So, this is super behind, but I traveled to Florida back in November for Thanksgiving. My dad lives in Orlando and wasn't able to make it back to PA for the holidays this (last?) year, so my husband and I decided to fly south for Thanksgiving! It worked out that we got to spend an entire week with my dad and step mom over the week of Thanksgiving. This was only the second time we had been to Florida, 4th technically, if you count when we flew in and out of Miami for our honeymoon and stayed overnight. It was wasn't very warm and some days were mostly overcast, but it was better and brighter than Pittsburgh was at the time, and we got to spend a bunch of time with family!
This time around we got to spend a lot of time at the house relaxing and catching up, spending time by the pool watching the lizards emerge as the sun came up. It was super relaxing and nice to be in a new place! One of the places we explored on this trip was Blue Spring State Park. The time of year that we were visiting was perfect for seeing manatees swimming nearby! We saw a few slowly swimming around in the pretty green waters. You can even swim in the one area during certain parts of the year. The combination of mossy trees and uniquely green water made for one of the most unique places that I've seen.
One of the following days we road tripped around different parts of Florida and let the now Floridians show us around. We ended up at Flagler Beach on the warmest day of the week! We took our shoes off and walked down the sandy steps to the shell filled beach. The water was cold, but the waves washing over the shoreline is one of my favorite sites to see regardless. After a little moseying on the beach, we walked back up the stairs and found a restaurant that had a rooftop deck overlooking the ocean. We sat and ate dinner, listened to a live band, and drank a Corona outside on a roof in November for one of our last days of the trip.
Our last full day was spent at the house, eating Thanksgiving leftovers, and talking by the pool. It's not always the easiest thing to live far away from family. Even though I wish I had the opportunity to see my dad more often, I love the time that we do get to spend together! His moving to and exploring new places has given me the opportunity to see and visit new places, too!
