Florida

I knew having a child would mean changes to our lifestyle. Before Sophia got here I tended to focus on the ways I thought I would be limited from doing things I used to enjoy. Those limitations exist, but there are also suprising new things to enjoy. For example, when I was working full time, I wouldn't have joined Joshua on his business trip to Florida.

 

We landed in Fort Meyers at 11 pm on a Monday night. When the gentleman at the car rental agency saw Sophia, and learned we were from "up North", he insisted on  a free upgrade to the 2014 Mustang convertible. Earlier in the day, Sophia had also got us bumped up in line for security, so we were grateful. 

 

The next morning things seemed slightly less glamorous as Joshua needed to take the car to go to his staff retreat (the reason we were there) which was forty minutes away. He wouldn't be back until 5 pm, and when I asked the concierge what was within walking distance, his response was "the interstate".

After a brief walk, which was actually quite lovely with palm trees and evergreens, we went for a swim. Sophia is all about cause and effect these days, and loved the way the water splashed when she kicked. Later in the week she enjoyed the pool again with her Dad.

The first part of our week was spent on the West coast in Naples. We went to the pier and saw pelicans, egrets, and sandpipers.

On our trip we were able to enjoy eating most of our meals outdoors. 

Sophia loved learning how to use a straw to drink water on this trip.

Half way through the week we drove about three hours across the state to the east coast. We were able to see the ocean from our hotel room in Fort Lauderdale, and were privileged to see a plane carrying a very special message.

 

Walking on the beach with Sophia one of the last mornings, I felt so grateful to have this quiet time with her, and the warm ocean foam on my feet. The next day we would land back in Boston during the first snow storm of the season!