Florida 24 :: Day 3

It was a humid Florida day filled with green and threats of rain -- which never happened. I have a huge post-kayaking smile on my face thanks to seeing a manatee (orange blob in the water). I love those giant creatures so much, even if they do freak me out a bit when they swim under my kayak. We also saw an alligator, which I'm not as big as a fan of, and an eagle, which was stunning. That afternoon, Brian and I went to DeRoma's and picked up goods for a dinner at home, then we hit the hot tub, which felt amazing. 

Florida 24 :: Days 1 & 2

We just got back from a quick few days in Florida. It was such a lovely time. Flew out of O'Hare, which is a bit of a hassle, but better than a layover there. And honestly, it's only 1 hour further than Milwaukee's airport, so not a big deal. Had a fun dinner at the golf club that night. I was a little off my game on the photo taking this trip, so no photos from the first day. My parents had driven to Miami and back that day, and we were pretty tired from our journey, so had our late dinner then called it a night. The next day was hot! Brian and I rode bikes to the farmer's market, then took a walk around the neighborhood. Later that afternoon we went swimming and played pickleball, which is so much fun. That evening, we meet up with their friends Harry & Laura (who we've seen for years in Florida, but also in Italy & the UK) at a little French restaurant called Chez Boet. Everything looked really good, but I scored with my traditional meal of mussels and frites. Such a fun night.

Moments 01 24 :: Week 04

First book of the year finished. I'm not usually drawn to short stories, but enjoyed this book.

Sleepy dog. 

Another sleepy dog. She loves her bed. It's in a little nook under our fireplace. 

Looking cute. Not much happened this week, so only pictures of the dogs. 

Our gym officially opened. And we got to celebrate our friends birthday. 

Moments 01 24 :: Week 03

I got up to go to the bathroom, and this guy took my spot. Who does he think he is?

So much snow. And so, so cold! Seriously, I wasn't able to walk Van for 3 or 4 days it was so bad. At least the sun was shining.

These two have the right idea. 

The gym opens soon, and we were able to give it a test run on Tuesday. I'm so excited. 

We all decided the back wall needed some color, so the next day here were were. Talk about getting stuff done. It now has 3 coats, is dry and looks ncredible. Next up is the logo is getting painted on it (but a professional - not us).

This guy again! But check out in winter gear. It's actually Gretel's jacket, but he did get some new boots. Can't say Van is a fan, but it does protect his little tootsies. We did get outside a few days, but it was never above 15 degrees. Brrrrrr. A rought couple of weeks here in the Midwest. 

Moments 01 24 :: Week 02

Had to take our guy back to school on Sunday. I never love the good-byes. We had such a fun holiday season together. The worst part is, since he's been back, there have been two snow days, and one teacher who has been sick the whole time, so hardly any class. I'm sure he's happy to get back in the groove though. 

Before we left, we had to get some dinner though. Horrible photos. Delicious sushi. 

The Wisconsin Humane Society had their Poorly Drawn Pet Portraits fundraiser. I try to do this every year. I just think it's so much fun. Here's Van. It makes me smile so much. 

And Gretel. I always love what we are going to see. It may not look like her, but this picture is pretty fantastic. 

Finally snow. It's been a weird week, with snow days and things shutting down. Guess it's par for the time of year. 

Mr. Van Duke celebrated his 3rd birthday. This guy makes us all so happy.

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After a fun holiday season filled with family time, this was the week everyone left. Hudson went back to St. Louis on Monday. No photo of him though. He came back from his fun NYC NYE adventures with COVID so had been holed up in his room. It was a quick hug and he was on his way. Brian also left on Monday for Las Vegas! He was supposed to come home tonight, but the flight was cancelled, so he'll be back tomorrow. Hopefully.

Moments 01 24 :: Week 01

To kick off the New Year, Cole, Brian and I met some friends to do the Polar Bear Plunge.

Hudson was in NYC, so it was the three of us. Our friend Aaron and friends spend the day before building a bonfire, and even erected this structure, which you run through on your way to the water. (They take it all down later.)

 

Cole and Brian have both done it before, but it was my first Midwestern Polar Bear Plunge. Quite the turnout.

I did it! Even submerged my head and got my hair wet. From what I hear, I picked a good year for my inaugural plunge. It was in the 30s outside, and the water was 41 degrees with no ice. I'll take it.

I rarely take decent photos while working out. Finally one isn't terrible. 

The other big event of the week, is this guy got his first tattoo. 

We've been talking about getting a family tattoo for awhile. He's been waiting patiently since turning 18, and finally the time came.

We went to a place near Oak Park that our friends have all gone to. Cole and I also got arrows, which is something most of the friend group has done in the past few months. I think 10 out of the 16 of us have them now. We each designed our own. So fun.

In case you were wondering, Hudson did not get any tattoos. He may never, which I completely understand. No tattoos is super cool too.