Kitchen Sink

On our last day in Florida, Mr. Panek...I mean Jim, not sure what I should write on here? took us on a tour of different Disney hotels. We went swimming in the hotel pools, ate lunch and in general just took in all the details. Before I go any further...THE DETAILS. I mean, Disney seriously knows what they are doing when it comes to details.  In the Animal Kingdom Lodge, there is a drummer playing African tribal music in the lobby, there are actually animals from Africa in the backyard, the employees are all from Africa, and even the bannisters look like little sticks from a jungle. In the wilderness lodge - the chandeliers are teepees!, there's a babbling brook running through the lobby and they've even pegged everything down to the fact that people that stay there probably listen to country music and that's what is blasting at the hotel pool (sidenote: while walking through that pool area Aubrey decided she needed to break it down and set down her sippy cup and just started dancing. She really is my daughter!) I would say the only hotel that they maybe missed a detail was Beaches and Cream. And the only reason I say that is because we were eating lunch there and it's supposed to look like an 50s Malt Shop....but Ingrid's reaction was more like this: What are they wearing? If I had to wear that outfit I would kill myself. I mean, what is the theme even? Colonial?

After pigging out on tons of fresh salsa and lots of delicious grilled meals on our vacation I was feeling a little like I had eaten way too much by the time Tuesday rolled around. So when we decided to have lunch at Beaches and Cream I was feeling pretty good about myself when I ordered a grilled vegetable sandwich. And even better about myself when I got fruit, instead of fries, as my side. And still better when the meal appeared and the portions were pretty manageable. Finally, I'm going to leave this meal and not feel stuffed. And then the conversation drifted to ice cream and how Beaches and Cream has a kitchen sink which is literally a kitchen sink bowl filled with 8 scoops of ice cream and every single topping in the joint. It's like a heart attack in a bowl. Ryan was telling Martin, Ingrid and I (we were at a seperate table from the rest) how last time he and three other guys had gotten a kitchen sink and they could barely finish it. We were looking around to find a similar bowl to compare the size.

Ryan: Oh, they're making one back there now. We'll see it in a minute when they bring it out.

Perfect!

Then the waitress came over to take our plates:
Was everything okay? Can I get you anything else? They already ordered you dessert.

....They already ordered you dessert. You could have wiped the collective dropping of our faces up with a rag as we all realized at the exact same moment just who was going to have to eat that kitchen sink they were so busily making behind the counter.

And moments later our fears were confirmed when the sirens starting echoing through the restaurant (seriously, there is literally sirens) and our kitchen sink was served.

Needless to say, I also felt stuffed at the end of that meal.

Deep

Did I mention how close these two were during our Florida trip? Seriously, if two people ever had each other's back....it was these two. Even when Martin claimed he was the best co-pilot ever and we asked him to take us to the onion fields via orange groves and he took us in the opposite direction to Disney through the city, Ryan still called him an amazing co-pilot.

And when there was some sort of vulture like animal circling over the house next door, you can bet these two were all over checking out the situation.

Ryan: I don't know if I could live here full time.
Martin: I could in the winter.
Ryan: It would be like being on full time vacation, except you still have to go to work everyday.
Martin: That's deep.

Tennis!

For some reason or other, tennis is a sport that I didn't really know that much about. I never really knew the rules or how to keep score ( I knew there was some love in there.....but if love equals zero that seems a little counterintuitive) and I pretty much just play under the "hit the ball over the net whereever it lands" type of rules. But.....we played a lot of tennis in Florida and now I'm pretty familiar with all the rules.

And knowing the rules is really a curse. I used to think I knew how to serve because I could consistently get the ball over the net. Then I learned that you have to not only get the ball over the net but also get it in the first half of the court on a certain side -  forget about it! With rules like that I'd like to play it a little more like ping pong, you only score when you're serving (I know, I know, that wouldn't work because only one team would have an opportunity to serve each game...trust me..I learned the rules. I just think that rule would really help to alleviate my poor aiming problem. A LOT.)

Martin and I have basically decided we need to get really good at tennis this summer so on return trips to Florida we can conquer the court, something we most certainly did not do this time around.

Just A Few...

Just a few little tidbits and fun facts from my day. I'm obviously in a really talkative mood today since this is my third post of the day and I have yet to talk about anything of significance.

1. Sometimes I fluctuate in and out of being really addicted to fast food. I blame my job for that. I never really ate fast food till I was always in a hurry and spending a lot of time in a car. I try to pack a lunch or buy something from the store, but every once in a while a mcdouble and small diet coke comes calling. And for the small price of $2.16 (actually, they recently took diet coke off the dollar menu and as I have learned, this combo is now $2.37)! But sometimes it just takes the little things to snap you back to reality and make you realize you absolutely need to stop eating fast food. Like when you pull up to the drive through and put the empty cup from the previous day on the passanger's seat floor so the girl at the window won't see that you have a problem and just "dined" there yesterday.



2. My Florida pedicure is still holding up! And I knew you really wanted to see a picture of my feet.

3. Martin was gone for dinner tonight. Black Beans and Rice! Mmmm.

4. Aren't they adorable!

Beach!

Probably my favorite day in Florida was the day we went to the beach. And pictures just seem to come out better with a beach backdrop. Every time I look through our vacation photos I am drawn to the ones at the beach (and I know it's not because I just learned to take a picture for a few brief moments.) The sand and the water really just make the perfect backdrop for.....well...anything.

When we first arrived Aubrey was a little anxious about the sand. I realized she was too young for sandboxes last summer and the beach experience was literally her first experience with a sandbox, albeit a giant one. When I put her on the ground right outside the suburban she started to cry and immediately crawled up into my lap.

But with very little coercing, she suddenly discovered the joys of sand and took to it like a fish in water...hahaha. Don't worry if you're not laughing, I'm still cracking myself up over here.

Aubrey also really enjoyed watching these people play racketball/tennis/I'm sure this game has a name. And she just stood there and watched the ball go back and forth, back and forth until it would drop and then she would run to retrieve it.

She even did pretty well with the ocean....well until a wave that hit at my midcalf pulled her under the water. She didn't really love that.

And our neighbors on the beach. She loved them. Every free moment she was sneaking over there to play with Nolan and his sand toys. At first I kept trying to bring her back, not wanting her to bother them, but then I figured If you can't beat 'em, join 'em and I followed her over there and let her play while I chatted with the grandma. This turned out to be perfect because when Nolan decided he was going to drop his swim trunks to his ankles and pee in the ocean I had a front and center view. And then when he decided to step out of them and run around naked I was still front and center. So....that was funny.

And little Karalyn was just a little to young to enjoy all the beach fun, but she did enjoy a little summer siesta.

Foodie Friday: Fresh Salsa

I'm starting another series called Foodie Friday. Someone recently told me they looked through my blog and was surprised by how few recipes I had posted. For some reason, this really cut me deeply because I have this idea in my head that I have a fairly frequent running rotation of recipes on here. Apparently I don't, but....going forward.....every Friday. I still refer to my blog every single time I make a pizza crust.



When we were in Florida we made fresh salsa almost every day. We averaged a bag of corn chips a day during a stay and I became really really addicted to it by the end. I've always strived for a good fresh salsa blend, but for some reason I have always missed the mark. The recipe Katie and I (mostly Katie) put together in Florida was pure perfection and I wanted I to share it with you.

Roma Tomatoes, chopped into pieces
Onions (we used sweet) chopped into pieces
Jalapeno Pepper (1-2) chopped into very little pieces
Bell Pepper, chopped into pieces
Garlic (optional) 1 clove, minced

....and the crucial ingredient half a Lemon or Lime squeezed and Salt to taste.

Dirt Lovers and Sunscreen

playing in the dirt at an onion field in Florida

Last summer Aubrey wasn't really mobile enough to fully enjoy the joys of the outdoors. A sandbox would have been way more than she could handle. And when the first few days of muddy spring broke around here this year, it seemed that she wasn't a fan of dirt (she would fall onto her wrists so avoid getting her hands dirty) but when we went to Florida a whole new side of Aubrey appeared and it seems our daughter loves dirt. It really was a job trying to keep this girl clean for more than a few minutes.

moats and sandcastles. And of course....dirt!

Also, completely unrelated to Aubrey's love of dirt but definitely just as interesting. Ingrid learned about proper sunscreen application on this vacation. Check out the fingerprints on her legs where she stopped applying lotion. I think spray on sunscreen was made for people like you, Ingrid!

Baby Fever

We went to Florida with our good friends Katie and Ryan and their baby Karalyn. Then Martin's sister, my amazing sister-in-law, Ingrid met us a few days into our trip. I think by the end of her stay she was definitely suffering from baby fever.

And when I say baby fever please don't misconstrue that for put a baby in my belly fever because that is the opposite of what I am referring to with that statement. What I am actually referring to is the nausea that can at times overwhelm a childless person when in the presence of too many children.

At one point I overheard her talking to a friend, There's babies all over the place here. We're on a very strict schedule. We get up at 5:00 every morning and we call it vacation.

In her defense, there was a few trying moments - like this one pictured above when Aubrey got sunscreen in her eyes and cried for two hours.

Pedicures

On our recent vacation to Florida I got my first ever pedicure. To call it amazing would be a gross understatement. It was absolutely fantastic! I'm officially hooked (and I secretly knew that was going to happen which is why I've put the inevitable off for so long. I actually was in a wedding last year - shout out to Katie Mason Epstein! and when all the bridesmaids went to get pedicures I went with them but didn't partake. That's how determined I've been to avoid this absolutely in love with pedicures sure I'll get another one before the summer is up situation).

When we arrived in Florida two Thursdays ago, Katie declared that the two things she really wanted to do that day were go grocery shopping and get a pedicure. I wasn't going to argue with that so we headed out. And besides the glorious feeling of someone massaging your legs and the ridiculously amazing massage chairs you get to sit in, it was an added bonus that my feet looked super cute afterwards.

I couldn't stop looking at them and Martin couldn't stop talking about how great they looked. He must have brought up my feet at least four times in the following two days. At one point he even said, If I had a foot fetish I'd totally be into that.

Who wants to join me for my next pedicure?

Consequences.

On the walk home from the sunset cruise, the effects of a days worth of sun started to set in. The sunburns were a-blazing. Martin and Mitchell decided it was absolutely neccesary to take their shirts off.

And this is why we had terrible sunburns: 1. my 8 oz sunscreen would not be accepted on the plane and 2. It was so cold when we got to Florida we completely forgot to buy sunscreen and 3. when you spend a day on water without sunscreen, bad things happen.

My only saving grace was that I was wearing a wetsuit all day. Because I was definitely burned the worst. Luckily, the burn was contained to my face, hands and feet.

In fact, I had burned so badly that by Friday, my face was covered in blisters and multiple people in the airport made comments along the lines of, "looks like you brought some of the sun back with you"

On Saturday, when I met Ranatta at the Chilli Cook-Off in Ithaca she burst into tears of laughter, didn't recognize me, and told me - in a comforting way, of course - that since strangers wouldn't know I had just been in Florida, the would probably just think I got a really bad chemical burn.

On Wednesday, An entire week after the initial burn I had five cashiers come up to me at work to tell me that "I looked a lot better"

Alligator Alley

Our first stop on our Southern Florida Vacation was a park in The Everglades. I personally wouldn't have gone here if I had been in charge of vacation, mostly because I've seen an alligator before and I would have just spent the entire vacation on Key West. But, I also like to appease my family who vacations under the notion of covering an entire state on one vacation.

Someone threw their cigarette butt on a lilly-pad. Gross.

I am a big fan of lilly-pads though. They are so fun.

We took a fan boat through the Everglades.

Here's an interesting fact: contrary to popular belief, the everglades are not a swamp - they are just a really really slow moving river.

The spots throughout the everglades that are actually land are called hammocks. Not Islands. This is a very important distinction. apparently. but not really. They basically just felt like calling them something special I think.

There are also a lot of pythons in the everglades, but these are not native of the everglades. They are actually just old pets that people let loose or got washed away in a hurricane and then reproduced. Now there are literally thousands of these pythons.

This alligator was sunbathing right at the beginning of the park. At first I thought it was fake, just to guarantee that the customer actually sees an alligator, but then I saw it move. So I guess it was real. Alligators are pretty lazy though, and they really don't move much.

There wasn't too many alligators out though, mostly because it was so cold and they like warm temperatures. I was really partial to this gator because he looked really happy. I spent too much time trying to convince my family that he was smiling. I still maintain that he is smiling.