Florida Memories

I can't help but think about past Florida trips with our trip to Florida this year coming up so quickly. I usually get a little sad around this time thinking about all the time we went to my grandparents house on Fort Myers Beach and how they are no longer with us. Those times were filled with so many wonderful and memorable times that it is hard NOT to think about them. I have to say how lucky we are that my parents have a place down in the same area where we vacationed for so many years, but it also makes me sad that Addy won't be able to experience the exact same experiences that I was fortunate to experience when I was her age.

-Waking up to look out on that amazing view of the ocean as you see the morning walkers walk the beach
-Grapefruits that my Boppa always left out for all of us at the kitchen table for breakfast where he was always sitting at reading the paper
-Feeding the seagulls right out in front of the house (okay not always a favorite thing, but I did enjoy watching other people feed them) :)
-Walking to breakfast down to the GulfShore and always looking out for dolphins or other types of animals
-Sitting on the deck and watching the sunset as we would eat crackers and Port Wine cheese that my grandmother(Muz) would always bring out
-Of course one of the big memories was getting engaged right in front of my grandparents beach house, Jay knew how important that place was for me and now forever our engagement will always be tied to that place

I really have so many wonderful memories, but one of my most favorite would have to be whenever we would be arriving at the beach, Boppa and Muz were always so excited to see us and they would be right there when we opened the door. We could really feel how happy they were to have us there. I know that my brother, sisters and I were so lucky to have experienced vacations in Fort Myers Beach and glad that we still vacation nearby so we can still go to the Gulf Shore Grill for those famous breakfasts that Boppa used to always take us too. In a way Addy still gets some of that experience and of course even more because my parents make sure that we always have the most fun-filled vacations.
Enjoy these pictures that I was able to find. The first one is me at 2 years old. There aren't too many since we didn't have digital cameras back then.