Anniversary Trip

During the health scare with my Mom, MedicMan and I had previously scheduled a weekend away at our favorite B&B in Flagler Beach, the White Orchid Inn. This little off-the-beaten path is a gem that MedicMan discovered several years ago and we'd been dying to go back ever since our previous trip. It was our 13th anniversary on July 23rd, so we set off for a long weekend. Our close friends, Gone Country and Country Boy decided to join us on their way back from a family reunion in Georgia. We met at the Inn late on the afternoon of the 23rd and settled in for a wonderful and relaxing time.

Somehow I'd talked MedicMan into taking me shopping at the Prime Outlets in St. Augustine, which are about 30 minutes north of our destination. What was I thinking?! LOL 100 degree heat, lots of people and a man who abhors shopping for any reason. Yikes! I decided that he must really love me to put himself through the ordeal.

I really only had two stores in mind - Brighton and Coach. Luckily for me, they were side-by-side in the same building, so we only had to park once and walk from one to the other. Once we arrived and got parked, MedicMan settled into the spirit of things and let me wander and ooh-and-ahh to my heart's content. I finally decided on a necklace and matching bracelet at Brighton, a small ring with a heart on it, and a pair of earrings that have "Love" stampled on a small dangly heart. After checking out, I discovered a text from Gone Country that they had arrived at the Inn and she was enjoying happy hour while Country Boy took their truck to the tire store to have some lumpy tires replaced. I texted her back and asked her not to drink all of the wine and we were on our way!

After checking in to our lovely room, the Lilac Room, we decided to take a dip in the pool before dressing for dinner. Oh how relaxing it was to float in that cool, refreshing pool....well, because of the heat, it was almost bath water temperature, but it was still a might bit cooler than the outdoor temperatures!

There was a really good italian restaurant in the area that MedicMan and I had eaten at when we were there years ago, and we were told the man who ran it sold the restaurant and opened up a new one. We remembered how good the food had been, so being that it was our anniversary, we chose the italian restaurant and Gone Country and Country Boy would chose dinner the second night. The pizza was good, but my pasta dish was very bland and watery. Oh well...the company was great!

The next day was a dedicated beach day. We had toyed with the idea of taking a drive to St. Augustine to shoot some photos, but we didn't want to be that close to the beach and not have time to enjoy it. Besides, the temperature was scorching and walking around St. Augustine quickly lost it's appeal.

(note: apparently Blogger has changed the photo upload feature, so until I figure it out, you can click on the photo for a larger view)

This little guy was desperating trying to get from the dunes to the surf, and was kind enough to stop and pose for a few shots before scampering the rest of the way.

It was a wonderfully relaxing day, watching people, watching sandcastles being built, watching birds and just taking time to breathe.

We decided on a late lunch of fruit and cheese served poolside at the Inn, and MedicMan and I popped the champaign that had been chilling in our room from our anniversary to share with Gone Country and Country Boy.

After a quick shower, naps (Country Boy) and happy hour (Gone Country and I), MedicMan caught up on some homework, then we decided on The Fisherman's Net for dinner. Really good seafood and a nice atmosphere. We were all so beat from a day in the sun, we called it an early evening.

The next day, we were going to drive to St. Augustine, shoot a few photos around the historic area, and maybe the lighthouse. When I woke up that morning, I was not feeling quite up to it, so MedicMan and I decided to head back towards home, and Gone Country and Country Boy went on to St. Augustine without us. It was probably for the best, because she said that the heat was so intense that even they couldn't bear to be out in it for more than about an hour, then they also started back. Not before she captured some really good lighthouse shots, though!

The excitement from the weekend wasn't quite over. Since we lost our Heidi-girl, we'd noticed our little man, Sammy, wasn't quite as chipper and was moping around the house. MedicMan found an add in a local online newspaper for a breeder in our area that had long-haired chihauhau puppies for $200. We called and spoke with Joy at Joy's Homegrown Chihauhua's and she agreed to meet us on the way home the next day to show us her four puppies. We decided to take one home.....and that will require an entire blog post on it's own - Life with Tucker!

Live life and laugh often!
Mama Shutta'Bug