last week’s mini vacation was so much fun, I took so many deep breaths. nice, healthy deep breaths. my body was at peace. on friday we finished working and took off, and as we were walking to the car Hunter told me that he’d just gotten the full time position. praise God. he answered our prayers. five minutes before we arrived at our airbnb, hunter found out that we were staying at a motel, which apparently I hadn’t communicated to him. so he understandably seemed a bit in shock when we first arrived. we toured the premise and found ourselves at a wild tiki bar in the back of the parking lot. ah, florida. we spent the night eating taco bell and watching the new spiderverse movie, and we fell asleep to one punch man.
on saturday I woke up early as promised, and we headed to ami: the part I used to go to as a child. how wild that the place we vacationed to during my childhood is now less than two hours away from where we live. it truly looked the same as it always has. we found a perfect parking spot and then walked down memory lane/Pine Avenue. it was cold so I wore my blue blanket. we stopped at the jail. and we got coffee + hot chocolate at this donut shop. we walked back to the beach and sat there for about an hour. it’s such a beautiful spot, white sand and pretty waters. it was a little chilly, and at one point hunter and I laid on our towel, and I wrapped myself in my blanket and felt like a cat does when he’s content and purring, all warm and cozy in his fur. deep breath. for lunch we walked back to a taco shop on pine ave. it was delicious. then we walked around a bit more and then headed to the aquarium.
on our way to the aquarium a cop pulled us over because hunter’s tags were expired. a minor setback, the cop was very friendly. the aquarium was so much fun. the cuttlefish were incredible, as were the jellyfish, and the giant squid, and the sweet playful otters. we paid $3 to have a hairdryer blown at us. the tarpon tank was really cool as well. the mote also has a bird rehabilitation center so we walked around that too. when we were done at the aquarium we decided that we were way too tired to go paddle boarding, so we headed to this tourist street along ami and got some coffee. that coffee spot was so cute; my matcha was really good. they had some sort of electronic table with arcade games on it, so we played a few of those. then we sat outside and sipped our drinks. we walked around for a bit, bought some gifts at a souvenir shop, and then drove back to the north for ice cream at two scoops. we walked down the pier as we ate our ice cream. at the end we turned the corner to find a dj and a congo line. ah, florida. we sat on the pier until we got too cold, then we headed to chickfila and then the motel. at the motel we ate chickfila and old wine, and we watched ridiculous 6, which is absolutely stupid but also I found it amusing.
Sunday was an early morning again (I was on a roll). we headed to beercan island, where hunter used to go. it was a wonderful spot. we hammocked within this secluded treed area. a few large trees had fallen and their root systems sat high above the ground; people had hung seashells and trinkets on them, and also painted the tree trunks. such a nice spot. deep breath. we stayed there for a while, listening to the sermon and reading on our own. for lunch we went to another part of ami I had never been to. we sat outside in front of the water and had seafood. it was aight, the view was great, and that was a fun area too. after that we drive to the ringling museum. it’s an odd location, just sort of nestled in the commercialized roads that are sarasota. but once you enter the grounds, the atmosphere feels very different. the art museum was neat—especially the courtyard in the center of the building. I wish i’d taken more photographs. we didn’t care too much for the circus museums. the house, Ca’ d’Zan, was beautiful; we didn’t go inside, but we walked around it and stood on its giant back porch. john ringling seemed like a fascinating man, I want to learn more about him.
after exploring the grounds for a few hours, we got back in our car and headed to publix for camping food. we arrived at the campground as the sun was setting, so I quickly set up the tent as hunter began cooking. hunter was so in his element. he whipped out his burner stove thing and one of our pans and made us a meal in the great outdoors. I’m pretty sure he was singing to himself. the food was delicious. the potatoes were a little undercooked but at that point we would have eaten anything and loved it. we went on a walk around the campgrounds and found a swing set. then hunter made a fire and we sat around it and popped popcorn. I was plum tuckered out at that point. we bundled up in our tent and slept among the stars. i’m not much for sleeping on the floor but this was the best it’s ever went for me. : ) in the morning hunter woke up pretty early, and he made me oatmeal and hot chocolate when I got up. to savor what little time we had left at the campground, we went paddle boarding. it was SO peaceful. hunter fished as I wandered around. at one point I laid on my board and closed my eyes. the sun felt so nice. deep breath. when it was time to head back, a bird started swimming along with us and it was the sweetest thing. eventually two more birds joined in. apparently in that area, cormorants do this often to try to catch the fish that swim out from under the paddle boards’ shadow. by the time we got back to our site after this enjoyable setback, we had ten minutes until check out. we packed up as fast as humanly possible and drove away right as the park ranger was pulling into our lot.
we drove to the fort and walked around it. such a nice area, and right next to a lovely beach. then, it was time to trek to the grand finale: zootampa. (angels singing). we were pretty tired by the time we got to the zoo, but it was still so much fun. we took a tour of the manatee medical center and learned all about that. then we had a yummy lunch + dipping dots. it’s been so long since i’ve been to a zoo, it was great seeing all of the animals. the giraffes were great. and so were all of the monkeys. really all the animals were great. it’s a very nice zoo, well kept. we didn’t get to see our favorite character from the tv show unfortunately, but at least we stood where she’s stood.
AH. and that’s it. we headed back after that. it was soooo nice, getting away from work and computers. and just existing. I’m grateful for my travel buddy. even the long drives to and fro were enjoyable with him. we did a whole lot in three days but I wouldn’t have it any other way. and the restful times at the beaches + paddle boarding were just right. i’m grateful to have a friend who cares just as much about writing down all the details as I do (s/o to hunter’s blog). i’m grateful to god for such an amazing getaway. praise be ❤
my only regret is not taking more photos! I need to get that disposable developed : )
mp 