spring break 2k11

i've mentioned the whirlwind that was spring break and all the fun we had cheering on the cats but i haven't shared many other fun details. 

the weather was literally perfect, all day, everyday.  sunny, warm, a tiny breeze right when you needed it.  the place that we stayed...uh-maz-ing.  so stinking nice.  it was situated on this marina-ish place where boats went by all day.  and you could see dolphins swimming by as you laid at the pool or sat in the hot tub.  yes, i did lots of laying and sitting outside.  the pool was heated too so swimming was extra nice.  the condo was beautiful, complete with 2 bedrooms & 2 baths {for 2 people :) }, ginormous windows & a balcony that looked over the water.  we were about a 5 minute walk to the beach over a fun drawbridge.  we were super close to all the fun things that we know about in the area.  i think i've been to the st. petersburg / tampa / clearwater area about 8 or 10 times so i feel like i'm getting my barrings a little.  {ben is likely laughing because he knows that that's not true and that i'm always lost} but i mean it!  it's getting to be a known, comfortable spot for many weeks of bliss & memories past!

{view from our balcony at day & night}

speaking of laying and sitting outside i thought i would share one small evidence of my spotted burn.  how is this my gift?  i had splotches all over the place and i was so careful.  maybe more careful with sunscreen than i have been in my whole life.  when i came home they didn't just disappear.  nope they came to stay as darker tan spots than the rest of my skin.  but have no fear!  my tan fades in about three days {no exaggeration} so i'm just as pale and unspotted as ever.

we slept well.  not really slept 'in' per say; ben woke up everyday around 8, but we were super well rested.  we had a king size bed which is ben's dream so he can stretch out and i don't take up all his space.  which is sad for me because i really like to take up space.  additionally, it was also the softest, most wonderful bed ever, and nothing usually compares to ours at home.  it was a perfect home away from home.  and an upside to waking up at 8 is that you don't waste your day away and  you get to watch two episodes of saved by the bell {treat}!

that's not a pretend sleepy face, that's ben's actual teddy bear sleepy face.  aww, how cute.

we ate a lot of meals together, one of my favorite things and even ate ice cream some evenings.  i have a bit of a sweet tooth. i really love being together without other distractions.  most of our distractions are removed when we leave the house because then we can't 'work' on anything that we could 'work' on but when we go stay in someone else's home some dangers still stand.  i really think that all electronics are bad {as i type into my computer}.  i really do think that tv, computers, phones, ipods, etc. push us away from really experiencing real life together.  its like this numbing, lazy thing that seems ok while you're in it and once you've come out of your couch potato stuppor you see that you all never talked about anything real together, you didn't grow closer together or to the Lord.  i don't want that for ben & i or for our future family.  dinner is one of those grounding things for me, a great reminder of fun and depth.  i want our whole life to look like dinner {does that make sense?}

one evening we brought our blanket and watched the sunset over the water on the beach.  it was so pretty.  i just kept thinking, God is even bigger than this!  how crazy.  i'll share that next. 

until then...i'm dreaming of sitting out on a warm balcony.