Memorial Weekend in Florida

Memorial weekend was one we had been looking forward to for a couple months! My friend Rylee's parents just moved to Florida, and when we heard that was happening, we started planning a trip! We knew that it would have to be a short trip because of Ethan's school and Jesse's work, but we looked at the calendar and realized Memorial Day was coming up, which meant at least one day off for both of them! It was decided that we were going to do this trip without Nixon, and it really was the best decision. Not that we aren't absolutely in love with him, but we hadn't taken anytime with just the two of us since we had him. We new we needed this time together and it was just what we needed!

We drove down Friday evening after school/work and made the hour trip down to Ponte Vedra, FL, which is about 15 minutes southeast of Jacksonville. We got in about midnight and went straight to bed to make sure we got our rest for a full day at the beach!

Her dad is staying in a little beach condo until their home is finished and her mom comes down for good, so we were literally a one minute walk from the beach. We woke up about 7:30, ate breakfast and headed to the beach. It was still a little cool outside for me to get into the water so we all played a little Cornhole on the beach. It was super windy, which made getting the bean bags to the other side a little more difficult. I'm pretty sure I lost every game except the last one.. which I think I won but now I can't remember.

Ethan always talks about how warm the East Coast beaches are, so I figured I'd give it a try. Now mind you, this is really the first time I've played in the ocean. And you know what? I had SO much fun! Don't get me wrong, I thought was water was super cold still, but once I was in it for a little bit it was ok. The waves were pretty big and riding them was a little exhilarating!

Steve, Rylee, Jesse, Myself, Ethan

We spent the day in and out of the water, soaking up the sun, and finished the night with a long walk on the beach, and crashed hard.

The next morning we woke up and got ready for church. It was a little weird getting myself ready and not getting Nixon ready, but it also made for a very relaxed morning! Church was great and it was nice to actually hear the talks and lessons! 

We headed over to the PGA Tour headquarters and had lunch on the Veranda. The food was so delicious and the view was incredible!

We walked some of the course and saw the infamous island hole. On our way back we decided to take some pictures because once again, the view was beautiful! This building was amazing!

We still had most of the day left so we headed down to St. Augustine, which is the oldest city in the United States. There were some cool shops we walked around and then we went to see Fort Marion.

Ethan is a bit of a history geek, so this was right up his alley. He loved being able to see the fort and all it had to offer. We didn't go inside, but if we go back, I'm sure we'll make it in if it's still open!

Our last day, we woke up early again, to make sure we got as much beach time before we had to pack up and leave. We rode some more waves (some were a little stronger and a little more unnerving than any others we had been in).

We packed it up and started our drive home, dreaming of our next trip together!