wanted to see how she would do really. Isn't she the cutest little monkey?