Tuesday's Tips

We're having such a great time on our trip that I thought for this week's Tuesday's tips that I'd highlight a few of the great places we've been and things we've done in and around the Gainesville, FL area.

Restaurants:

Mario's Wine Bar & European Bistro
a delightful place to dine with friends in Thornebrook Village
great food, excellent service, and lots of fun. If the weather's nice, sit outside on the patio.

Sonny's BBQ

always a pit stop for every visit

yummy BBQ, delicious sweet tea, and an endless salad bar

Grandy's

also a must-eat for every visit

good homestyle food with the fast-food convenience. enjoy scrumptious fried chicken or salads or breakfast bar with outstanding rolls and yummy veggie side dishes (bonus: they also have a drive-thru!)

Crispers

salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and more

really good if you're in the mood for lighter fare. they also have lots of shakes, smoothies etc. which I've never tried but look really good

Sweet Tomatoes - actually located in Orlando

we stopped here on the way in from the airport - generous buffet with salad bar, baked breads, muffins, a variety of soups, pastas, fresh fruit, sundae bar, etc. SO good and you can eat way more than you intended!

Family Friendly Activities

O2B Kids

a fun indoor play area for kids of all ages. featuring a costume corner, ball pits, foam pits, an infant/toddler room, interactive video games, enormous legos, a play kitchen, a multilevel climbing structure, gymnastics rooms, outdoor playgrounds, a cafe, and more. lots of fun and they offer summer classes, preschool, etc. some features remind me of the wonderful children's museum in Baltimore (Port Discovery) - also worth a visit if you're in that area

Silver Springs

a family friendly outdoor adventure that discovers Florida wildlife. Located in Ocala, Silver Springs boasts glass-bottom boats over the crystal clear springs, jeep safaris, other boat rides, a petting zoo, children's play area, a carousel, and a few rides. However, the best part (at least for the younger crew) is the animals. There are wild animals galore but they also have an alligator lagoon (though we saw wild alligators as soon as we were parking the car), white alligators, crocodiles, lots of birds, flamingos, giraffes, bears, Florida panthers, cougars, river otters, snakes, turtles, birds, ducks, monkeys, and more. You name it, they've got it! They also have some beautiful gardens, scenery, and do occasionally host concerts (usually country but a great place to see a show).

As you can see, we're finding lots to do and enjoying ourselves tremendously though we really miss Dennis and our doggie. Happy Tuesday!!

Tuesdays'

Vacation Update

We're still having a blast here in Florida, though as local expression would say, "It's hot as blue blazes!" though I know it's really hot everywhere right now. Summer has finally arrived. We've been spending some quality time with the grandparents and had some great meals. Yesterday, we also went to the butterfly garden and museum and put up a baby pool in the backyard and had fun splashing around. Here are a few pictures of what we've been doing thus far.

Grandpa greeting us at the airport

Olive in her chair

Snuggling with Grandma

Visiting with great grandmother

Inviting Grandpa to sit at her table and color with her

Wearing pretty princess shoes

It's good to be home...

I've been a little MIA for the last couple of days...Olive and I are now here in FL visiting family and friends. We arrived yesterday and have been having a great time ever since. Little Olive absolutely adores her grandparents and is having so much fun with them. Today we did some visiting with great-grandparents too, which was good. Today was also a wonderful day because I got a little reprieve. I got my hair done by my mom's regular guy (who did a fabulous job) and I felt so pampered! Then tonight, after Olive hit the sack, I met up with some old friends for dinner and dessert at this great little bistro (owned by some folks we know, making it all the more fun). So all in all, our trip has been absolutely perfect so far. My mom has lots of other fun activities planned for us while we're here and it's so great to be able to take little Olive to do things now that she's enjoying them. I'll try to figure out how to upload some of the pictures onto this computer and post them this weekend. Unfortunately, Dennis is not with us, but Olive is pointing him out in every picture so we don't feel like he's too far away! There's something to be said about going home...it's so relaxing and comforting to be surrounded by people who love you more than anything in the world, seeing both the familiar and the new, and enjoying a change of scenery. This town has evolved so much since I left all those years ago and it's fun to explore it all over again. Hope your weekends are as great as mine!

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Book Review: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

The Friday Night Knitting Club
by Kate Jacobs

My book club just finished reading this book and we met last night to discuss it. Unfortunately, not everyone had read the book so the discussion was a bit limited but overall, everyone seemed to like it. A story about unlikely friendships, personal strength, courage, and determination, this book is sure to please. It evokes emotion and you really identify with the characters. I won't spoil it but it didn't end how I would have expected, and I always like surprises. One of our book club members said she heard this was going to be made into a movie, with Julia Roberts as the star (which is funny because she is actually mentioned in the book). I hope they do because this is a great story. It also made me really appreciate the fine art of knitting - I never realized just how hard it is or how much work and love is put into it. If you're looking for an easy read, check this one out.

Our next book is "Veil of Roses" by Laura Fitzgerald (see sidebar for link and cover image). You will also notice that the book "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener is there...this is a great book that I've been working on for a long time, highly recommended by my dad. It's not a quick chick book but very interesting nonetheless. It is a fictional story through the decades but based on historical fact. I've really learned a lot about this region from it. Check it out too!

Tuesday's Tips

Don't beat yourself up.

We are all our worst critics and see our faults in everything, even when others do not. We notice those 5 extra pounds or that zit popping up or that the tablecloth is slightly askew, but the reality is, nobody else really cares.

We struggle with these day to day minute details but we also all face bigger problems. We worry about whether we are in the right job (would I be happier, make more money, somewhere else??), should we stay home to raise our kids or continue in our careers??, should I move to another city??, should we send the kids to public or private school??, should we buy/sell the house?? There are so many things that we all struggle with every day and there is no "right" answer to them. Each situation is unique and different and we shouldn't beat ourselves up over our decisions. I feel like everything works out for the best in the end, wh ether we can see it immediately or not. I also know that we can only make the best decision possible with the information we have available and sooner or later, it does work out. If something seems like a bad decision, you made it for a reason and it put things aligned in the universe in just the right way and maybe you make a new friend, learn a new lesson, or experience something new. So don't worry about making the right decision...you will...just have faith and confidence and don't worry if things don't seem great at first. It will in the end. So give yourself a break and don't beat yourself up. You're worth it!!