We Made It!

We made it to Florida and the trip was not too shabby. The first thing Kat and I did once we got checked in: worked out. Sitting that long in the car made us feel like whales. We had to fix that.

The trip was actually quite fast. Kat and I spent a few hours sleeping, reading, and checking out the old plantation houses that we dreamed about restoring.

I can easily picture myself living on a plantation. Although I have never been a fan of the deep south, the plantation houses are a very convincing factor. The history and the beauty of them from back in the day to what they can be now is absolutely magnificent. I mean, I could just not say no to one of these:




Once we got here, we received some devastating news...The Wild Olive, which is the correct name of the restaurant we named our GPS after, was closed for a private party. I think I almost shed a tear in the car because they have these stuffed jalapenos that are to die for. However, the waiter suggested a sushi place called Bamboo so we ventured out and ate some sushi. The restaurant was actually really fun, good environment and good food. I got the usual, Creamy Crunchy Crab with rice paper.

Desert for the night: the new snack size McFlurries from McDonald's. Genius! I love whoever came up with them. I will be an even more frequent visitor of McDonald's at night during my last year of college.

To end the night, the eve of my 21st birthday, Kathrine and I took a trip to the good ole Sam Walton, aka: Wal Mart. And here are the two good buys we made: a cute summer hat for the beach and a swimsuit cover up. Check them out:



Now we are hanging out at the hotel, waiting on the rest of the family to get here, and soon....I will be turning 21.



"Yay!"

Tomorrow: Roadtrip to Florida

Tomorrow we are leaving for our 5th Annual Summer Vacation to Sandestin, Florida. The trip is about 10 hours to Crestview, FL where we will spend our first night and eat at this amazing, local restaurant called The Green Olive. (We named our GPS after it...Ms. Olive)

Early Saturday we will drive the last hour to Sandestin, go straight to the beach, and begin to soak up the sun until early afternoon. After the beach we will go check in at our condo, get unpacked, make a grocery list, and go shopping at Publix. This is the routine we follow every year.

During our road trip my goal is to at least finish the fourth Twilight book which I have been halfway finished with for about a year and then to begin one of the four books I wanted to read this summer: Eat, Pray, Love. I tend to read books half way through but I am really trying to finish them. I am just having a very hard time with "Breaking Dawn".

Below are just a couple of the things that I am looking forward to while we are in Florida despite the fact the tar balls are on their way. Nothing is going to stop our fun. I can promise this.







Because of my recent addiction to biking as my form of exercise, I made sure we had bikes rented for the week. Kathrine, my best friend, and I will be riding these bikes everyday around the resort and we are both so pumped. Half the clothes we packed were workout clothes.

The second thing Kathrine and I are both excited about is the local bagel shop. This shop is owned by a lady from England and their cinnamon crunch bagel beats the crap out of Panera's. We will probably eat what we bike off every morning at the bagel shop.

The village is probably the collective favorite of my family. It is so much fun. The night life is always buzzing with people of all ages, live music is constantly playing representing all genres, there is a dock that goes out to bay which hosts a ton of gorgeous yachts we admire during sunset, a movie is shown on the grass every Wednesday, a huge fishing tournament is usually going on at the Marina and of course, lots of fun little shops that we all love to browse through. The Village is great and even if the beach is closed, The Village is one of the best parts of our time there and we will still be able to thoroughly enjoy it.

And finally, to begin the week, I will be turning 21 on Saturday. Now, I usually don't get very excited about birthdays but since I will A. be turning 21 and B. be in Florida, I am going to try and have as much fun as possible.

This week is going to be so much fun and I just wish all my other favorite people in life could be here to enjoy it with me.

Here's to the Summer Vacation 2010! It will be over before I know it!

Something's Missing

This afternoon as a thunderstorm rolled over my home I sat down to watch "Leap Year". Knowing it would be a repeat of every other love story and the ending would be completely predictable, I couldn't help but watch it for the mere fact that the setting was in Ireland.

After spending a fall semester studying in Northern Ireland, as cheezy as it sounds, Ireland became a part of my soul. So whenever anything Irish comes up, my heart literally aches with a pain of emptiness...like something is missing.

I then wonder if the friends that I studied with in Ireland ever have the same feeling, the same ache in the pit of their stomachs. For some reason...I doubt it. And then I sit and try to figure out what this literal ache means. Does that mean God wants me to be in Ireland? Am I meant to be an adventurous soul that goes to a foreign country, away from my family, friends, and home?

I know I love the idea of me being in Ireland, Miss Independent or Miss Adventure Seeker, but the reality of it scares me...newness, loneliness, missing out on family.

I am not sure what to fulfill or rather, I am not sure what to heal...the aching or the fear. Both are bad feelings.