Florida – Crawford Family Sabbatical

February 9, 2014

All Hulked-Up at Universal Studios – by Kane

We arrived in Orlando a few weeks after Christmas. We were camping at Fort Wilderness (which is on Disney property). The campground was in the woods and was really nice. We arrived in the afternoon and biked to the swimming pool. Later at 6:30 we went to a free campfire, and the movie Wild.

The next day we went to Universal Orlando Resort. We got a deal on a three day pass. It was rainy outside so there was barly any people around. When we arrived my sister wanted me to do a one-fish two-fish ride, and I got all cold and soaked. After that my dad and I went to do a crazy roller coaster called the Hulk. It starts you off slow then shoots you off at 50 mph. Its almost all corkscrews and loops. Then we went to the “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”. We had lunch which I had fish with fries and frozen butter beer which is a harry potter drink and tastes like a sprite and vanilla cream soda, frozen. Then my Dad and I did the Dragon Challenge roller coaster. It hangs down, and has 8 loops. I also did it with my mom. The next ride we did was one of my dads favorites. It was part simulater part roller coaster and it was really cool, and is a broomstick riding adventure called “Forbidden Journey”. Next we went to the Jarassic park section and rode a small roller coaster which was a long wait because when we just got strapped in it broke down. Next we went to the super hero section and did the Spider Man ride, then the Dr. doom ride. It was dark outside by then. The ride took us up about 200 feet then dropped us. My mom did the Hulk one more time with me. After that we were all exausted so we left and had Chick-fil-a for dinner. Then drove back to our camp ground.

The next morning it was sunny. My sister got in trouble so she didn’t get to go. It was just my dad and I. When we arrived my dad and I did the rip ride rockit roller coaster. On the seats there are panels where you could choose a song and it would play loud while you were on the coaster. We loved it. Next we went to their model San Fransisco, and saw a street performer show. Then we went on the MIB alien attack ride. After that we went to the little kid section and did the E. T. ride. We had a long wait for the Simson’s simulator but it was pretty cool. After the ride we got a donut for a snack. Then we did the Twister ride. It was like you were in a tornado. I liked the ride. Later we did a scary ride called the Revenge of the Mummy. It was an under ground roller coaster. I liked it. We did the rip ride rocket a few more times, then we left the park for the day.

The next day we were leaving for Alabama but our RV was getting an oil change so we went back to universal. My dad and I did the hulk 4 times and a horrible cat in the hat ride once because all the waits for the other rides were too long. At 4:00 we had to leave. Even though there were no mountains or canyons. I had a great time in Orlando.

Kat and I at the entrance

Harry potter castle

other entrance

rip ride rockit

Dragon challenge

rip ride rockit

rip ride rockit seats

Universal theme park

Hulk coaster

Revenge of the Mummy Ride

January 18, 2014

Florida Fun in Fort Pierce, Florida 1-12-14

We spent last weekend in Fort Pierce, Florida. We camped at a county park called Savanna Recreation Area. Awesome county park that had full hookups, laundry and wifi. Kane was ecstatic that the lake/swamp was almost at our RV due to the flooding from the rain storm the days before. He couldn’t wait to break out the fishing gear!

Our neighbors gave Kane some worms to use. He was so excited to fish as soon as we set up.

Look who else wanted to fish... — Look who else wanted to fish…

We went Archies for burgers at a cool little "biker bar." — We went Archies for burgers at a cool little “biker bar.”

Saturday, the boys rented a canoe and canoed through the swamp and tried to catch some fish. Great time, but no fish caught, but they spotted an alligator! The girls headed to the Fort Pierce Farmer’s Market and Library.

The produce looked so good! We bought strawberries, peppers, and a mango.

While Kat and I were out, we picked up a boogie board to take to the beach. While we were doing this, Kane was fishing by the RV and caught about 5 bluegill which Scott cooked up for dinner. Later in the afternoon, I took our kids to Pepper Beach Park. The waves looked huge! This was the first time for our kids to be in the Atlantic! Much bigger waves than the gulf. Kat stayed close to shore and rode the waves by laying down on board. It was so funny! I loved watching her hop through the waves! Kane was determined to catch a good wave to ride the board to land. It was so fun seeing his excitement when he caught the right wave and made it to the beach on the boogie board. I can already picture him on a surfboard. He was not scared when waves crashed over his head. I was! I stood in water for the first 30 minutes to make sure I didn’t lose a kid. 🙂 I love seeing their joy playing in the ocean! I feel so blessed to have these moments with them.

Sunday, we caught church in the morning, then the kids and I headed back to Pepper Beach Park for some more boogie boarding. I whipped up my second cherry pie of our trip and my life that night. The boys were very happy about this(Kat does not like fruit pies, but loves the vanilla ice cream that comes with it).

January 17, 2014

Biscayne National Park and The Florida Keys 1-9-14

We stopped by Biscayne National Park on the way to the Florida Keys after leaving the Everglades. We saw just a teeny tiny piece of it since 95% of the park is underwater. We visited the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. We visited the museum, watched the movie and our kids completed the Jr. Ranger Program to earn their last National Park badge on this trip.

Ranger telling us about the different skulls of animals that live at Biscayne. That's a pelican! — Ranger telling us about the different skulls of animals that live at Biscayne. That’s a pelican!

Lionfish(not native) are a huge problem! They are destroying the reefs and eat anything in sight.

Kat wanted me to take her picture by this sign.

We spent 3 full days in Marathon, Florida. Our first night, we had dinner at Keys Fishery on the water. We had no idea it was going to be so chilly, but the delicious fish made up for it. Kat had fish bites, Kane had grouper sandwich, Scott snapper sandwich and I had hogfish sandwich.

It rained on and off the first day, so we hung out at the RV. During one of the breaks, Kane helped Kat rollerblade. It was so sweet watching them together!

Our second day, we headed to the Sea Turtle Hospital. This was the first sea turtle hospital in the world. It was started in 1986. It was so informative! Most of the sea turtles injuries are caused by marine debris(ex:strings from balloons, nylon ropes, fishing line), water pollution, boat strikes. They had 36 patients when we were there(13 permanent(can’t be released into wild) and 23 other patients). They have 30 Green, 4 Loggerhead, 1 Kemps Ridley and 1 Hawksbill turtles.

Marine Biologist telling us about each turtle.

Scott took our kids fishing off the bridge in Marathon on our last day there. They were so excited! Unfortunately, it was a day for fishing, not catching.

Kane cooked dinner with Scott’s help after they got home. He made spicy honey chicken, mushroom & barley soup, potatoes and fruit salad for dinner. It was delicious! Kat who does not like mushrooms even liked the soup! Way to go, Kane!!

January 13, 2014

Humid with Lots of Mosquitos – The Everglades 1-3-14

Kane and Kat were so excited to get to Everglades to see alligators and crocodiles! We arrived on Friday night and dry camped the first night, since we did not have a reservation till Saturday with electricity. As soon as we got set up, our kids and I hopped on our bikes and headed to the visitor center. We got a beautiful view of Florida Bay on the way there. Unfortunately, the Visitor Center was closed, but a passing ranger told us to head over by the marina and look for the crocodiles there. We could not get there quick enough! Success: Our first crocodile and black turkey vulture spotting!

View of Florida Bay in the Evervglades-Flamingo.

Going for a bike ride to Visitor Center.

First sighting of a black turkey vulture. — Black turkey vulture.

We spotted our first crocodile of our trip by the marina. — It’s a crocodile!

It was a rainy second day. Mid afternoon, the kids and I loaded up our bikes and headed to the Snake Bight Trail to bike the path to the bay. We went about 1/4 mile to the trail. What a surprise-it was overgrown and no way could our hybrid bikes make it down this trail! No problem, I decided, we can head to another trail on the biking list: Bear Lake. We had to drive 2 miles down a very muddy, wet rode. Unloaded the bikes again and realized another trail that could not be biked on with our bikes! Oh well… we sure did try!

We started our day with the Mangrove Wilderness Tour. Before we left the marina, we saw multiple crocodiles and two manatees. The boat took us up the Buttonwood Canal through mangrove forest up to Coot’s Bay then on to Whitewater Bay. On the way back, we saw two bottlenose dolphins. We learned a little about the mangrove forests, air plants, birds and animals that live in the Everglades.

After lunch, we headed to Snake Bight Trail to do the hike on our feet(no bikes this time). We put on our mosquito spray and headed out. Well, I think our mosquito spray attracted the mosquitos, because within 5 minutes down the trail we were covered in mosquitos. And I mean covered! We turned around, I put the mosquito head net quickly on Kat and we booked it back to our Jeep. We gave up on hiking and headed to the Visitor Center to see the exhibits and for our kids to turn in their Junior Ranger books.

Going for a hike on Snake Bight Trail... — Going for a hike on Snake Bight Trail…

Here’s a pic of our campground. Definitely, not as beautiful as many of the other National Parks.

Kane had been wanting to hike the Anhinga Trail since we arrived. Unfortunately, it was about 35 miles from our campground toward the Ernst Coe entrance. In our National Park book, it rated the Anhinga Trail as the best hike in the park. So as we were leaving to head to the Florida Keys, we stopped at the Anhinga Trail. We saw so much wildlife! Great call by Kane!! 🙂

Kane trying to capture a pic of this little alligator.

January 10, 2014

Bringing in the New Year… Naples

We arrived in Naples on December 30th in time to bring in the New Year! Scott brought up the idea of trying to go to Thailand and Laos for the month of February then we would go on to South America. Boy, were we excited thinking about how we can make this happen.

New Year’s Eve day, I ran around to get groceries and get ingredients for Scott to make a Thai dinner. Have you ever asked for galangal at a regular grocery? Well, at the one I was at, they looked at me blankly and had no idea where I could find it, as well as Thai Basil Leaves and Thai Chiles. Thank goodness for the internet! I found a small little Asian store about 25 minutes from where we were staying. When I found all my ingredients at the Asian store, I was so happy! The little things excite me these days… 🙂

Scott made Tom Yum Soup and Drunken Noodles with chicken for dinner for the first time. It was fantastic! I was dreaming of all the yummy Thai food we would be eating in Thailand. After dinner, we watched Free Willy for the first time. We felt so blessed in 2013 and are so excited about our adventures in 2014. God has been so good to us!

Galangal-it is in the ginger family, but has a stronger taste.

New Year's Eve Dinner 2013 — New Year’s Eve Dinner 2013

We kicked the New Year off with canoeing at Collier Seminole State Park which is south of Naples near the Everglades. We signed up for a guided nature float down the Blackwater River. This was the first time that we had each took a kid alone in a canoe. Kane went with me and Kat with Scott. I was a little nervous with the prospect of alligators in the river, but the guides did not seem worried at all. About 10 minutes into our trip, we spotted our first alligator and only alligator of our trip. It was a little freaky paddling by it!

Our first alligator spotting of our trip and on this canoe trip!

We saw one alligator, lots of Great Blue Herons, snow egrets, ibis, turkey vultures, mangrove crabs, gar and we learned about the red, white and black mangrove trees. Kane and Kat did great in the front of the canoes! It’s hard to believe they are big enough to be in the front, not in the middle between us.

Driving home from our canoe trip, Kane spotted an alligator on the side of the road by a ditch filled with water. We turned around and pulled off the road and went to take a look. I LOVE our kids excitement over spotting wildlife! We took a couple pictures, but when the alligator slipped into the water, we decided on heading out in case, he was coming toward us for lunch.

Kane spotted this alligator from the car. Here's a closeup. — Kane spotted this alligator from the car. Here’s a closeup.

We headed to Naples Beach in the afternoon for a hour. It was a very busy place! It was such a beautiful afternoon in the 70s. The last time, we took Kat to a beach in Florida, she would not get in the ocean. I can remember her saying, “Momma, I don’t like the waves!” Well, things have changed. She loved the water! You could just see the spring in her step. Kane looked like he was looking for fish as he walked out. When a flock of birds flew over, he was enthralled. Kids made sandcastles and I buried Kat in the sand, as Scott read 12 Years a Slave(he couldn’t put the book down). As the sun was starting to go down, it was the perfect picture! So Thankful for this time with my family!!

Can't put the book down! — Can’t put the book down!

Team effort building a sand castle then they each ended up making their own.

Thank you God for these two precious kids!

We are starting the New Year with each kids picking one night a week to cook. Kat had pizza night tonight! She made pizza(which she had to roll out), green beans and fruit salad. It was yummy!! Way to go Kat, Kat!

On Thursday, January 2nd, I needed to run some errands(post office, bank, Target) and Kat needed more clips for her Rainbow Loom bracelets, so we headed out to Naples.

Kat's first visit to Michaels! — Kat’s first visit to Michaels!

You may not know this, but I do not like shopping. Well, I could tell I have deprived my daughter, because when we got to Michaels, I realized that she had never been there before. A girl who loves arts and crafts had never been to Michaels! Well, I am sure that will change in the future. 🙂

That night I met Diane Hobbs, the mom of one of my best friends growing up, near Fort Meyers. She has a home on Sanibel Island now. Diane and Kenny were always so good to me! I have the best memories hanging out at their home. I also went to the Florida Keys twice with them. Such great memories! I just adore this lady!!

Here’s a pic of our campsite. I think this was our most expensive campsite of the trip. RV park was beautiful and clean. Kids enjoyed the pool our first afternoon there. I don’t think it was worth the cost, but we had a great time there.

Here’s a couple pics during school time on January 2nd:

Kat practicing her Spanish with Rosetta Stone

December 29, 2013

Unexpected stop to visit friends from home – Tampa, Florida

I was so excited to get an email from my friend, Laura Garret on Christmas telling me that she was in Tampa visiting family. She wanted to know if we could get together. We had planned on heading straight to the Everglades, but were thrilled to change our plans to see them. Laura’s daughter, Macy, is a good friend of Kats at Glenridge Elementary School. Laura and I were Girl Scout Leaders for our girl’s class last year.

Laura surprised us with tickets to go on a cruise to look for dolphins and go shell seeking at an island by the Gulf. Our kids were so excited at the chance to see a dolphin “in the wild.” Kids found some cool shells on the island and were hopeful that we would see a dolphin on the way back. Luck was on our side, we saw multiple bottlenose dolphins! We got a close up view, which thrilled the kids. Such a great idea! Thank you Laura!!

Kat got a Rainbow Loom for Christmas, but had not used it yet. Macy gave Kat a Rainbow Loom bracelet and then showed her how to make her own. So sweet! Now Kat is a Rainbow Loom making machine!! 🙂

Such a blessing to be able to see friends from home!

Kane is pointing to the dolphins. Loved this pic of all of them looking at the dolphins!

December 27, 2013

Christmas in Panama City Beach, Florida

Well, it had not felt like Christmas to us all December. We started the month in Arizona, worked our way through New Mexico(awesome visit to Aunt Joyce), Texas(Big Bend NP fantastic), Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama then Florida. As we pulled into our RV park in Panama City Beach in the dark, I was so happy to see Christmas lights and decorations throughout the park and on the RVs(lots of snowbirds here). You could just feel the Christmas spirit!

December 23rd was a Christmas fest! From finding the last 3ft Christmas tree in town, to decorating the RV, making gingerbread houses, stringing popcorn and cranberries, making sugar cookies, white chocolate covered pretzels, white chocolate cranberry banana bread(Delicious!), pralines(Scott wanted to make these and they were awesome) and Christmas music playing, we got our quick fix of the holiday! We had so much to give thanks for this Christmas!! God has truly blessed us!!!

Kat's popcorn and cranberries. — Kat’s popcorn and cranberries.

Kane's popcorn and cranberries — Kane’s popcorn and cranberries

They were the centerpiece on the front dash.

Sugar cookie time... — Sugar cookie time…

He stirred those things for almost a hour!

We were so happy that my parents decided to meet us for Christmas! It was so fun to have family with us!! Our kids miss their grandparents and so it was a gift to be able to see on set. This will be a Christmas to remember… Here are some things we did: played Farkel, read books, biked(Kane had Papa biking all over the RV Park), basketball(boys played TOM(my dads name) instead of PIG-Kanes idea), air hockey, fooseball, went to the beach on Christmas(that was a first for all of us-can’t find one of those in MO), Scott made a mouth watering Beef Tenderloin and Pork Butt on the Green Egg, shopping with Nana, fishing at the RV lake and ocean with Papa, date night with grandparents(which meant date night for Scott and I(dinner and Hunger Games-so fun! Thanks Mom and Dad!), American Girl Paperdolls with Nana, Apples to Apples, Settlers of Zarahemla for the adults… Such precious times!

Kat and Nana

Love this pic of mom and Kat looking at tree and Kane showing Papa pictures from our journey.

Kat and Nana

Love this pic of mom and Kat looking at tree and Kane showing Papa pictures from our journey.

Kat could not believe Santa knew she wanted a stuffed Owl!

Kane was excited about his iPod Nano Santa brought him.

Kat giving Scott his present she bought with her own money.

Kane loved the Hardy Boy books for Nana and Papa!

Kat and Nana dressing her new Samantha doll from Nana.

Boys playing a little "TOM" — Boys playing a little “TOM”

I can check the box of Christmas at the beach

Nana and Papa(Kim's parents) — Nana and Papa(Kim’s parents)

Nana took us out to lunch and I got a Caramel Latte-my favorite!

Scott's first Pork Butt — Scott’s first Pork Butt

Cooking the fish the boys caught in the ocean from the pier.