December 28 & 29

On Friday we took a boat tour around Lemon Bay. It was a little chilly and overcast, but we learned a lot about the area and got to see many different birds, as well as several dolphins. Unfortunately, they weren't trained to pose for pictures! ;)

Last night it poured, but we still managed to have a good time! We went to a restaurant called Sharky's on the Pier in Venice, which has great food and a nice view of the ocean. Today we drove down to Gasparilla Island and saw the lighthouse at Port Boca Grande.

Somebody made a nifty sandcastle on the beach near the lighthouse:

When we got back to the condo, we went over to the beach and Louie played in the ocean.

Then we drove up the key a little further to watch the sunset.

Finally, here's a video from the other day...the waves are so peaceful!

December 26 & 27

So,  I decided I'd like to finish out the month. I mean, why not? :-)

Last night we went with my parents to see The Hobbit movie. It was great! I still haven't finished reading the book yet (re-reading, I should say... I read it many years ago but have forgotten most of it!). I've got about 40 books on my Kindle Paperwhite; it's wonderful to have the selection without the weight in my backpack. :)

On the 26th we drove down to Papa's condo on Manasota Key. Louie and I have the place to ourselves for the next few days! Today (the 27th) we went to a nearby park called Cedar Point.

It had lots of nice walking trails. I fiddled with the coloring in the photo above... (I'm trying to see what curve adjustments result in a "yellowy" effect) This is what it really looked like:

Later we drove up the key to check out the beaches. Unfortunately there are some red tide problems at the beaches around here... the algae release toxins into the water which kills some of the fish, and also gets carried into the air by the sea spray. It's known to cause respiratory problems, so we've been coughing a bit when we go outside...it's just a tickle in your throat though, nothing too bad. Here's Louie by the ocean.

Later we ate at the Gulf View Grill, which was quite yummy and had a nice view of the water. Then we went across the street and watched the sunset:

December 25

Here's Louie sporting his new camera! Since we opened presents on Christmas Eve, we decided to venture out on Christmas day and take a walk through Circle B Bar Reserve. The thing to know about Circle B Bar Reserve is that there are no fences, and lots of alligators. Louie wasn't too happy about this sign...

Luckily, the gators usually keep away from the path. First we saw a few baby ones like this:

And then some bigger ones like this:

We also saw lots of different bird species, like this...

And this... (pretty blue heron!)

The Spanish moss hanging from all the trees makes it kind of look like a fairy tale forest or something...

Finally, here's a picture of a red leaf. Just cause.

For Christmas, I got some new headphones, a Doxie scanner, a season of Covert Affairs, some great new socks, a legit copy of Photoshop, an external flash for my camera, a 2013 calendar, and a few more things. Louie got some new shirts, a camera (sort of...dad had an extra one lying around and gave it to him!), and some new socks. Seriously, I understand now why adults want socks for Christmas. Socks are the best. Socks are second only to electronics. ;) Anyway, we had a fun time opening gifts. Before that we went to the Christmas Eve service at my parents' church, which served as a good reminder to me of where my focus should be: on the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ! When I think of all the good things that God has blessed us with, I want to sing out with the angels in Luke: Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!

December 24

Today we went to the Bok Tower Sanctuary in Lake Wales, Florida. There is a mansion on the property called Pinewood Estate and each year they have a holiday home tour where they decorate the house and the grounds to match a certain theme. This year's theme had to do with nature, so there were lots of pinecones and stuffed critters and the like. 

There were some interesting trees on the property!

Getting Louie to look at the camera is like getting Daisy to do the dishes. It just ain't happening.

I always like looking at the plants at Bok Sanctuary, like this bamboo:

These are called "Beauty Berry:"

Here's Bok Tower (below). It's 205 feet tall and has a huge carillon inside with a full-time player who gives concerts every few hours.

This stuff (above) looks kind of sinister.

I found this little guy inside the Pinewood Estate.

Still not looking at the camera, but then again...I don't think he knew I was taking this one. ;)

It's just so nice to see flowers and fruit and green plants again!

December 23

Well, we made it to Florida! Here are the presents underneath my parents' Christmas tree. :-)

December 22

This is Owen. Owen's primary occupation is being adorable. He's quite good at it. Here he is looking at some dancing snowmen/reindeer toys at his grandma Judi's house.

We had a Hansmeyer family Christmas today, and boy was it fun! I just love being a part of such a large family...it makes up for many years of missed chaos. Or something like that. ;) This year I was tasked with making "spaghetti corn," a Hansmeyer family favorite. I was delighted to discover that it's just about the easiest thing to make. Almost as easy as mac and cheese!

This is Lassy. She's a sweetheart.

This is Emmett, just before giving Lassy a kiss. Emmett loves animals!

This is Addi. She spent the day marching around with her baby doll and radiating cuteness.

Opening presents! Uncle Louie & Aunt Becky fell woefully short when it came to gift-giving this year. Hopefully we can make it up to everyone sometime. :) Ok, that's all for now...almost time to board our flight! The next pictures you see will be all sunshine and palm trees (well, maybe...can't guarantee it). 

December 21

Looks like I have a few days to catch up on! I'm currently writing this from the Omaha airport as Louie and I wait for our flight to the tropics. So let's see...December 21 was Friday, and on Friday I went crazy and dipped 98 Nutter Butter bites in vanilla almond bark. Before that, I dipped a package of orange gummies in chocolate almond bark:

It was the first time I'd ever dipped anything in almond bark, and the experience was even more cathartic than I thought it would be. I highly recommend it.

The icicle lights looked even cooler on Friday night when it got really dark.

December 20

Ok, I think it's time to have an honest discussion about how cute my dog is. Because seriously. Look at her. Look at the look of determination on her little face as she tries to make it across the yard. Look at the way she puts her little front paws together when she leaps. Her form is flawless. Here's an earlier shot:

That corgi is FLYING. Here's Daisy by the old truck:

And here's Daisy next to the garage:

And here's the icicle lights actually covered in icicles:

December 19

Well, it's the eve of the big blizzard that's supposed to hit the Midwest tonight. Hopefully I'll have pictures of snow tomorrow! This idea was stolen shamelessly from +Bethany Gilbert (the midnight sun). Hopefully she doesn't mind. :)