Love at First Sight, smell and sound

Are there particular songs that remind you of certain places or certain people? Are there certain memories you have as a child that you will NEVER forget and hope you can provide those same types of memories for YOUR children? What about certain places that always put a smile on your face? To some, it may be the mall, the football field, a certain person's house or perhaps a certain vacation spot. Well, living in Florida puts a smile on my face. As a child, we traveled to Florida several times for family vacation. Most of the time it was with "just family" and sometimes we were each allowed to bring a friend. We vacationed to different locations: Marco Island, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Destin, etc.



I have many fond memories of these trips to Florida. We spent a Christmas in Florida once and Santa Claus even found us there. I learned to swim while in Florida. I bought 1 of my prom dresses while in Florida. I even remember a trip to the beach where my dad and I went on a walk and he bought me an ice cream cone (revert back to 6 years of age....how excited did YOU get over an ice cream cone?) Most houses we stayed in had a screened in pool. I remember how COOL it was for my mom to stand in the kitchen and hand me a cold lemonade thru the window that went from the kitchen to the pool area. Then, she would walk straight out to the pool from the family room. "This is the life," I thought.



Certain songs such as Born in the USA, Glory Days, Forever in Blue Jeans, Sweet Caroline, Roam; all remind me of being in Florida with my family. I still enjoy watching family videos of times when we were in Florida.



Well, as fate would have it......We now LIVE in Florida and I feel so lucky everyday. We have been here 8 years and I can admit that the palm trees, quick trips to the beach, views of the Gulf and the surplus of "things" to do have NOT gotten old.






I still think it's a crazy concept that we live on the EDGE of the country.....literally.



Palm trees, beaches, ocean/gulf and sun.........LOVE YOU!!!

Here we are, years and years later and we are LIVING in Florida and I am walking from my living room to the pool to hand OUR son a cold drink.

My, oh my. I am learning quickly how fast time flies. Watching Avery grow up has taught me that it is TRULY important to sit down, smell the roses and enjoy life, otherwise, it will pass you up in a hurry.

It's A Must!!!

The addition problem we were given for the week : Husbands are off this weekend + hot and sunny weather + warm water temperatures + good friends on hand (who also happen to know where to rent a great boat for great prices) and what do you come up with? This equals (=) An all day Saturday on the Gulf of Mexico via 21 foot boat. Well, at least that's the best solution Jamie and I came up with.

We packed coolers, blew up rafts, put on our suits and OFF we were for a day of fun with Pat, Jamie and Jadyn and to meet up with our neighbors, Ivette, Mike and their girls on their boat.


"Avery and Jadyn, hold on, this boat's about to take off."

Jamie and I pose for a quick pic right in front of our house......haha. I wish!!!

"Pat, your driving skills are inadequate, you need some help."

First stop: Lido Beach. Play in the sand, swim a bit then get back on board.

Everyone watches as a parachute flies by.

"Whew, I need a nap. You people keep making me swim and have fun. I'm tired."

Next stop: Midnight Pass: More R&R. Ivette and Brianna catching some rays

"Alright Dad, you can drive, but I must sit right with you....just in case."

Avery needed a break from driving, so Jadyn stepped in.

Next stop: Skier's Cove: A great place for a picnic, a hike and more swimming. Daddy chasin Avery while Jadyn tries to catch up.

Becca, Jadyn and Avery using this HUGE tree branch as a bench.

The kids peek out of the woods onto the Gulf. The view is gorgeous.

Still just takin' it all in!!!

They found a pile of stones and of course that little "pile of stones" was like a brand new toy to them.

"Daddy and Pat.....YOU'RE FIRED!!! Im takin' over this boat. You guys just sit there and SHUT UP!!!"

"Dad, look, I think I see a topless chick over there."

Two beach babes pose, but more importantly, Baby Boy Brester poses for his 1st "beach picture" before making his big debut in August.

Avery swims in the raft while Jadyn holds on for dear life. "I won't let go, I won't let go." (in her best Titanic voice) "Jadyn, just watch your head, your baby brother is about to kick out of mommy's belly."

There should be room for ALL of us on this innertube. Becca swims up to supervise the situation

Still out in the water. Brianna has joined us. Jadyn let go and found something better-a noodle.

And....at the end of the day, a stop at Captain Curts Oyster Bar is a must... appetizers and a cocktail. The end to a GREAT DAY. Now it's time to apply the aloe and go to bed.

I'm just sayin'

I try to be a very positive person and find the positive vs the negative in a situation. So, please make note that I am not being "negative" by my post today. I am more or less just being honest, and possibly funny??? Offensive to some? But I truly am annoyed (I say that with a smile on my face) with certain words I hear over and over and over again.

The first word is "Prego". It really makes my skin crawl when someone claims to be "prego" Really? Are you a jar of spaghetti sauce? Poor thing. The truth is, girls can be come "pregnant" so I wish people would just call it that. (as I laugh to myself)

The word "like". When this word becomes every other word in a person's sentence my ears coincidently become deaf. Seriously, take a few seconds, gather your thoughts, then speak.

The word "Bestie" Yes, this word is highly annoying to me as well. It makes me think of the musical group "The Beastie Boys" But, then I quickly realize you are referring to a person, not a musical group.

So, now that you all know what words drive me CRAZY, you can think of me EVERYTIME you use them. Good day to all!!!

CBS - Tears of Fear to Tears of Joy

Last day of CBS. Wow, that went fast. What is CBS, you ask? CBS stands for Community Bible Study. This is a Bible study class that takes place on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 - 11:30 and coincides with the Sarasota County School schedule. There are weeks of vacation where we don't have class, no class during holiday seasons, no class during spring break, etc. This is designed for mothers AND their children to meet and well, study the Bible. The children are in classes of their own and the mothers are split up into classes as well. We signed up for this to benefit both Avery and I. I figured I could benefit by learning and discovering more about the Bible while Avery is in his own class playing and sharing with other kids. One day a week, can't be bad, right?

As I mentioned earlier, this schedule goes along with the county school schedule, so today was our last "school day" of the year and it went unbelievably fast. I am very glad I chose to partake in such a fantastic group. See, 9 months ago when CBS started for the year I had never been involved in a Bible study and Avery had never been without me. WHAT? Yes, Avery and I are together ALL THE TIME, so dropping him off in a class WITHOUT me was traumatic for both of us. Go ahead, roll your eyes, laugh out loud, do what you need, but this is the truth. Luckily, Avery's Godmother Jamie and his very best friend Jadyn are also involved in CBS so they were there to wipe Avery's and mommies tears away the first few weeks. As Jadyn stood there ready to play and Avery was kicking and screaming, Jamie was dragging me out of the class saying "He's gonna be fine." That was 9 months ago.

Today, as I dropped him off in class he ran for toys before I could even kiss him goodbye or start to shed a tear. Whew, what a long way we have both come!!! It's truly amazing to watch children change and grow up.....TOO FAST.....in front of our own eyes.

Cheers to a great "school year" and and AWESOME summer break ahead of us!!!

Mother's Day 2010

Sometimes it still amazes me to think that "I am a mother." How did this happen. Well, I have figured out how it happened, but geez, I like to think of myself still as a child....sometimes. Anyhow, those of you that are mothers know what a great thing motherhood is. It is rewarding, challenging, beneficial, fun, exciting and simply one of the best feelings ever. One thing I thought about and kinda "realized" this year on Mother's Day is the fact that although Avery just turned 2, this is my 3rd Mother's Day of being a mom. He was born right before Mother's Day in 2008, just turned 1 in 2009 and just turned 2 in 2010, making this my 3rd Mother's Day. Sunday was a fabulous day. Rico, Avery and I spent the day together: Church, Brunch, swim, layout, nap, snack, swim, dinner, play in yard, swim, bath, then bedtime. Whew!!! It was a fun, busy, enjoyable day for all!!!





So, to recap all of my Mother's Days, below are pictures of Avery and I on each Mother's Day.








Mother's Day 2010 - Sarasota, Florida


Mother' Day 2009 - Indianapolis, Indiana

Mother's Day 2008 - Sarasota, Florida

Avery, you make being a mommy so much fun. I love you Triple A!!!

Chu Chu!!!

Chu, chu!!! Do you hear the train coming? Well, perhaps you can't hear it from where you are sitting, but if you are in our living room you SURE CAN. For Avery's 2nd birthday we bought him a Thomas the Train set. Its HUGE, FUN, EXCITING and well, takes up a large portion of our family room. But, WHO CARES??? This is what having kids is all about.....toys, fun, messes and using their imagination. However, this train track came with everything but the train table. So, being the creative, handy dandy parents that we are (wink, wink) we took it upon ourselves to build a table for Thomas to ride on. See below for the "start to finish" project of Thomas the train and train table.


Started out with a piece of plywood. Gosh, hope there aren't any hurricanes brewin' out there. This plywood was taken from our hurricane plywood stash. (not really, quit believing everything I say)

Covered it with felt and added the legs (yes, we painted the legs)

Added a ledge to hold it all together (yes, we painted the ledge too) Kinda starting to look like a pool table, but wait, put the 8 ball away, it AIN'T a pool table.

WOW!!! The finished product. That is one GINORMOUS train track.

A view from the air. Since this pic was taken we have since added houses, more trains, etc. If you can't picture what I mean, use your imagination....remember, that's what being a kid is about.

Avery seeing his train track all put together for this first time.

This project was well worth our time and effort. Avery and his friends (yes, this includes daddy) play with it everyday. Its neat to see their imagination working and exploring with this new piece of "family room furniture".

A Day in the Life of Avery (and Mommy)

Good morning Sarasota and good morning to all of our faithful blog readers. We appreciate you coming to our blog to see just exactly what we are up to on a daily basis, perhaps a weekly basis and sometimes a monthly basis. We are busy that's for sure. Well, we try to keep busy at least. Avery and I are very fortunate in the fact that we get to stay home together everyday. But, that statement isn't entirely true because we don't "stay at home everyday." In fact, I make great effort to make sure he and I have something planned everyday. Whether it be a trip to the park, visit to the beach, a playdate at a friends house or a playdate at our house, etc, we keep busy and have fun. I love to see Avery interact with other children and explore what this world has to offer. In typical fashion, we were on the go today and I took photos along the way. (I am "that" mom who takes her camera EVERYWHERE!!!)



We started our day by meeting Jamie and Jadyn at the Ringling Bridge for a quick run. It is 2 miles across and back, but you don't even notice the distance with the gorgeous view. This pic is taken from the top of the bridge. If you look in the distance you can see our house. (haha, like FAR OFF in the distance)
Stop for the kids to swaps snacks and get back at it.

Exercise? Done. Now time to play in the fountains at the marina. Whew, its HOT out there.

A view from the fountains overlooking the Gulf.

Lunchtime....picnic after the fountains, then off to play at the playground. This "kid" gig is tough.

"Look at us, look at us."

Two peas in a pod. No really, they are shadows of one another.

"Um, Jadyn, get back over here. We weren't done lookin' at the boats."

She's back, but this time she has snacks in hand.

Back home, after nap, yet again, SNACK TIME by the pool. But, this time, daddy is home from work and can swim WITH US!!! Yeah for daddy's "off season."

Oh my, the end to a perfect day!!! A trip to McDonalds with Avery's "big sisters" Becca and Brianna.

"Becca, would you like a bite of YOUR McFlurry." He somehow confiscated her McFlurry and of course, she gladly hands it over.

"Avery, you have these girls eating out of your hands at such a young age. What happens in 15 years from now, I CAN'T IMAGINE." thinks mommy

No time to smile for a pic. I have a McFlurry to eat before mom takes it away.

Still eating McFlurry...............................

Still eating McFlurry..........................

That's our Triple A. Get it in ya, son!!!

Cinco De Mayo!!!

GUACAMOLE DIP!!! I've got a great recipe. If you want it, just ask!

Do you care for salt and a lime with your Ice Cold Corona? Why yes, I do, thank you!!!

Happy Cinco De Mayo friends. Today is a great day. This marks the anniversary of Rico and I "dating". Yes, this day, several years back, we started "dating." What made the difference in "being friends" to "seeing each other" to "dating"??? Who knows??? In fact, it seems like FOREVER ago that we were "dating". Anyhow, who really celebrates their "boyfriend/girlfriend status" anniversary when you've been married almost 5 years and have a child? We don't, but, on the other hand we kinda do. See, we just gather all excuses possible to have a Mexican Fiesta. Rico is in fact Mexican, we both LOVE authentic Mexican food, we've been known to enjoy a Corona or two and now we have EVERY reason in the world to have that Mexican Fiesta we both love. So, what are the Alcalas doing tonight? You guessed it: We are having a Mexican Fiesta complete with chips and guacamole, chicken enchiladas and of course, Coronas with lime. Cheers to great food, cold beer and lots of laps in the pool on this hot and sunny Florida day!!!

Smile and Give Thanks!!!

This morning I woke up and thought, "hmmm, I need to update our blog, but I don't have any new pics to post and write about." I thought to myself, I have SO much to be thankful for and that should something to post about in itself. Each day I am reminded in some way or another of how much I have to be thankful for. Sometimes it is clear and plain as day, sometimes it's something I figure out after that day is over and sometimes I see it through others around me. There are even days that can be more of a "bad" day, then a "good" day, but in the end, I still have so much to be thankful for and its never really "that bad."

Without babbling I will list a few things that I am thankful for: 1) my husband who truly treats me like a princess. He appreciates and notices the small things such as a home cooked meal, a clean house or a new color of toe nail polish I am wearing. He works hard to support our family while keeping Avery and me home. In the meantime, he never comes home in a bad mood or stressed out and tackles each day with 100% effort. 2) Our son; who is the apple of our eye. He is healthy, happy, HILARIOUS and so much fun to hang out with everyday. He and I are quite the best of buds. 3) My parents; while they live 1200 miles away, we are still as close as we were were 15 years ago when I lived at home under their roof. While I am now married with a family of my own, I still talk to them everyday even if it's just to say "hi. I love you." 4) Our house; while it's small, it's cozy, clean, in a great neighborhood and hey, it isn't flooded in water and we have electricity.

Those are just a FEW of the many things I have to be thankful for. Life is great. I can't complain. I wake up everyday, smile, kiss my hubby, cuddle our son, sip on coffee and look forward to what each day has to offer. Some people like to think "the grass is always greener on the other side" I like to think "enjoy the grass we have, there may not even be grass on the other side." I have learned that there will always be someone richer than you and poorer than you. There will always be someone skinnier than you and fatter than you. There will always be someone who drives a nicer car than you and someone who drives a car that's not as nice as yours. Can't we all just be thankful for what we have? If there's something you don't have that you want.....hey, talk to the big guy upstairs. Maybe, just maybe he can help ya out!!!

LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH!!!