Ft Myers Vacation: Miscellaneous PIctures

i have a bunch of leftover, random pictures from our 2 weeks in FL. thought i would just throw them all together in this post. its WAY easier than going back & creating more posts.

and here we go..........

Ft Myers Vacation: Beach Pictures

we were able to get some great pictures on the beach one night. it was hilarious because we did so many different things to try to get Jack & Jovie to look at the camera. it was pretty ridiculous. but i'm thankful for the pictures we got! i may even use one for our christmas card this year!

our pics from the beach:

me and my sweet MIL. love this woman.

me, Cris & Jenna. so thankful for such sweet sisters.

love my love.

Mamie & Deda with the kiddos

how cute are they?!

nekkid babies. we had to wash all that sand off!

riding back to the condo with the windows down, sporting our beach hair!

such a fun night! so thankful for the beach, family & great pictures!

Ft Myers Vacation: Orzo & Wild Rice Recipe

we did a lot of eating out at some really yummy places while we were in FL. but we also did a lot of cooking in the condo. we ate some delicious food & had fun cooking together. one night, Jenna and I were in charge of cooking. we grilled pork loin & veggies. we also had bread & we tried a new recipe.

Jenna & I both LOVE J. Alexander's restaurant. its probably our favorite. the Orzo & Wild Rice side dish is just out of this world. we're addicted & unashamed. ha! we decided to try & find the recipe online & create the best version of it that we could. i must say, we got it dead on. it was as good as the one in the restaurant. easily. everyone loved it. and i will definitely be making it again. very soon!

we doubled this recipe b/c we thought it wouldn't make enough. well, we ended up with TONS of leftovers! so, it may not need to be doubled at all!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 3 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons craisins
• 2 tablespoons corn kernels, drained
• 3 tablespoons diced yellow bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 
  
• 
  
• Directions:

• 
  

  1. Bring the wild rice and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender but not mushy, 20 to 45 minutes depending on the variety of wild rice. Drain off any excess liquid, fluff the rice with a fork, and cook uncovered 5 minutes more. Once finished, spread into a shallow dish, and refrigerate until cold.
  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo pasta, and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minute. Drain, rinse with cold water, and chill.
  3. Place the chilled rice and orzo into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the red onion, currants, corn, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Season with 2 tablespoons basil, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil. Slowly whisk in the canola and olive oils until emulsified. Stir the dressing into the pasta, and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

this recipe says that it serves 4. but it easily serves 6. at least.

isn't it beautiful?! almost too pretty to eat. almost.

try it. love it. and thank me for sharing. ha! just kidding. maybe.

Ft Myers Vacation: Random Pics

the rest of the trip i wasn't as diligent about taking pictures every single day. i took them when i could & when i remembered but i spent a lot time just relaxing & having fun with our family.

on day 7, we relaxed at the condo. went to eat lunch at a place called Buffalo Chips (so yummy) and went back to the condo to wait for Tripp, Cris, Nelson, Drew & Jenna. that night we went to eat at Big Al's & then we all went to bed early.

the next day, Jimmie & Frances flew in from Memphis., they got there around lunch time. we went to eat seafood that night at Swan Lake Grille. Jack & Jovie were SO happy to have Mamie & Granddad here.

one morning we decided to go to the Hyatt hotel. its about 1 minute from our condo. we are able to go there & swim anytime because they have a partnership with our condos. Ben's family kept telling us how beautiful & up-scale this hotel is & how we should go check it out. we decided to load up our kids & head over to spend the morning swimming in all of their pools.

we could NOT believe our eyes when we got over there. it was unbelievable. so beautiful. like a caribbean paradise. they had a few slides through waterfalls & even a kiddie slide for the little ones. Jack absolutely loved that part! Cris & Tripp spent their anniversary night there & so we got to go up & see their room too. it was amazing with just incredible views. it was such a fun morning & so nice to be able to relax & do something different with our kids. we loved it.

a few pictures from various days of our vacay:

eating lunch at Buffalo Chips.

me & sweet Jovie Claire.

Jack LOVED playing in the fountain in front of the condo

Jack spent our time in FL sleeping on an inflatable toddler mattress. he did great! he liked to lay Woody down in the bed with him when he took his naps & loved to make sure that Woody was covered up & snuggled. so sweet.

the Hyatt hotel. so Floridian and beautiful.

the view from the balcony of Cris & Tripp's room. GORGEOUS.

the wading pool. so neat & full of kids. Jack & Jovie loved it. you can barely see the 2 slides on the left & right. we only tried the toddler slide. so much fun for Jack.

this waterfall was freezing cold. but so pretty.

have i mentioned how beautiful this place was, also, very crowded!

Jovie had just woken up from her nap & i was taking advantage of her snuggles!

Ft Myers Vacation: Beach Day

Day 6 we spent time at the beach. and then we ate dinner at a small seafood place in Ft Myers followed by dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. mmmmm.

to get to the beach from our condo, we take a shuttle to the dock. then we get on a large pontoon boat, with other guests from our condo & take a fun 15 minute boat ride across the bay & to the beach. we love it. Jack really loved the boat ride & Jovie loved pointing out to the bay & saying "water, water, water!" they both had a great time, we probably could have just ridden the boat back & forth all day & they would have loved it.

once we got to the beach, Jack walked right out to the water & began playing. Jovie was a little more hesitant. she wanted me to hold her most of the time b/c she was a little unsure. she loved being able to splash but she did not love when the tide would come in & splash her. it was hilarious. they both had a great time playing with their beach toys, picking up shells & chasing each other up & down the beach. Jovie got a little fussy the longer we stayed. and the storm clouds began to roll in & brought the rain. we ended up leaving the beach after about 90 minutes. but it was the perfect amount of time for the kids to play. we headed back, scrubbed them down in the shower, fed them lunch & put them down for naps.

for dinner we ate at a small hole in the wall place called The Clam Bake. it was pretty good if you like fried seafood (which Ben LOVES). after dinner we decided we needed some dessert. we remembered that there is a Cheesecake Factory about 20 minutes down the road & we decided to make the drive. totally worth it. we got 3, yes 3, different cheesecakes & we all split it. Jack's very favorite was the Godiva Chocolate cheesecake. and it is divine. the kids absolutely loved getting to eat that much dessert!

Jack & Jovie had so much today & we loved getting to watch them have a good time.

Jovie was a little nervous at first about the boat ride. she wanted me to hold her, not dada. ha!

Jack loved being able to sit in the back of the boat & watch the water spray

Jovie warmed up to the boat ride & even had fun

SO excited!

testing out the water

Jack was sticking his hands as far down into the sand as he could

happy beach baby. at least for now. ha!

playing in the waves

he would make this face every time there was a big wave that crashed on his feet

sweet hugs

poor Jack hated his hat

all the waves would knock her back. she did not love that. but it was pretty funny!

and she's had enough of the water. bless her heart!

me and Jovie at Cheesecake Factory. yes, i'm aware of the poor lighting & poor quality of this picture. but, its the best i could do!

my white chocolate blueberry cheesecake. so yumm.

sweet Jovie & her sweet dada

love him. and he loves the chocolate cheesecake. can you tell?!

a boat ride, the beach, some waves, a nap, and some cheesecake make for a pretty sweet day.