Monthly Snapshots: October, 2021

October was a really exciting month, filled with lots of family adventures and creative Halloween photoshoots. I hope you enjoy these snapshots of our month.

~ Movies on The Halifax

Each month, a movie is played on an inflatable screen right off the Halifax River in Ormond Beach.

We were in luck as a trunk or treat event was hosted at the property this night in addition to the showing of The Addams Family. We were able to get fresh pooped popcorn, cotton candy, icecream, hot dogs, and a bucket full of candy.

Watching a movie outside was super fun and very reminiscent of what a drive-through movie experience would be like. I will definitely show up for more movies on the Halifax.

~ Southern Hill Farms Fall Festival

If you didn’t see my last post covering Southern Hill Farm’s spring activities check that out there. Southern Hill does a great job at creating a lovely environment and curating a wide variety of activities so you really do get your money’s worth and can spend all day here.

During the Fall Festival, we enjoyed the carnival rides, inflatables, jump pad, rock climbing wall, food trucks, corn maze, sunflower and zinnia patches,  photo opportunities, and petting zoo. There was no fruit picking this time around, but plenty of pumpkins for purchase. We love this farm and look forward to visiting twice a year.

~ Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein Shoot

This photoshoot was so fun and part 1 of my Halloween series over on Instagram. This dress was my mom’s from the eighties and was made by my uncle. I was so excited to wear it!

I go more into detail about working with smoke bombs here in this post and also share more of our photos from this shoot in that post as well.

~ Monster Party and Monster House Movie Night

Marco was wanting to watch the movie Monster House, so I threw a monster-themed party and had our family friends join us. I love Halloween and being creative with crafts and snacks. At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull off this theme but loved how it turned out.

I made monster eye cookies, monster brownies, and set up an adorable build your own monster station. I loved seeing the kid’s different monsters. This is really fun for a variety of monster movies and kids of all ages and everything came from the Dollar Tree inexpensively.

~ Witch Photoshoot

This shoot was very hard! The smoke is tricky to work with and there is definitely a slight learning curve for using it in props while seated. Lots of props were used here which is something very new for me. In the end, I think the photos came out pretty cool, especially the flaming skull.

~ Mini Golf

If you are looking for a fun family experience, I highly recommend Congo River Golf in Daytona Beach. I am absolutely not one for golf, but the safari scenery was very cute. I especially enjoyed the waterfalls that made me yearn for Arizona.

Congo River offers much more than just golf with opportunities to feed and hold live gators, mine for your own gems, an arcade, and designer keepsake golf balls you can take home. Marco chose the death Star, of course! This was a great way to spend a few hours with Marco.

~ Smoking Pumpkin Photo Shoot

This pumpkin shoot was my most popular photo in my Spooky Month/Halloween Smoke Bomb series. It blew up on my page like a spring photo normally does. I was really glad everyone was into it!

If you check my Instagram, I have been showing behind the scenes of these photos if you want to scroll through and see how the smoke bombs look in person verse the edited still photo.

~ Gas Mask Photoshoot

As time goes on, I come up with more and more ways to use smoke bombs and balls. For this one, we used a gas mask and a pumpkin. I am obsessed! It had major purge vibes.

~ Castle Ottis

An Irish castle in Florida - SAY WHAT? If you’re into castles, religion or history, check out Castle Ottis in St. Augustine. FL. You will not be disappointed by this amazing location. Click here to read more about Castle Ottis.

~ Aunt Kate’s

After Exploring Castle Ottis, we stopped at Aunt Kate’s for a delicious southern lunch. I enjoyed the fish tacos with avocado and grits. The bread basket had an array of delicious breads including pumpkin bread!

The autumn tree was just the icing on the cake that set the homestyle welcoming family vibes at Aunt Kate’s Restruaunt.

~ Wednesday Addams

Since I was dressing up I had to bring back my most favorite costume as a kid - Wednesday Addams! If you really want to laugh, I shared a picture of me over 20 years ago dressed as Wednesday. What can I say, I’ve been weird.

~ Wild Florida

Wild Florida is home to Florida’s very own drive-through safari. This was on my list of places to visit for so long and we were lucky enough to be able to visit. Big thanks to Wild Florida for having us out.

Wild Florida is like a whole new planet. We are all obsessed with this place. It’s a go once a year type of attraction. For starters, we took an airboat ride and spotted many birds and gators, despite it being the first cold day of the season.

We wandered the zoo, which seemed endless, while peacocks danced around our feet, drove through the safari, fed gators, walked INTO the petting zoo pens, took a selfie with a giraffe, held snakes, got stuck in traffic because of another giraffe, enjoyed fresh gator bites at the Chomp House Grill, drank swamp smoothies, hand-fed birds, and the list actually does go on!

 I’m sorting through hundreds of photos still, but will make separate most and several reels.

~ Halloween

For Halloween, we had our annual snacky-dinner before trick or treating with our family friends. Marco was Pennywise and Scarlett was a unicorn princess.

How was your October? Do you plan to visit any of these places in November?

Monthly Snapshots: August and September, 2021

I ended summer with a bunch of fun activities I can’t wait to share with you.

I also changed the format of these monthly posts and retitled them from Monthly Highlights to Monthly Snapshots. I think the new format of the photos with the name is really cute! Let me know what you think.

~ The Keys

This August, I spent about four days in the upper Florida Keys enjoying the island views, swimming with sea turtles, and taste-testing Key Lime Pies. I turned the trip into my post 24 Hours in the Upper Florida Keys.

Oftentimes, the upper keys can get overlooked in favor of Key West. If you find yourself near Islamorada, Key Largo, or Tavernier, take some time to explore the upper keys as well.

Robbie’s Marina, Anne’s Beach, and Pierre’s Restaurant are all beautiful upper key gems you won’t want to miss.

~ Whetstone Chocolate Factory

Did you know that white chocolate technically has no cacao in it, but is still considered chocolate due to the amount of cacao butter used in its recipe?

Have you ever seen the cocoa plant that cacao beans come from that give chocolate its unique flavor?

Any idea how chocolate is actually made and prepared for consumption and sale?

On this chocolate factory tour, we learn all about chocolate, tour the factory, and sample some delicious locally-made chocolate.

The orange-flavored chocolate shells were a big hit. We also enjoyed ice cream and my favorite, chocolate-covered orange rinds, in the Whetstone Chocolate Store.

~ St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum

We finally had the pleasure of visiting the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum. This museum houses the largest collection of pirate artifacts in the world. There is so much information and items on display to teach you everything you could ever want to know about the golden age of pirates.

This is not the typical museum you or your kids will get bored of. In addition to a treasure hunt, the museum houses play cannons, interactive games, a knot tying station, a cargo ship sniff station (my fave), movie props, and real shipwreck treasure. Believe it or not my kids had the most fun with spinning the ship wheel.

For added charm, the recording of Black Beard’s last battle was actually designed by Disney’s Imagineers. It’s lovely to see how much care was put into this pirate experience.

~ Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Castillo de San Marcos is really a wonderful historical monument and integral piece of St. Augustine History.

I thought this location would be a good fit for the castle series I have been working on.

The kids found it quite intriguing to see the old soldiers’ sleeping quarters, what they had worn, eaten, and how they lived their day. You could even crouch down into the old gunpowder storage room.

~ The Colonial Quarter

THIS IS ST. AUGUSTINE’S #1 HIDDEN GEM!

Colonial Quarter is a live tour, nestled in the Colonial Quarter off St. George Street in Downtown St. Augustine.

The experience takes you back in time to learn about pirates, blacksmithing, weapons, the early settlement of the city, and the daily life of the era.

The live demonstrations were a big hit, especially the grand finale, a CANNON demonstration.

This REALLY was fun for everyone. We all thought Cooper the pirate was hilarious and charming. Scarlett even spelled LOVE to him at the end.

We had such a blast at Colonial Quarter and consider it a hidden gem. Add this to your itenierety.

~ Washington Oaks State Park

This State Park is home to a lovely rose garden filled with huge bushes with multicolored rose blooms. I saw few rose varieties I did not recognize.

Across the street from the garden is a beach approach, which is also part of the state park. Here you will find an unusual array of coquina rock.

I loved exploring all the little tidepools and warm puddles between the rocks. The pictures also came out beautiful. Thanks for helping with these Nia!  

~ Calle Grande Arches / Gateway

 I am obsessed with these ruins! Constructed in the 20s, these arches were intended to be an entranceway to a luxury housing development.

A devastating hurricane and the economical collapse stopped the development of both. Now they stand on either side of a backroad.

The steps were built to allow for gondola rides through the small canal. I think that would have been so fun!

These little ruins have so much personality and intricate detail. They made another great backdrop for my castle series.

~ Family Movie Nights

If you are not looking to be out in public much with the ongoing pandemic, I highly recommend creating an at-home movie night.

I am not a fan of movies, but I love a good theme and snacks! At-home movie nights complete with crafts, dinner, and décor have been a fun activity for me to plan and a great way to take a normal everyday activity and make it memorable and fun.

I also want to point out that almost all of the items are from Dollar Tree mkaing this super frugal.

If you’re looking for more ideas I made a post on 30 Best things to do in Florida in the Fall.

 I hope you enjoyed these snapshots of our month. If you haven’t been to any of these locations, I highly recommend you check them out. October is what my son calls ‘spooky month’ and we have lots of season fun planned.

See you after spooky month!

Monthly Highlights: May through July, 2021

Monthly highlight posts are not my favorite, despite how quick and easy they are to share. I think I might move these to quarterly highlights. Let me know what you prefer. Anyway, here’s a bit of what I have been up to.

~ Southern Hill Farms

We spent the day picking peaches, blueberries, zinnias and sunflowers at Southern Hill Farms. I shared more about our family day on the farm in this post. I highly recommend finding a local u-pick patch this season and enjoying fresh locally grown produce while supporting a small farm.

~ Beach Photoshoot

It was time for some updated professional photos of Marco so we did a shoot with Wild Artistry Photography. If you aren’t familiar with them, check them out. They have some beautiful and creative themed shoots with epic editing. I have a few more sessions booked with them this year.

~ New Smyrna Beach

This was my first time at this spot and luckily not many people were there and the sand was super white and perfect for photos. First, we flew the drone and explored the inlet from the air and then we enjoyed a swim. If you plan to fly your drone here, you will need to apply for authorization, which you can do from your phone when you arrive.

~ Road Trip

In July, I flew to CT from FL and then road tripped back down to FL with Naty Rocke. We made stops in New York, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. I have a full blog post in the works but the title will give you an idea of what’s to come: Cave Waterfalls, Caverns and Castles!

I hope everyone had a wonderful month! What have you been up to?

Monthly Highlights: April 2021

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done a monthly highlights post. Thanks, Covid! I hope to bring this monthly feature back so you can see what I have been up to and get some inspiration for your own adventures. Here’s what I did in April of 2021.

~ Lukas Nursery and Butterfly Encounter

Scarlett and I wandered the grounds of Lukas Nursery, an extravagant garden supply store located in Oviedo. In addition to an abundance of beautiful flowers and trees, there is also an enclosed butterfly encounter on the property. Inside, you can feed butterflies from your finger tips. I’ve been to several butterfly gardens, but having a butterfly land on my finger is a new experience for me!

~ Silver Glen Springs

Silver Glen is one of my favorite springs to swim in, but this time I went arial to view the spring at a new angle. It’s so beautiful!

~ Marineland

We also took a family trip to partake in Marineland’s Dolphin Encounter. We had a blast! I shared more about this epic opportunity in this post.

I hope everyone had a wonderful month! What have you been up to?

Monthly Highlights: July 2020

Through July 2020, most businesses remained open, but not without many changes due to Covid-19. Establishments almost always required to enter, had closed many amenities such as restrooms, swimming facilities, shuttles and certain exhibits and limited their capacities and hours of operation. Traveling kind of stinks right now, but I still managed to get out and about on some local outdoor adventures this month.

Rainbow Springs ~

I can never pass up an opportunity to enjoy the waterfall walk at Rainbow Springs. Not all were in working order on this day, but it was worth walking up at 5 am to enjoy the sounds and sights of the waterfalls before the crowds.

Texas Wellness Retreat ~

I flew to Texas for a personal health and wellness retreat. We hiked around Austin, swam just outside Barton Spring and Lost Creek, experimented with movement and ate delicious plant-based food. We did all the things I love! I consider this trip to be a huge milestone for me as I flew alone for the first time and during a pandemic. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to connect, play, learn and be inspired by Brittany, Bridgette, Conor and little Ilya.

Bio luminescent Kayak Tour~

This is not my photo. I was graciously given permission to repost it from bioluminescenceflorida . Thank you for letting me share your beautiful capture..

One evening after sunset, Evan and I headed out on the water to experience the Bio luminescent glow caused by a special species of plankton. This was such a trippy adventure! I was completely unable to capture it with any of my cameras but the glow produced when the water was disturbed is unmistakably bright blue. It was most visible where the front of the kayak met the water as well as with each paddle but the real beauty was seeing bright blue lines dart under the water’s surface and jump out. These blue lines were fish! They looked like blue lightening under the water. I’ve never seen anything like it and it was truly mesmerizing. We enjoyed our hour and a half long paddle under the stars, seeing the Milky Way, Saturn and Mercury. I highly recommend this adventure as it is truly one of a kind.

King’s Landing~

This month, we took another trip King’s Landing. This time we did a bit of the left side, which is the more wild side. We saw lots of turtles, birds and a few gators.

Rock Springs~

Rock just has the prettiest head spring and it was nice to enjoy the scenery without the crowds since swimming here had been closed. We took advantage of the rare opportunity and got the drone up for some people-free pics.

That wraps up July. I hope you had a w0nderful month!

Monthly Highlights: June 2020

June saw a lot of businesses reopening after being closed due to Covid 19. While we did venture away from home, we tried to find activities with minimal contact with others to reduce any possible exposure to the virus.

~ SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium

Here in Florida we are in our season of daily afternoon thunderstorms, so this aquarium was the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon. Although this is a smaller aquarium, it’s home to more than 5,000 sea creatures. I’ve been to a few aquariums and was surprised to still see some unique exhibits at Sea Life. There were special glass bubbles the kids could crawl into and stand up in to view the aquariums as if they were inside the tank, a shoeling fish ring room that almost looked animated, a color-changing jellyfish wall and the only 360 ocean view tunnel in Orlando. As stated above, this is a great indoor activity if you are looking to avoid crowds and Florida’s weather.

~Devil’s Den

I’ve wanted to go to this spring for so long! This location was first on my bucket list and I’m so glad Evan and I got to complete it together for his birthday. Devil's Den is one of the most prehistoric places in North America and is essentially a sinkhole that opened up to expose a spring. We had a blast snorkeling and observing the cavern-like structure, but I think the dancing rays of light under the water were my favorite part. If you plan to check it out, make sure to bring full snorkel and fin gear in order to gain access to the swimming area or rent them on site.

~ Mushroom Hunting

Since we have had so much rain lately, mushrooms were everywhere at Devil’s Den and Juniper Springs. Evan and I had a fun walk through the woods hunting for mushrooms and trying to get to Fern Hammock before the rain. I love when I find a new mushroom because I get to send it off to a Florida mushroom identification group on Facebook. I’m not sure why I have such a fascination with mushrooms. I just think they are so whimsical looking and fun to find. They aren’t super common all times of the year, so each one I come across feels like such a treasure.

~ Fern Hammock

We did make it to Fern Hammock and all the way back to our car before the skies opened up. Fern Hammock is one of my favorite spots in Florida because it’s just so peaceful and blue. It’s surprising, but I have never ran into anyone while out here.

~ King’s Landing

King’s Landing has been my location crush for a while. It was on my bucket list for 2020 after seeing so many photos of these gorgeous blue-green jungle waters. I can’t wait to go back with the drone. This is one kayak run you would not want to miss.

~The Drone

Evan decided we needed a drone and we did! He got the Mavic Mini and it’s a blast! We can’t wait to take it over some springs.

Now that June is coming to a close, Florida has become even more of a Covid hot-spot so we are back to laying low for a while. We will still make our best attempts to find a balance between protecting ourselves and others while enjoy nature. I hope you had a w0nderful June!

Monthly Highlights: March 2020

‘Dougfest’ 2020 ~

I still laugh every time I see this name. ‘Dougfest’ was simply a group of people coming together to camp and explore the springs. The get-together was named after Doug, since he was basically the organizer, tour guide and host. It was an epic weekend all around. I slept in the hammock all night under the stars, watched people walk a tight rope, explored a private hidden cave and swam over devil’s eye at Ginnie Springs. It was exactly my type of event.

Manatee Tour and Swim~

I had been thinking how I was going to find a manatee before it got too warm and my opportunities to cross paths with a mermaid were diminished for 2020. I decided a guided tour would be my best option and I booked the soonest one. Swimming with the manatees exactly the was an amazing experience I thought it would be. The manatees are like big puppies and they would swim right up to me and roll over for belly rubs. Since water and visibility is not super clear in King’s Bay, the manatees would almost suddenly appear directly underneath me and I would float above them in awe. I must add, they have a very interesting texture I was not expecting. The tour guide described them as wet elephants! In this area, you are allowed to be up close to the manatees and it was obvious they loved the attention and interaction as much as us humans.

Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens ~

Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens is a 20 acre botanical garden that has been in continuous creation for over 27 years. It’s set up quite interestingly as it was formed from an abandoned 110-year-old limestone quarry. The multiple walkways wrap around several levels with a lake sitting at the bottom. The paths lead to themed gardens, koi ponds and several cascading waterfalls. Around each corner, you will find yet another breathtaking view or photo opportunity. I saw so many different types of flowers, many I had never seen before. My favorites are the azalea bushes and orchids of what felt like every color and variety. The garden is truly wonderland and I will let the photos speak for themselves.  I highly recommend you pack a light lunch and spend an afternoon roaming the trails at Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens.

Loquat Picking ~

I only discovered loquats within the last month. This fruit is delicious! I’m not sure how to describe it, but it reminds me of a cross between a peach or apricot and an orange with several large seeds in the middle. I happened to find a local tree on my friend's property and have been harvesting loquats every few days with ZERO shame. There is something about picking fruit right off the tree and eating it that I absolutely love and find to be one of the simplest enjoyable pleasures of life.

Marco’s First Night Sleeping in a Hammock ~

Now this is not the best photo ever, however he looked so cute upside down in the hammock. Marco incorrectly refereed to the hammock as a’ hamrick’ or a ‘shamrock’ and it was hilarious. He thought playing and sleeping in the hammock was his favorite part of his weekend. I was pleasantly surprised he stayed there all night with no issues.   

Social Quarantine Weekends ~

Unfortunately, as March came to an end, the Corona virus begun to make its way to nearly every city in the world. We had been advised that social distancing was the best way to protect everyone. Almost everything closed until further notice so there was not much to do outside of our home, nor did we want to take the risk of catching and spreading this harmful virus. Instead, we stayed in.

I hope you had a wonderful month despite Covid-19!

Monthly Highlights: February 2020

Beach Combing for Shark Teeth~

I don’t know where I’ve been, but I did not know you could easily find shark teeth ON the beach. They are really hard to see, but if you know what to look for, where to look and really train your eye, you will eventually find some too. This was really fun, though challenging at first. For those of you wondering why they are black and not white like we see in souvenir shops, it’s due to the fossilization and sediment buildup. This would be a fun activity for children and it’s free!

Devil’s Millhopper ~

I took Marco out here for the first time this month and he insisted it was a spring. It does look like a spring with it’s beautiful blue water, but it’s actually a sinkhole and it’s worth the long decent down the boardwalk. As you can see in the video, Marco wasn’t about the stairs. Poor kid, but as I said, it’s worth checking out!

The Florida Museum of Natural History ~

I really like this museum because it has all sorts of Florida artifacts, interactive exhibits and a butterfly rain forest. I always start with the butterflies and move onto the educational bits and then end in the children area. The butterflies are really something else. They are not at all shy, allow you to come up close to them and swirl around the air throughout the garden. It’s quite magical. Unfortunately, there was probably too much going on that day for Marco as we somehow ended up in the gift shop in a full-blown meltdown over me not allowing him to try every flavor of edible bugs they had in stock. Autism and decision making do not go together very well. I got him his chocolate bugs but we had to leave after that. It happens still sometimes! Crying over crickets. I couldn’t make it up.

Kelly Park / Rock Springs~

I had had the itch to visit Kelly Park for a few weeks and I finally made it, although not until noon. The best time to visit almost any spring to enjoy some solitude and get some great shots is on an early winter morning. By summer time springs like this fill up with families and the waters are filled with big floats. This is my favorite head spring for photos. It’s always my profile photo. The rock formations, palm trees and blue -green waters are so exotic. I always recommend this spring to anyone visiting or camping in central Florida as it has kayaking, a natural lazy river and a shallow beach entrance for the younger kiddos.

Ravine Gardens State Park ~

If you aren’t familiar with Girls Who Hike Florida they do have Instagram and Facebook accounts and host meet-ups. This was my first time making it out with some of the other ladies. We took the Azalea trail which was lined with huge blooming pink and purple azaleas. It’s an interesting woodsy trail with swinging bridges. Now would be a great time to go while the azaleas are blooming.

Spring Hopping~

This was the sweetest of adventures and my first try at making a video. I did not plan on swimming and didn’t bring anything to swim in but I couldn’t NOT swim at Royal Springs! I love Royal. Just look at her! Royal is an old favorite but I also saw some places I had never been to.

And that’s a wrap for February! I hope you enjoyed all your adventures and hearing about mine. Time to get ready for this weekend!