Posts tagged crystal beach
Catching up on the weekend…
11 month ago
One day, I would love to have longer weekends. A 5-day weekend and 2-day work week would be fabulous. <sigh> A girl can dream, right? I guess the second best thing is to have a great weekend and enjoy every minute. This past was weekend was just that…
After a mile run Saturday morning, hubby and I went to Fit2Run so he could have a gait analysis done for new running shoes. He is now the proud owner of a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus. I love that he wants to run with me, it’s another way we can spend quality time together. After shoe shopping, we headed to Hooters for lunch with our friend Ashley. It was such a nice day, we sat outside. What is it about a good meal, ice cold beer, and nice weather that makes the perfect lunch?
We also ran into this adorable face at lunch… My most adorable niece! Her mom and dad apparently had the same idea for lunch after purchasing tickets for Autumns upcoming dance recital.
After lunch, we went into Wal-Mart as quick as possible, and then headed home for a a couple of lazy hours. Later, hubby went to a graduation party and I met my mom at Ozona Pig for dinner. Seriously, my favorite pulled pork ever. And deviled eggs. And green beans. Yea, it’s THAT good….
After BBQ heaven, we headed up to Crystal Beach for sunset, it was the 4th after all. We love to get up there about an hour before sunset and enjoy the breeze and the view. There are always dogs up there, since it’s right in the midst of a small community. We see many of the same people up there every month. It never gets old. This particular evening, the sky was a gorgeous blue when we arrived and then as the sun set, the clouds rolled in. Every sunset is always unique.
On Sunday morning, hubby and I headed to Memorial Causeway for an early run. There is something so calming about a run as the sun is rising. It’s not something I can do during the week, so it’s a treat to do on Sunday. I ran a a full 3.20 miles without music.
A late breakfast at home, some blogging, reading, and a nice nap, and then it was time to head out to family dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday was which Friday. She wanted to go to Longhorn Steakhouse which made everyone happy. Another food my family loves is steak! I also tried the Skinny Blackberry Sangria which was VERY good. I would definitely have it again.
And how do you follow up a nice birthday dinner? A trip to Cold Stone of course! Conveniently, there is one right behind Longhorn so we walked. I had Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt…. Oh yummy chocolate gooey Oreo goodness in a cup. I should have taken a picture of it. But, I did take a picture of cutie-pie Autumn with her cotton candy ice cream and being silly with her Uncle Mike. Fun times!
Hubby and I ended the evening at home and watched The Blind Side. Obviously we are way behind on seeing it since it came out in 2009, but it was such a good movie! Perfect end to a great weekend.
What is your favorite way to spend a weekend?
Another birthday in heaven…
5
Today, my dad would be 80 years old. This is almost hard to fathom. He was 77 when he passed, and his last year was probably the slowest and worn down I had ever seen him in my whole life. Growing up, I never thought my dad looked his age. He had a youthful appearance that I attribute to being so active and always on the go, despite that wheelchair he sat in for 55 years.
My dad was fiercely loyal and faithful. He had a silly side. He was very set in his ways and felt strongly in the things he believed in. He was the epitome of a family man and wanted nothing more than to be with his family. He was always determined to take care of us and would do everything in his power to do just that. He was strong, had an amazingly big heart, and would cry at sad movies. He was my hero.
This is the third birthday of his that we have celebrated without him. And like every other day, I will think about him, and miss him, and wish that he were still here.
He is still very much a part of our lives. We talk about him often and I am convinced that I have turned into him with his little quirks, such as constant note-taking and list-making at work. I used to tease for making notes to read his notes and when he would re-write all his notes. I do the same thing now and it makes me smile every time.
We go to Crystal Beach every single month on the 4th, and will be there tonight (please don’t rain!). It’s slightly ironic that he passed away on the 4th of December and his birthday is on the 4th. Every single month my mom and I go up there for sunset. We’ve only been rained out once. It gets more and more beautiful every month and it’s very comforting to be there, knowing how much he enjoyed it.
So today, on your 80th birthday, Daddy, I hope you have one heck of get-together up in heaven with our other loved ones. You are in good company up there. We will be thinking about you. I hope you know how much we all still miss you.
Happy birthday, Daddy…. I love you very much.
It’s impossible to pick just one photo of my dad to share today, so I picked a handful…
Let’s all go to The Pig!
32 months ago
by Nanci
in aunt, Autumn, Crystal Beach, delicious, dinner, eating out, family, hubby, niece, Ozona Pig, sunset, sweet Autumn, thankful, togetherness, weekend
We had more fun yesterday, with dinner at a family favorite, The Ozona Pig, which my niece calls The Pig. It was great evening, we sat outside at dinner and enjoyed the breeze, the food, and ice cold beer. I love family dinners, and this week has been extra special with my Aunt Darlene here.
After our delicious meal, we headed north a few minutes to our beloved Crystal Beach. It was cloudy and overcast when we arrived but the sun kept peeking out of the clouds during sunset. Autumn and I had a fun time playing in the water (chilly!), finding shells and rocks, and running along the sand. Autumn always makes me laugh… She fell in the water at one point and then took off running towards the steps yelling “Um, I have a problem!!!”. That kid cracks me up.
Our evening ended perfectly with a trip to Cold Stone for ice cream. I haven’t had Cold Stone in quite awhile and it was GOOD!! Hubby and I shared a Cake n’ Shake milkshake. Oh heavenly sweetness in a cup. Cutie pie Autumn had a cotton candy milkshake that was almost as big as she was!
Do you have a family favorite restaurant that you go to? What do you do for fun when you have family in town?
What a week!
36 months ago
After starting out the week sick and working from home on Monday, it ended up being a very busy week. Thank goodness I was feeling much better on Tuesday. A few highlights from my week…
I took a few amazing pictures at Crystal Beach on Tuesday… I don’t think I will ever tire of sunsets. I know there are breathtaking sunsets all over the world but in my heart, it would be hard to beat the beauty of the ones at Crystal Beach.
After sunset, we went to one of my dad’s favorite restaurants, The Ozona Pig. They have wonderful BBQ and I love the atmosphere there. It was a very nice night.
I brought work home with me almost every night. A necessary evil sometimes. And while it’s not fun, I am able to get more done in a few hours at home in the evening than during the day.
Last night, hubby and I went out to dinner and had a few beers to end the long week. I very easily could have stayed home and firmly planted myself on the couch and not moved, but it was nice to get out and enjoy an evening with hubby, knowing we didn’t have to work the next day. It’s the little things in life…
This morning, we took Blue and Ozzie to the park. We used to do this regularly and life has gotten so busy that it just doesn’t happen nearly as often as we would like. Despite it being a very dreary morning, it was a nice walk and the boys were besides themselves with excitement at being at the park!
At our park, there are trees everywhere that have heart-shaped leaves. I love looking at them, especially in the fall when they are all over the ground. As we walked on one of the bridges this morning, there was one perfectly-shaped one. So pretty!
I’m beyond excited about tonight!! Hubby and I are going to another Yelp event, this time at Lowry Park Zoo for Wild Wonderland! They will have reindeer, and penguins, and lights, and snow, and Frosty and Santa! I have actually never been to the zoo here in Tampa, so I am really looking forward to it. Not to mention another night out with hubby… That’s always a bonus.
I have a lot of catching up here to do in blog land. I feel like I’ve missed a lot on the ones I follow, and I have several posts to do here. Before I go, I wanted to mention a fun challenge I’m doing this month, hosted by some fellow bloggers… Here is the challenge, as posted by Beka at Rebecca Roams. Take a picture each day for the theme shown, tag it #holidayaday, and share on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Social media fun for the holiday!
I’m actually pretty proud of myself for keeping up with it! It’s fun to do, especially since I am forever taking pictures anyway. There is also a Facebook page for the challenge as well. If you are an Instagram lover like I am, be sure to follow me… My IG name is auntnanci.
I hope you all have a great Saturday! What are you plans for the weekend?
Remembering Daddy…
106 months ago
Two years ago today, at 1:53pm, we said goodbye to Daddy. There isn’t a day that passes that I don’t think of him and wish he were still here with us.
After four weeks in the hospital, the last two in ICU, we had to make a very difficult decision to let him go. While it was very hard to so, I still believe it was the right decision. How quickly he passed was proof of that.
Two weeks after his passing, I made a memory book that I still look at often. I took all the beach photos in it – this is the true meaning of the sunset pictures I post every month on the 4th. I thought today would be a good day to share it again. For my dear family and friends, this will be a reminder of those special days. For those of you who didn’t know him, this is a small glimpse into the love that my family had for the most amazing man and father ever.
Today we will go to Crystal Beach for sunset and to Ozona Pig for dinner, just as we did the day he passed away. These were two of his favorite places to go and it is just one of the many ways I keep his memory alive.
I love you Daddy, and I miss you always. You are my hero, my guardian angel, always just a thought away…
