Friday Favorites {No. 19} Vacationing!

  

Goodness gracious, so much has happened since I last posted pictures!!!  There are quite a few in this post; I hope you enjoy this look into my family's vacation to Florida last week.

In the fifteen-passenger van!



The drive was LONG!  Especially since we didn't stop overnight at a hotel.  Yup, that's right.  We drove all night!  I'll admit that we were a tad sore and grumpy the next day... 

A tradition for my family is to go to our favorite zoo in the area.  It's not enormous, but it is AWESOME!  The last time I had visited I was only ten years old, so it was fantastic seeing everything again and also enjoying some new stuff!

The seven of us!  Thanks for the picture, Mom!!! (I love Daniel's pose!)



One of the best parts of this zoo has to be petting and feeding the giraffes!!!  It is SO much fun!

Feeding the birds is another family favorite.  *hums "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins*

The eating area for lunch was so beautiful!

Jess, Nat, and I took a stop in the photo booth!

Pic by Natalie

Hehe!!!



Walking around the zoo with ice cream equals awesomeness!

:-)

Waiting to ride on the little train!

My amazing parents!

Lots of people taking pictures!!!

Sammie, Bekah, Jessie, and Grandma on the train.

The last time Josh came to this zoo he was a toddler, so he really enjoyed his first true experience on the train.

Pic by Mom

Grandpa and Daniel.

Pic by Mom

Me and Daddy!

It was so fun to be up-close with the animals!

What a fun time!

The weather in Florida was perfect for trips to the beach.  Jess, Nat, and I had a fun time further out in the ocean jumping the waves.  Kinda freaked Mom out a little.  :-)

For supper one night we went out to a place that is ALSO a family tradition... the burgers were incredible and the desserts were enormous!

Hanging out at the pool... Bekah loved playing telephone with the noodles!

Another day at the beach.  The waves were very strong that day and kept knocking the kids over.  Thankfully, they loved it.  :-)

I always end up taking pictures of my feet (with shoes or not) and this trip was no exception! 

Thanks, Mom, for getting this special pic!

On our way home (in the northern part of Florida), we spent a meal with my dear friend, Emily, and her awesome husband, Brandon.  Em and I have been friends for about twelve years now and have stayed close as we both have gone through several moves and now marriage.  Emily also shared with me and then my family that she and Brandon have entered the next stage of life and will be welcoming a baby into their family in August!  I'm so excited for them and can't wait to see what God has in store for them and their little one.

Pic by Nat

So, yeah!  That was my life last week!  It was such a blast and a blessing to enjoy those ten days with family.  It is good to be home and with Andrew again, though.  :-)

Thanks for reading this and also thank you to all of you who left such encouraging comments on my last post.  God is so good and one way He shows it to me is through all of you.

God bless!