Florida in August: Night at Busch Gardens

My dear friend Lauren, who lived up in our area for many years and is Ella’s beloved Godmother, now lives in Tampa and works for Busch Gardens.  We were lucky enough to not only have the chance to hang out with Lauren and her family while we were down in Florida in August, but also spend that time having a fun night together at Busch Gardens—thanks, Lauren, for getting us in!  Such a memorable night.  The kids loved every ride, and luckily Lauren was happy to take them on any and every ride—a few made me ill just to watch.  Outside of just having a great opportunity to hang out with Lauren and her lovely family, the best part was the how the bond between Ella and Lauren was made even stronger.  Busch Gardens has a rollercoaster with a 360-degree loop that only has a 42-inch height requirement.  This ride, The Scorpion, has apparently been a staple at Busch Gardens for decades.  It was the very first full-loop rollercoaster that Lauren ever went on, and she did so at age 8.  That night in August, Lauren took Ella, age 8, on her first 360-degree loop rollercoaster of The Scorpion.  Ella loved to share that milestone with Lauren.  Jack, Zoe, and me actually went on The Scorpion, too, and it was no joke, lots of twists and turns and a big drop, on top of the big loop.  Needless to say, my kids wanted to go on it again and again.  My little thrill seekers had a blast riding every ride we could get in before the gates closed.  It was a very special night, lots of fun and so fun to be with Lauren and her fam—thanks, Lauren! 


{after dinner and before rides, we checked out the animals at busch gardens.  this hippo was literally hopping and swimming back and forth in her tank.  never seen such an active hippo.}


{lauren’s daughter zoe.}









{lauren’s son reese, who snoozed most of the night.}

Florida in August: Gulf Coast

We spent a few days during our August trip to Florida at my parents’ house on the gulf side of Florida, just north of Sarasota.  For the kids, it was all about swimming in the pool and time at the beach.  We had lot of q.t. with Nonni and Papa and I even got in a round of golf with my mom.  We loved our time at the Slaton resort and can’t wait to head back!


{our time at the beach was all about digging holes, filling buckets with water, and finding seashells (the beach was covered)…oh, and trying to get papa out in the water for a bit.}








{it’s never enough time with papa hanging out in the ocean.}





{check out nonni’s beautiful back.  i’ll take those genes any day.}



And back at Nonni and Papa’s house…





And just a few iPhone pics from my mom and my day out golfing (this is before my Instagram days).  Loved this time with my mom and having the chance to get back out on a course!

Florida in August: Sea World

After spending a couple of days in Orlando with Aunt Jacqui and Uncle Randy during our trip to Florida in early August, we met my parents (Nonni and Papa) for a day at Sea World before heading to their house for our last few days of the trip.  Ella and Jack had never been to Sea World and the last time I was there the park had no roller coasters.  We were there nearly from open to close, taking in all we could of this fun park, at least when it wasn’t pouring (thank goodness for Nonni’s ponchos).  We spent most of our day with the sea life, but the rides were definitely a highlight for the kids—Ella and Jack especially loved the Journey Atlantis ride.  Thanks for a fun day, Nonni and Papa!


We finished out our day with Jack and Ella taking Nonni and Papa on several more turns on the very wet Journey to Atlantis ride.