This year we went to St Augustine on vacation. It's one of the best family vacations we've had! It was nice that the boys were a little older, we got to leave the baby equipment and tents behind and just have fun!
St Augustine is such a beautiful city. Being that we went late May, the mornings were sometimes too cool for the beach or pool, so we usually did something fun but not water related during the morning and then went to the beach and pool after naps. We rented a 2 bedroom. 2 bath condo right on the beach. The kids did great sleeping in the same room! I think it had to do with how worn out they were by the end of the day :)
The kids were so good on the ride down, Logan especially. He's such a big boy now...it both elates me and breaks my heart at the same time. Once we got checked in, we headed to the beach and then the pool. Once we got our sunshine in, we went to a little pizza place and to the grocery store. Being that it was a holiday weekend, the restaurants and grocery store were packed, but we made it out alive.
On Sunday, we decided to stay at the pool and beach, thinking that everywhere else would be insanely crowded Memorial Day weekend. We cooked a shrimp boil at the condo that evening and walked on the beach after dark. That became one of our favorite times. Walking on the beach with glow sticks. It's amazing what fun a $1 pack of glow sticks will provide!
On Monday, it was a little chilly so we decided to go exploring a little. We ate lunch at a place called Mango Mangos. It was caribbean and soo, soooo good. We went into the Historic District and found a huge playground. By now it was blazing, so we grabbed an ice cream and walked around town a little bit.
(Early morning stroll on the beach before Graham woke up)
Tuesday, we visited Fort Matanzas. They have a boat that takes you across to the fort. The kids were excited about the boat ride, I was excited it was free. ha. The fort was neat, but didn't hold their attention too long. There was also a nature trail which was neat. We saw lots of ancient oak trees and a weird armoured spider, something I've never seen before. That evening we spent time on the beach and, of course, at the pool. It was hard to drag those boys away from the pool.
Wednesday, we went to the Jacksonville Zoo. Because we are members of the Chatt Zoo, we got in at a hugely discounted rate. We LOVED it!! We've never seen a zoo quite like this. I guess the closest thing to it was the Minnesota Zoo, but it's been about 4 years since I've been there so I don't remember a lot about it. The boys got to feed a giraffe, we got to hear lions roar (by the way, they are really, really loud!), and we saw tigers up close and personal. The tigers were probably the best part. They had a huge enclosure, but this time they happened to be just inside the doors, behind the glass, to their viewing area. The big boys went in first and then Graham went bolting in and ran across the room. As soon as that tiger saw Graham, it was game on. He tracked him like nothing I've ever seen before. He perked up and looked for him until we left. When Graham came close enough to the glass, the tiger showed it's teeth to him. It was the neatest thing to watch and I was very thankful that glass was there. We saved the best part for last and took the boys to the splash park they have at the zoo. It was so hot and was much needed. They played a little and were dry by the time we got back to the car to head home. We ate at Harry's and the boys were so good. We sat on the patio and there was live music. Nate especially enjoyed it and danced in his seat, which really made the musician smile. The city at night is beautiful!
Thursday and Friday were spent at the pool and beach. One of those days we ate at a place called The Conch House. It was at a marina and they had little tiki huts over the water to eat at. They had live alligators, which the kids loved. It was just a really neat atmosphere and good place for the kids to be entertained!
During nap time on Thursday, I went to Mission Nombre de Dios. It was the most surreal place. I could just feel how sacred the area was. This place marks the place of the first parish mass in the new world. On this land was the Shrine of Lady Le Leche - Our Lady of Milk and Happy Delivery. They had a small chapel for her that was first build in 1600's and then reconstructed after storms in 1915. Remembering back to this chapel still gives me chills. Walking into this place and it was overwhelming. It was very prayerful and quiet. It was noted inside that people from all over still visit this chapel to pray to Lady Le Leche. They mail thousands of letters there as well. I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of the inside, it just felt wrong. But the inside had a few prayer benches and a statue of Lady Le Leche. There were prayer candles EVERYWHERE. They all had prayers written on them. Some were "we've been trying for 10 years, please bless us with a child". One said "please help my baby form hands and feet, as there are none now". There were so many people wishing, praying for a child or a healthy child. For guidance on when to stop and seek other alternatives. Some were asking why. "Why have we had so many losses?" Some were full of thanks for healthy children. I left that chapel crying like a baby. I was probably ugly crying. It was definitely eye opening how fortunate I am to have 3 happy, healthy, typical boys. I felt very at peace leaving there. It was such a surreal, sacred place. If you are a mom, Catholic or not, I highly encourage you to visit this chapel if you're ever in St Augustine. It was definitely a spiritual experience.
