Florida: Days One and Two

We are having a wonderful time with my sister's family here in Florida. We made it yesterday after taking a wrong turn at Albequerque (as Bugs Bunny might say) and wandering in the desert for forty years (we made an unplanned detour through Fort Benning).

When we got here we went to the park to stretch our legs and had our first gator sighting of the trip. We stayed up too late last night, opened presents together and had fun laughing and visiting and laughing together. Monkey's pooting putty has been one of the favorite gifts for everyone to play with. ;) I will have to show my fun gifts with you soon. 

Today we have been having a great time and eating lots of delicious food. I got to hang out with my sister and niece at the mall. I don't frequent the mall. Maybe because I have little boys. It was fun though. There are lots of cool stores here that I hadn't heard of before (Charming Charlie) and lots that I have heard of but which we don't have near us (Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn).

 We enjoyed lunch together: a smoked salmon crepe  with arugula, capers, and a delicious buttery, lemony garlicky sauce and gelato for dessert. Nom nom nom.

This afternoon we enjoyed and exciting game of air hockey and a walk in the perfect weather complete with trumpeting cranes and other exotic bird sightings.

 For dinner we had Indian take out. My favorites were the palak paneer and tandoori chicken and I always love naan. I have also decided that mango lassi is a drink from heaven. I think I need to see if I can find a recipe for it.

My sister and I were talking and we decided that we qualify as foodies. Growing up, our dad went on a lot of business trips. Our favorite thing to hear about when he got home was what he ate on his travels. He was always an adventurous eater too. I think it shaped us and our feelings about and love for food. :)

This evening we drove by a local light show that a family puts on here in town. The little boys loved it. I was blown away by the amount of power cords visible on the side of the house (but not in this picture).

We topped off the evening by watching "School of Rock". What's not to love about Jack Black?

We are having lots of fun and have plans for even more adventures tomorrow. We are sending 2011 out in style. Do you have special New Year's Eve plans?