Happy Monday!  I had plans to keep this place updated over the past week and a half.  But we took our annual trip to Florida with the family and I was just too busy.  In years past, I would get a lot of great blogging in.  With the lovely warm weather temps and a return to outdoor running, I am usually inspired to post.

I did catch a nice rainy run.  One of my favorites!

But with a 19 month old toddler playing in the sun and the sand, priorities quickly change.  Instead of taking our time to get out the door and getting double digit runs in, we were out early to get a workout in before the beach was ready for play time.

I used to sit at the pool for hours reading new books that I saved just for vacation.  This year I enjoyed a solid hour of reading during Mary’s naptime.  Shoutout to Ton of Worms for her excellent recommendation of Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool.  While this might be a book for younger readers, I couldn’t get enough, and found myself dreaming about the story during my morning runs.

Early afternoons were saved for pool and beach time.  This year Mary is walking and loved playing with her wagon and digging toys.  It was a welcome change from last year when she just wanted to eat the sand!

There was a ton of food enjoyed over the last week and a half.  We did a lot of outlet shopping too.  However, this has changed as well. I used to come down to score a new wardrobe every spring.  This year Mary was the big winner.  I did leave with a sweat pair of Asics Kayanos (my shoe of choice) for $55.  So maybe I was the big winner after all!

We did discover that the best way to get a toddler to sit peacefully through an entire dinner is to entertain them with hibachi.

We spent a chilly afternoon touring downtown St. Augustine.  I used to stroll the shops and sights as a little girl and it is so fun to see our little one doing the same things.

We also went to the Fountain of Youth.  If you are ever in St. Augustine, this is my most highly recommended place to visit.  While it might sound like a cheesy tourist site, there is so much more to explore here.   You can sample from the exact fountain that Ponce de Leon first discovered, check out a planetarium, and watch a blacksmith in action.  There is also the preserved ruins of a Timucuan historical preservation that existed on the grounds for over 4,000 years.  Mary was a huge fan of the many peacocks wandering the 15 acres.

Our trip to Florida was a lovely reprieve from the extremely snowy winter.  We had a great time as a family and even managed to log 78 miles of running on the beach.  And now it is back to reality……