Winter Break Day 3....

Our last day of Winter Break in Florida was spent golfing for fun! The courses at PGA National are impeccably pristine and there are 6 different courses to choose from! 

We started off on  The Match course, both unique and low-key! It is players choice of par because you can literally chose where you tee off on every hole, as it was designed for match play. Micah and the boys took turns deciding where the tee box would be on each hole- it was a blast! 

After this round, we spent an hour or so over at the 9 hole par 3 course, The Staple. I LOVE par 3 courses because you grab a few clubs, a good drink and walk- it's quick and laidback! Not to mention, it was such a beautiful course, the sun shining bright,  little adirondack chairs sitting at each hole, giving me the perfect place to get in a few minutes of reading, and even the scorecards were adorable! I may not have known a lick about golf when I met Micah, but this all things pink, pearls and poodles girl has come a long way!

You will see that our little balcony had the most perfect ground-level view of palms and the pool and I spent every morning out there with my book and tea! Also, further down, you will see, that even at 15 years old, animals still fascinate Remi and though he may be growing up double speed, he is not currently too old to chase the animals on the course.... some things never change!

And that's a wrap on Florida, Winter '25! What a special getaway for our little family! I'm secretly hoping that we get to do a repeat of this trip next year! I told Micah, we spend so much time in Florida these days, it almost feels like a second home!

Winter Break Day 2...

This was a day dedicated to fishing! We always try to spend a little time on the water when we travel, because it is something we all love! I rarely even hold a pole, but I love the salty air, the sunshine on my face and watching the boys do what they love- and lets be honest, someone has to take pictures! 

This trip did not disappoint! In fact, it was one of my favorite fishing trips ever, most definitely top 5! 

This time of year was perfect for sailfish, so we let out the kites, and the next thing we knew, we were reeling them in! Roen caught 2 sailfish, and Remi caught one,  along with 2 bull sharks, 2 king fish and a Jack! I didn't know this, but they don't actually bring the sailfish up into the boat. You release them, but you have to let them go quickly, because sharks love to come snag them as they are being pulled in. All that to say, We didn't get pictures of them all, but I can guarantee, none of us will never forget this experience! And because you don't have anything to show for them, they hang these flags so that when you pull back into the marina, everyone knows you had a good day out on the water! 

For the first time ever, we had a girl for our boat mate!! I loved having another female on the boat, and she was fantastic with the boys!  If we ever fish this area again, we will most definitely be calling Reel Deal Sport Fishing... I can't recommend them enough! And we can only hope that sweet Ellie Mae is aboard, because they boys were literally in heaven having a dog to snuggle! 

Winter Break in Florida...

Spending our break in Florida's 80 degree weather, felt more like a summer getaway than a mid-winter school break! It was so very fabulous in that sun-kissed skin kind of way!

The day after Roen's tournament ended, we slept in a bit, then headed over to Benny's on the Beach for a waterfront lunch, complete with umbrella pina coladas, fish tacos, salty breeze, and a walk on the pier! The food was divine- it was my favorite meal of the entire trip!

From here, we headed over to the Sofi Center, to watch the pros at the TGL- Tiger and Rory's golf league! We have watched the TGL many times as a family over dinner and to get to be there in person was the coolest experience! We got to watch Atlanta Drive GC and The Bay Golf Club, The Bay pulling out the win! It was loud music, flashing lights, and an absolute blast! 

What a fun day we had! I have decided I'm a real big fan of Winter Break! Espcially if I can spend it in the sun!

Deer Valley, Day Two...

We skied in big fluffy flakes, fresh powder, below freezing temps, beautiful sunshine... we got it all in our quick two days! And we of course, hit up our favorite runs, over and over again!! The boys are fantastic little skiers and I just love that we can all go as fast as we can, rarely having to wait on anyone.

This was the first year that we let the boys go solo. Most of the time we stayed together as a family, but after lunch, they would scarf down their food and get in a few runs while Micah and I took our time enjoying the views over a drink and conversation! It was nice seeing them go off, enjoying something they love so much as brothers! If I can sneak in boding time, you know this mama is gonna do it!

These ski trips over Christmas Break are always a very quick, two days of skiing, and honestly, in the past, it has always been enough to get us all our little mountain fix. However, this year, we were all so sad that we didn't have at least one more day on the slopes.  It is our plan to squeeze in one more day next year, if at all possible! Roen has mentioned that me may want to try boarding next year, which means we would have to change resorts, as Deer Valley only allows skiers. As much as I want the boys to try ALL the things, I am not real sure how I feel about leaving our beloved resort. I will definitely have to put some thought into it!

All of this being said, this ski trip was my favorite to date. I can't exactly pinpoint what made it stand out above the rest, but I do know we needed it. As we ended what proved to a very hard year in a lot of ways, I feel like being in a place we love as a family so very much, helped us start 2025 focusing of what truly matters. 

I love snow, I love the mountains, and I LOVE our family ski trips!

Deer Valley, Day One...

 
We woke up as early as we could- two teenage boys and a time difference.... well, it wasn't as easy as it sounds! 

We had a quick breakfast and were on the slopes just as fast as we could get there! We know this mountain well by now, so we were all hollering out what slopes we wanted to do first, making mental maps. We visited Quincy's Cabin, took every tree trail we could find, hit up all the jumps and even figured out a little secret to maneuvering the long lines (thanks to the Park City mountain strike, which led skiers over to Deer Valley). 

We went fast, we laughed, we got hot and we never slowed down until lunch! The Stein was so crowded at lunch (again, with the strike crowd), that when they gave us an 1.5 hour wait, well, we went back and skied while we waited! It was such a fun day out on the slopes!

After the slopes closed, we took a dip in the hot tub while we sipped hot tea and hot cocoa before taking another little trip back to Main Street. With most everything closing early the day before for the New Year, we wanted to get in a little more souvenir shopping. For dinner, we went back to the room, had  chocolate cake, ice cream, hot cocoa and watched a total of three movies with the boys! 

We literally laughed hysterically the entire viewing of Daddy's Home and made both boys huge Will Ferrell fans ! We, of course, had to follow that movie with Daddy's Home 2, which had us laughing all over again. It was one of those days that was perfection!