Friday Things
Happy Friday!
I’ve been enjoying a wonderfully relaxing time at the beach this week, and thought that for this week’s Friday Things I would do a little show and tell of vacation photos :)
Last year, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I decided to have a super small wedding on the beach and rented a house south of St. Augustine, FL for our immediate family (his parents and brother, along with my mom and sister). We all had so much fun that we decided to do another vacation together this year. Same place, same house!
There are few things in life I find more relaxing than sitting on the beach, feeling the warm sun, and listening to the waves. I’ve definitely enjoyed my time on the beach and at our pool…
We’ve met some critters… some friendly, some not so much! My Chief Culinary Consultant and I have been taking a walk on the beach almost every morning when we get up and we’ve seen dolphins, a ton of different birds, and even an enormous crab:
My sister was in the pool, opened her eyes, and saw a black snake hanging out a little too close for comfort, then a friend of his showed up (eek!). My Chief Culinary Consultant, his dad and brother saw an alligator while golfing, and we’ve seen countless pelicans, ducks, and even some turtles!
On Wednesday, My Chief Culinary Consultant and I took a drive up to Ponte Vedra Beach and watched the practice round for The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The 17th green there is pretty much legendary, so we spent a good bit of time hanging out there, then checked out more of the course, ate, and milled about. We even got an up-close view of Rory McIlroy teeing off before we left…
You don’t think that I’d actually take a vacation from hockey playoffs, did you? The first thing we did when we got into the house last Saturday was check to see if the television got NBC Sports ;-) Â We’ve watched every game this week, with the ocean as a beautiful backdrop…
We’ve also been eating really well! On Monday, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with chicken and steak fajitas, complete with homemade guacamole and margaritas. We’ve had seafood on the grill, and hit up a few different restaurants, as well. The highlight was absolutely a dinner we had at Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille in St. Augustine last night. They specialize in authentic Louisiana dishes, and oh my gosh. Totally amazing. If you’re ever in St. Augustine, you MUST eat there!
We have one more sunset before we have to pack up and head home… sad face :(
However, I am SO excited to snuggle with these two boys!
I hope you’ve had a great week!
I’m glad to know someone else loves St. Augustine as much as we do. My parents met at Flagler College and spent their newlywed years in St. Augustine. My husband proposed to me overlooking the lighthouse (as close as he could get to where my Dad proposed to my Mom) and we spent our honeymoon there too. We go back as often as we can and love it. Next time you’re there, you need to check out The Bunnery, Pizzalleys/Chianti Room, and the Savannah Sweets. Those are some of our favorite places to return to.
Thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out the next time we’re there!
Yay for vacation! Looks like so much fun!
What a fun trip! I love your photos – especially that umbrella one! Wish I were sitting right under it :).
Thanks for all the fabulous recipes this week! Hope you enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing vacation! :)
My sister has a beach house in St. Augustine. Our favorite restaurant is Caps. It is just north of St Augustine on the river. The ambiance is amazing! It was one of the most memorable meals of my life!
Skimming through my emails and I had to take a double take at what email this was, thought it was one of my friends. I live in Jax Beach (PVB neighbor), TPC is THE spring event around here so fun. Hope you got to check out some of the great local eat at the tournament too. It’s a great area, you need to make more than one trip to get the full experience :) Oh and our NFL team will have a POOL in the stadium come this fall, blew your mind right ;)
Wonderful pics! Glad you enjoyed your time in Florida–and came back. The beaches are unbeatable and Harry’s is a delight! They’re also in Gainesville (my home) and Jacksonville (where they started).
I love that picture of #17 at TPC Sawgrass. It looks a lot different than the angles I see on TV. Love McIlroy’s swing. I would have loved to have been there–at Sawgrass.
We head up that way every year (from Sarasota). I love it there. Would you be willing to email me info regarding your rental? Looks gorgeous!
You photos are beautiful! St. Augustine is such a beautiful quaint town and the beaches there so unspoiled. In Florida, St. Augustine of the few places left that really gives visitors a sense of what Florida was like 40 or 50 years ago when I was a child! Enjoy your last sunset tonight, I hope it’s a great one!
Ahhhhhh. I love taking free vacations off other people photos.
Plus, it doesn’t cost anything and I don’t have to hear a million times “are we there yet” from those cuties in carseats.
Someday I’ll take a real vaca again, but until then, I’ll live vicariously through other people pics!!
I’m so glad you’re having a good time in “America’s Oldest City!” I live a stones throw away….so I visit St. Augustine often! However, I’ve never been to the TPC! Your beach walks look lovely! Enjoy your time – the weather’s perfect right now!
That’s right, go ahead, rub it in! You happen to be the second person within minutes to send news of a vacation while poor me has to suffer through this miserable spring here in the mid-atlantic. Just yesterday I was noting that where I live at least there are no where NEAR the summer flowers and hanging baskets showing on people’s porches and outside areas, not like most years. It’s been a COLD spring and I’m worried to death it will be a colder than usual summer. Right before reading “Friday Things” I woke to an email from a friend who has just returned from a MONTH long vacation in the Phillipines. I’ve known she has wanted to visit there for years as she hasn’t been back ever since she left with her family as a little girl when her father fled to the US after supporting us during the war and eventually joining the US military. I’m happy for both of you, BUT GREEN WITH ENVY. I had been wondering why I hadn’t heard from her over Easter. I’m glad both of you had a great time with your families. It’s not every new bride that can travel with her in-laws and their family members, you’re very lucky. I’ve heard MANY MANY “monster-in-law” stories in my life. One thing that REALLY surprised me was that you didn’t take “the boys”. I could never leave my Lucy behind. She’s only been kenneled a few hours in her life during a family wedding when there wasn’t a single person available to watch her (anyone I knew well enough to ask, was AT the wedding) and that turned out to be a disaster. Lucy turned 8 years old this past weekend and I’m on a concentrated search for a “sister” for her. So far no listing has seemed just right yet. Anyone knowing of a litter of goldens within a couple of hours drive from the greater Hagerstown, MD area please send me word. MY golden named Lucy needs a little sister puppy to make her feel young again.
I had to laugh when I saw that picture of the yellow umbrella. I thought you were going to do a tutorial of “how to set up a proper beach campsite.” Well….need to go, time to make the “muffins”. I have an order for someone picking up a couple of dozen MUFFINS this evening to serve at her toddler son’s birthday celebration tomorrow morning I believe. It’s different, that’s for sure. Based on what she told me I plan on doing a Vanilla Blueberry Muffin as she said her son LOVES blueberries. One good thing about this order, it’s MUCH easier than any cake or cupcake she could have requested. There’s no frosting to do, no decorating, it’s MUCH less work than a decorated cake. Have a safe trip home and give those big boys of yours a big hug and belly rub from Lucy and myself.
Wow–I envy you the beach and warm sunshine—-we just had 25 cms of snow three nights ago!!!! But on the bright side, they say that spring is coming–hahaha!!!
Thanks for sharing your vacation pictures. The pictures are beautiful.
A beach right now would be wonderful! Enjoy!
SO glad to see your two guys at the end of this post! :)
Your vacation pics look so serene!! Hope you enjoyed and well rested!