ashli's girls trip to florida

Back in March, I went on a last minute trip with a friend, Viv and her friend, Soni, whom I hadn't met yet, to Jacksonville, Florida.  When Viv invited me, I was deep in the middle of my yearly "if I don't get some warm air and some sunshine on my face soon, there is no way I'm going to survive the rest of this miserable winter" phase.  So, a long weekend in Florida sounded like exactly what I needed.  

 Here are some of the highlights:

 We took a tour of a chocolate factory in St. Augustine.  I just have to say that whoever discovered that they could make chocolate from those weird, slimy beans, through all the steps it takes to turn it into chocolate must have been truly inspired.  And I'm super thankful for them!

 We thought it was hilariously cool to drive along A1A "beach front avenue" while listening to Ice Ice Baby.

 Even though we had more rain while we were there than we would have liked, that didn't stop us from having fun.  Even watching and listening to the waves in the rain was therapeutic.

 This huge plate of seafood was definitely a highlight of the trip!

 We watched this dolphin swimming in the river downtown for quite a while.  

The best part of the trip was the hours we spent at the beach.  It was so perfect!  We chatted, ate yummy sandwiches, relaxed, dipped out toes in the water, walked along the beach, and wished we could have stayed longer.  It was exactly what I needed to be able to go back to the freezing cold and survive the rest of the winter.  

 I was so happy to be able to take a trip with a good friend, to make a new friend, and to get a break from my everyday life, and to feel the sunshine for a few days!

snow fun!

This winter felt extra long for some reason.  We had a ton of snow and it was really cold for a really long time.  We tried to make the most of it though, and filled (some of) our days with fun things.

 I took Krew to paint a mug in February.  It was essential that we have something to put the gallons of hot cocoa in that we needed to consume during the cold winter months.  Anyone surprised that the mug he picked out was a bird??

 Krew loves this kind of activity, especially when it means he also gets some undivided parent attention while doing it.  He is painstakingly deliberate about projects like this, and I love to watch his process.

 We also spent a fair amount of time playing in the snow.  There was plenty of it, and I loved being in a stage of life where I could help bundle them up, send them outside, and watch them happily play in the cold white stuff, while I remain inside where it's warm!

 There were lots of days spent coloring a painting, and as a result, my house was completely filled with the most beautiful artwork, all winter long.

 We tried to find community activities that allowed the kids to run, jump, and play indoors to keep them from getting cabin fever.

 Everly and I got to go to Disney on Ice.  We both loved it!