Fabulous Family Fall Vacation

We had our fabulous family vacation this past week in Longboat Key, Florida! We had the fortunate blessing to visit this beautiful island for the second time, thanks to Papa and Nana. We had the opportunity to try some new things this trip, as well as repeat some favorite activities. Four Winds Beach Resort is such a lovely, relaxing place to stay and enjoy the warm Floridian sun and play in the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks again Nana and Papa for sharing your time, memories, laughs and most of all your love with us this past week...

Relaxing after our voyage from Minnesota...(somebody thought it would be great to put Dawn dish soap in the hot tub, so did Mark, Calli and Caden-it was their giant bathtub for the afternoon).








Our frequent visitors around the resort...




Unfortunately, we encountered some effects of Hurricane Ida, mainly only winds and light rain for a couple of days. Mark decided to try the large waves by trying body surfing...

Isn't love grand...





One of Calli's favorite activities at the resort....some splashin' fun in the pool...

and Caden's as well...




We journeyed down a few miles to the next island, Seista Key. The beaches are absolutely breathtaking and the atomosphere is so fun. We enjoyed playing in the powdery white sand and sipping slushies at the Daquari Deck/Bar while feasting on some fabulous appetizers...




We wish we could say this was Mark trying out the Hurricane Ida waves again, but we figured it wouldn't fly (literally) Ha! Ha!...


One of my most favorite photos from the week....





Calli's second favorite activity....shell hunting on the beaches of Florida! She made quite a haul this year thanks to her Great Aunt Sydney and Nana...




We set out on a new adventure this trip......biking around the island of Longboat Key! We had the best time tooling around enjoying all the beautiful scenary...

We had to stop to capture this beautiful landscape...

and take advantage of the perfect photo opportunity.

We then jaunted on the bikes to St. Armands circle. Set amidst a tropical paradise, St. Armands is an enchanting circle of fine shops and gourmet restaurants. We could hardly believe that the kid's made the 5 mile hike (we did cheat, however, and take the bus back...with the bikes on the bike rack on the front of the bus). This is the bridge crossing over to the main island, via Sarasota Bay...

We made our first excursion to Busch Gardens in Tampa, where we all had a fun time enjoying the theme park and safari animals. It was cooler this day (70 degrees), which must of scared visitors away. We hopped from one ride to another and then again and again, did I mention sometimes one ride, 4 times in a row with NO WAIT! What a beautiful theme park centered around some of the most wild roller coasters...

Waiting for our turn on the expendition of the Serengeti Express, truly the best way to experience the wild prairie lands and animals of the African safari at Busch Gardens...

Some hippo happiness for Calli...

and Caden!

Our favorite family ride of Busch Gardens....The Rhino Ralley! We hopped aboard a wild jeep tour that takes you through the wilds of Africa. It's an off-road adventure that combines the thrill of an African safari with the exhilaration and drama of an amazing water adventure, Rhino Rally took us up-close to exotic animals and to the edge of our seat as we treked across the wide open veldt, then raced to cross a rising river. Wow, this was by far jaw dropping...

Some more fun around the park.........this was the roller coaster where Caden wanted to know why his tummy "felt sick", needless to say, that was his last rollercoaster ride for the day and Calli's thrilling attraction to them.

Calli and Caden's 2 favorite rides of the day.....Caden could "stomach" this ride much better, it was more his "speed". Calli rode the Cheetah chase 4 times in a row and even got Papa to join her once, again this was Al's last rollercoaster ride of the day as well!

Our next attraction...the 4D Pirates Movie. Check out the groovy glasses....

Friendly family feuding on the bumper cars...

Fun with the creatures of Jungala amidst the park...

our next stop!

The kid's loved running, climbing and navigating their way around the Jungala Play area (10-30 feet above the ground)...

and even the adults, too!

A fun ride within Jungala by everyone...

even Nana!

The Skyride aerial tram ride provided a spectacular view of Busch Garden and its amazing animals from a vantage point usually reserved for birds!

More wild times with animals...

Calli and Caden had the ultimate experience of designing their own stocking hats, and watching them come alive from the artistic employees of Kariba Marketplace...

A sneak peak of our family christmas card coming soon to your mailboxes...

I had the amazing opportunity to capture the serene sunset from our condo balcony on the last night of our stay...

and from the beach.

What a perfect vacation....!