The Day On The Boat

My mom's friend, Doug, volunteered to take us out on his boat for the day for some snorkeling over a mini reef and swimming at a local hangout sandbar. We packed fixings for sandwiches, this yummy black bean salad with corn, red pepper, avocado and lime-cilantro vinaigrette, and double chocolate brownies and spent the whole day out on the water. We had a blast!

Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Snorkeling was so much fun. I wish I had a underwater camera cover so I could show you the awesome coral and fish we saw. There were so many pretty colorful fish, we even saw a puffer fish! The water was about 10 feet deep where we snorkeled so it was shallow enough to swim down and get a closer look.

The sandbar was a great spot to park for a relaxing lunch and then floating around chatting. Ariana was a little fish and loved snorkeling. There were so many people out on the water having a great time that day, it was so wonderful.

And now we all want a boat!

Melting Pot Double Date

When James and Jen were here visiting we planned a double date to The Melting Pot. I love melting pot and celebrated my birthday there a few years back. They had never been before so we were excited to share the joy of fondue. 

We had such a great time really bonding and chatting and sharing food and life stories. We went all out and got the cheese, meat and chocolate fondue courses. Our favorites were the lobster and the cheesecake you dip in chocolate. Delish!!

Double dates are such fun. Especially with such a fun restaurant like The Melting Pot. We finished off the evening with Smores Martini's and then enjoyed sitting out on my Mom's screen porch talking.

Beaching It

The beach is always a favorite with everyone. Rich's brother James and his wife Jen flew down from Ohio for a few days to visit with us here in Florida. We hadn't seen them in the past 2 years. They have three boys but they left the kids home with grandma and snuck down for a few days of vacation with us. We all had such a nice time.

We took James and Jen down to Fort Lauderdale Beach for some sun and sand. We packed a yummy picnic lunch to eat on the beach. We enjoyed the day and finally had to pack up and head home with a thunder storm started rolling it and threatened our afternoon.

Ariana, as always, loved the beach and waves and playing in the surf.

 Jen and Ariana

 James, my sister Sarah and Ariana in the shallow crystal clear water. 

 Jen soaking up some sunshine!

 James and Jen enjoying their getaway.

 My mom relaxing in the shade.

 My handsome husband.

 Ariana on a mission.

Even though we ended up leaving early, it was a fun day.