Summertime Beckons

I woke up yesterday morning sandwiched between two sleeping little bodies in my fluffy big bed.  Their heavy-breathing forms couldn’t be any closer to mine, as each time I’d move, one of their arms or legs or torsos would trickle in and fill the void… and all was as it should be.  We were all home, together.

Our welcome back was nothing short of beautiful. She ran down the corridor past the other cars to her left and the doors of the baggage claim zoomed by her right as onlookers smiled and looked for us, the object of her stare.  Those seconds moved in slow motion and I ran to her, picked her up in a big embrace and looked in the back of the car to find a smiling, kicking little boy waiting for us.

We arrived home to warmer weather in Michigan than it was in Florida, though only separated by a few degrees and some extra humidity… and that climate shift lasted for about a day.

Our quick trip:

When we weren’t logging hours in the car, switching between the cold air dial on high and the windows rolled down to feel the salty breeze on our faces, or in a myriad of meetings and appointments, we used the little bit of time we had to explore the coast line.

And slivered in between moments on the beach is finding great little places to dine, with lights hanging over an outdoor terrace, because it feels good to eat under lights hanging over an outdoor terrace.  It feels like summer.

This place had ahh-mazing pizza and spinach ravioli, oh and gelato.  If you happen upon Clearwater, you must visit Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza.

And yes, if you look closely at the pretzel of tree limbs, you’ll see an eye staring back at you.  

The twisty trees and pastel colored buildings of beach towns slay me.  And the laid back vibe always draws me in.

And speaking of gelato, I had Nutella gelato.  Go ahead, be jealous, it’s okay.

Fish tanks in the counter happened to be a regular occurrence. 

I felt welcomed into an extended family as we chatted with one of the local sponge divers, learning about the value of these sponges, the effect the different waters have on them, the large spoil they just made last season… and as we went to purchase a couple sponges, one for the kitchen and one for the kids’ baths, he handed them to us with a smile, no purchase needed.

We came home with our to-do lists just about all crossed off, a handful of shells in our pockets that we plucked from the white sandy beach to give to a waiting little girl and the feeling of summer still in our suitcase with wet swimwear and sand crystals wrapped up in plastic.

Stay fabulous!