Florida

After every trip, I like to think back and have a quick re-cap.  While it all is happening so fast, it's hard to really soak in everything you've been able to do!  If you know me or have been following on my blog for a while, you are probably aware of my 5 places Resolution, which is where I try my best to go to five new places every year.  Usually they are small cities around the Carolinas, but sometimes I venture further out, to places like Miami!  This year, since I finally became a grown up and have a full-time job, it's become harder to find time to take off on new adventures, so I updated my resolution to "Do 10 Things I've Never Done Before".  But I feel like I managed that in one week on this trip, so hopefully I'll be able to knock even more things off my bucket list in 2013!  But to recap my latest trip, here goes my usual lists:

This was the first time that I'd:

-been to Miami
-held a parrot like a baby

-hand fed a stingray

-gambled at a casino

-eaten key lime pie

-tried dolphin

-fed a flamingo

-seen a killer whale

-been to a dolphin show
-ventured to the top of a lighthouse

Day 1:  travel day
Day 2:  beachside brunch at Latitudes, sun day at Halendale Beach, dinner at the Yard house, fancy margaritas in Fort Lauderdale
Day 3:  walk with Stuart, visit the ancient Spanish Monastery, dinner in Coconut Grove at Greene Street, and evening browsing through shops at Bayside
Day 4:  lunch on Hollywood Boulevard at Big Easy, day at Jungle Island, dinner at Bongos and night at the Hard Rock Casino
Day 5:  visit the Miami Lighthouse and the Miami Seaquarium, dinner by the intercoastal and one last walk down the boardwalk
Day 6:  travel day back home

So as a final farewell to my Florida vacation, here's a selection of my favorite Floridagrams!

South Carolina and Georgia

Mango Jalapeno Butter and Mango Coleslaw with Key Lime Tarter Sauce 

Buy One Get One Margaritas

Greene Street and my first slice of key lime pie!

Bongo's: Cuban Cuisine

Street Art and Stingrays 

a little bit of street art

The one thing I loved more than anything about Miami and the surrounding area was that is was so colorful!  Everywhere you looked there was an amazing mural or a building that changed colors.  During the day the art had the spotlight but at night the lights shone over the water and rippled through the city.  It made even the smallest things more beautiful!  

I tried to snap shots of a few of my favorite pieces of street art in Downtown Hollywood during an afternoon walk with Vlad, but there were so many amazing pieces all over the city that I couldn't even see them all!  So here's a few pretty things to kick off your weekend!

Seaquarium

Let me just start off by immediately saying: I love aquariums!  I can never go to too many of them.  They are all completely different and I'm always so excited for an aquarium trip.  This summer the Greensboro Science Center (formerly the Natural Science Center) is opening their brand new addition of a Sciquarium!  And it's literally a half mile from my apartment, so I'm pretty excited to spend many summer afternoons there!  

I don't really know when my amazement of aquariums started.  I'm not a big beach-goer, and I hate going deep into the ocean, as a matter of fact I won't get any further than my knees unless I'm endlessly coaxed and my hand is held.  But yet I love watching the water and the things that live in it.  I certainly have a deep respect their space and their world. 

Vlad and I spent an entire day at the Miami Seaquarium, taking in dolphin and killer whale trick shows and watching the sea lions show off for their audiences. But my favorite part of the day by far was hand feeding pieces of fish to the sting rays.  It was an unbelievable feeling being able to stroke their backs as they swam by.  I thought they would be slimy, like many water-dwelling creatures, but instead they were soft, like silk streaming by the tips of your fingers.  The sting rays were definitely one of the biggest highlights of my entire Florida trip!  

I hope you find something that can connect you back to mother nature as this warmer season begins.  It certainly reminds you of the bigger picture and lets you remember how to look at the small things with a greater appreciation.

Florida Nature

After a 14 hour car ride and being in a whole new place, Stuart was beyond anxious to get out and about, so the day after we arrived, we took him on his own adventure.  We were hoping to take him on the beach but the dog park was closed so we settled for a walk down the surrounding neighborhood street.  It also gave me a chance to see a bit more of Florida's foliage up close. I was amazed by it all because it's nothing like the natural plants that grow in North Carolina.  

My favorite of all was the Sea Grape.  It was growing everywhere, as a plant, a shrub, or a tree.  The rounded leaves were all different colors from burgundy to a brilliant orange or a forest green, and as an accent they had neon green veins running through them.  Native to tropical areas because they grow so well in sandy soil, the fruit is acidic in flavor and can be made into jams and jellies.  I wish I could have found some sea grape jelly to try!

These photos are mainly from our walk with Stuart but there are a few that I captured one morning when I woke up early, from Vlad's mom's garden that was just beautiful with everything blooming this time of year!  So here's a little Florida nature for your morning tea!