Congaree National Park

On our way home from Florida, we decided to break up the drive with a stop in South Carolina to visit Congaree National Park. 

Touring through the swamplands of the South may not be at the top of everyone's must see list, but we loved seeing the bald cypress and swamp tupelos. And bonus points that we spotted an 8 foot alligator and some wild boar while hiking through the park. 

Gators in Gainesville

Back from Gainesville Florida with a trip to visit my little sister. This was the most impromptu and spontaneous road trip and I love that I had the option to do this.

While I was in grad school, I missed out on so many special family moments...birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. But something that I really hate having missed was moving my little sister into college. I remember giving this girl baths and reading her stories, and it hurt my heart that I couldn't be there to see her get started off in college. Since I have quite a bit more free time these days, I made it a point to head down for a visit. On a whim, Tom and I packed up the car, grabbed the pup, and made the 10+ hour drive down to Florida all in one day. 

Manatee Kayaking in Crystal River Florida

Hello from Florida! 

We are here on a quick impromptu Southern Road Trip to visit my little sister. Today, we had the most memorable and amazing experience with kayaking in Crystal River Florida along the Three Sisters Spring. 

 I don't even remember how I stumbled upon this hidden gem of Crystal River, but it 100% deserves it's namesake. Since it's only about an hour away from my sister in Gainesville, I knew that we had to go. We loaded up the car right around 6AM this morning and headed towards Crystal River so that we could get on the water right at sunrise. We did a kayaking tour and it worked out that the other kayakers in the group cancelled, so we had a guide all to ourselves. We ended up being the first ones on the water today, which gave us a chance to kayak alongside manatees and alligators, as well as seeing so many species of turtles and birds.