Fun in the Sun [with the girls]

A few weeks ago, I found out that Mike was going to be spending Memorial Day weekend at a friend's bachelor party in Okoboji. I then found out that I didn't have to work Memorial Day, so I would have a four day weekend. And living in St. Cloud, I need something to do in order to entertain myself for four days. So naturally, I called my friend Rachael who lives about 4 hours away (the poor girl has made the drive to see me more than once in the past 6  months, but she's just that wonderful). I asked if she had any plans for the weekend and wanted to hang out. Lucky for me, she didn't have plans! I thought maybe we could meet for a weekend of shopping and relaxing in Iowa, but Rachael had more exciting ideas... she wanted to go somewhere warm. After a lot of shopping around, we booked flights to Florida! Rachael's aunt graciously gave us some discount vouchers for flights, so we were able to save some money. And we stayed with my college friend Katlyn and her fiance Jason, so we did it on the cheap. We flew into Tampa on a Friday, spent Saturday in Siesta Key, and finished the weekend with Sunday and Monday in Fort Myers. It was a sunny, fabulous weekend with the girls. And none of us even got a sunburn!

Here are some photos from the weekend, compliments of Rachael. 

[now keep in mind, at 5 months pregnant I did feel a little like a beached whale, 

so cut me a little slack.]

The beach is in sight!

The boardwalk that took us to the beach

A cool tree that we saw on our walk to the beach.

Rachael and I [and the wee one] hanging out at the beach

Our gracious hosts for the weekend, Jason and Katlyn.

[aren't these lovebirds adorable? they're getting married in october!]

Palm trees. They just make me happy.

And the sand. It's white, soft, and doesn't get hot in the sun.

After a break from the beach to meet Mike's aunt and cousin for lunch then a cool shower and a nap inside, we headed back to the beach for a picnic at sunset. 

The blue thing is a cabana we used for some shade during the hottest hours of the day.

A sunset over the beach. You just can't beat it!

Soaking up a little more sun before it set.

Such a beautiful sunset over the gulf!

When the tide went down and more sand was exposed, we saw lots of these little burrow lines. They are snails in brand new shells. 

And a starfish we saw once the tide went down.

A view of the pool where we spent Saturday. Glorious!

We had an amazing weekend of relaxation. The sand and sun were much needed after a long Minnesota winter. Thanks to Rachael for being spontaneous and going on this adventure with me. And thanks to Katlyn and Jason for so graciously hosting us for the weekend. 

Feeling blessed to have such wonderful friends!