The week in fast forward

Well…let me see where to start..and just to let you know.. this is going to be a long one, so if you do not have a lot of time… I might suggest coming back later!

TGIF for one.. right. Well I made it to the weekend, and you did too! So congrats haha and enjoy it..because there are only two more days until Monday.

My family is heading back up North for the summer, and I will go visit them for a few months soon, but I have some things to take care of here, like finishing school, taking a bunch of exams, applying to new schools… the list goes on.

Anyways, I had to take care of some boring school stuff this week on the other side of the state, so I decided to stop in and see them as well for the last time.

The weather here has been weird lately, but I guess that is Florida. Rainy and hot one day, then it will cool off at night with clear skies and brilliant bright stars, and then the next day it can remain cool until noon, and be in the 80’s by 1…Oh the unpredictability 🙂

My trip took me through the great Alligator Alley.

When I was younger and had never really traveled this road, I had some crazy ideas of how it would look like, and what it would be like to drive on this highway. After living in the area for the past few years and taking this highway numerous times, it has kind of lost its majestic feel. There are still the wildlife recreation turn offs where you can park and try to spot alligators or launch your air boat, but I usually just pack a bunch of snacks and mindlessly eat while driving the rather straight highway across the state and letting my mind wander. Oh, and blast whatever music I feel like listening to until I get too irritated with it and then eat some more to keep myself occupied. (the time doesn’t always go very fast) But you can usually spot an alligator or two, some wild cows ( I actually haven’t figured out if they are wild or not yet..), some beautiful birds, and see an amazing landscape that you can’t always get on the coast of Florida.

My drive is only about three hours, and views like these make it so much better!

Ok, kind of a crappy picture, everyone knows what a bridge looks like..but its hard to take a picture while driving, especially over a bridge.. (try it…but don’t say I told you to)

My parents house is not exactly in a city or densely populated area, but I always love going there because it is such a nice break from heavy traffic, noise and everyday stresses. It is like paradise, or else I have learned to appreciate the simplicity.

One of our favorite things to do there is bike ride! EVERYONE rides their bikes around that town.. or their golf carts. It is not uncommon to tailgate a golf cart home from the grocery store. I didn’t get a picture, but there are actually road signs just for golf carts..

We even rode to the post office on our bicycles (only 5 miles) but that letter needed mailing!

And what is nature without a little roadkill…can you guess our two subjects?

There are also some creative people out there who deserve a little props for the contraptions they have created…

And getting on to the good stuff…food…my parents.. they are amazing cooks! I love going home because yes, they cook (and I help of course…it is always more fun to cook with others!)

We had this really great barbecue, teriyaki chicken my dad grilled, some fresh veggies, baked potatoes, and a few different salads.

     That is the cucumber tomato salad, hummus, broccoli, apples and carrots on the left. I also made this salad with mixed greens, romaine, purple onions, carrots, red and green peppers, mini oranges and a sprinkle of almonds.

Although Starr’s Ben and Jerry’s was staring at us from the freezer.. we had some marshmallows and rice krispies that we wanted to use up, and what better way…

You can find our recipe for our butter free Rice Krispies here. In fact, we ate this whole pan standing right there over the stove. They were just that good!

Another great part about where they live.. about two streets down there is a canal with a few amazing residents!

When I was taking this video, I thought it would come out a lot better, but I guess that is as good as it gets when you record on a phone. Click Here for the video.

A few more highlights…

Someone trying on their new robe….

Visiting a new school.. “Can you please take our picture if you are not late for class?”

This monster green underwater fishing light on our neighbors dock that attracts so many fish!

I had to get up super early this morning to make it back home for a busy day, but I had to get some breakfast in. I made Starr and I these mini plates of scrambled eggs with peppers, broccoli and ham, fresh fruit, and also some frozen fruit (which is super delicious because there are these sour cherries that make you pucker). As for Savannah… well.. she doesn’t eat eggs, but she loves her hummus avocado toast!

Yes, she may just kill me for that picture…

On the way home…

And then I saw these nice clouds….and knew what was next 🙂

So there was about 3 hours pulled from a few days…

Enjoy the weekend ❤

-Sierra