Happy 14th Birthday Evan!

 Happy 14th Birthday Evan!  We celebrated with dinner at Don Pablos for Evan's favorite fajitas then had cake and presents at home! He was thrilled to get a new camera so he can make more videos!

Happy 11th Birthday Isabella!

 Isabella shared her 11th birthday party with her best friend, Kamryn!  It was all about their favorite band One Direction!  They celebrated by going to see the movie Wreck It Ralph and then had cake and present!

Isabella's othe favorite thing, besides One Direction, is mustaches!  So she celebrated with her friends at school with mustache cupcakes!

Sarasota Chalk Festival

 One thing we love about living in this area is that there's always something to do!  This past weekend, we went to Sarasota to check out the anual Chalk Festival!  The art and creativity was just amazing!  Will definitely make this an event that we attend every year!  Sarasota is such a fun city that we really need to explore more often!

Victory Rally!

 Isabella has been dying to see Mitt Romney in person since watching the debates so when we heard he was speaking at a rally in Tampa near Bruce's office, we got tickets and went! 

Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio

                                              

It was so exciting to hear him speak and to be so close!  It really was an awesome experience and Isabella was really glad we went!

Homecoming

Jonah headed off to Homecoming at his high school on Saturday night...where has the time gone?  He's already a sophomore!

Coastal Cabinet

I've been searching for literally four years for a little cabinet with a glass front to display the few collectibles I brought from Maryland  to Florida.  I almost bought a $300 red linen cabinet at Ikea last week when a friend shared this cabinet she spotted on Craigslist...for $60!  It's solid wood, was in great condition and even has nice hardware!  All I had to do was take it apart, do a light sanding and dry brush using a foam brush.  I love how it turned out and fits in perfectly with my ecclectic coastal theme!

A Wedding...Lots of Friends...and Some Ghosts!

 We travelled to MD this past weekend for the wedding of our dear friends, the Vestrand's daughter Brooke to Adam Terpstra.  We've know Brooke since she was in elementary school so it was so special to see the beautiful, young woman she's become!  The wedding was at an old bed and breakfast in Gettysburg followed by a reception in a barn...it was perfection!  It was very vintage and sweet and filled with special details!  We were also able to spend some time with our old friends, Jeff and Jen!

We also were able to spend some time exploring the city of Gettysburg.  Even though we used to live only 40 minutes away, we never took the opportunity to visit!  What an amazing place full of history! We spent part of the day exploring a museum that focused on paranormal activity in the area, which was really fascinating for the kids!  One night, Bruce and the kids even went on a paranormal investigation (while Mom stayed safely behind wathcing the Olympics!)

Being in MD also gave us a chance to catch up with Adrienne and Collin! We all met Adrienne's boyfriend, Matt (who looks very much like the actor, Seth Rogen!).  Lots of laughs were had by all!

Our last stop before the airport was a visit with the Gaydosh's where Belle got to spend some time with her old friends, Brooke and Gracie!

 We visited with our friends, the Butehorns as well!

 So glad that Mom's good friend, Lolli was able to meet us for dinner at such late notice!

Rodaniche Visit

Denice, Arcadio and Evan spent a few days with us after their Panama reunion in Orlando!  It was great catching up with them!  We went to Mote for a day and Isabella learned a lot from Arcadio and he even got her a huge shark tooth!

 Relaxing on Anna Maria Island!