The Sunshine State: Part IV

The third day of our mini-vacation in the land of oranges,

I woke up around 8am and went for another run.  I love the way the area was set up.  Sure, we were staying in a little development, which would’ve been perfect for running, but there were also sidewalks along the main highway, which I loved! 

698 calories, 177 max hr, 1 hr. 34 min.

There were plenty of hills, orange trees, and new places to see while I got my cardio on.  You Floridians sure are lucky ducks

Next, I showered, ate breakfast, and got ready to take the hour & a half car ride to Madeira Beach/Indian Shores, where my Godparents were staying in a condo for a few of the winter months.  Remember last year when I stayed with them for a few weeks?

It was awesome to see them both…not to mention, we got to spend the day on the beach with them!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  Not too hot, not too cold.  And the sand and water were unbelievable.  You know that hard, gritty sand that almost hurts to walk on? Or even the beaches with tons of pebbles and shells that cut into your toes when you take a step?  You didn’t have to worry about that here!  It was fine and soft to the touch.  The water was pretty clear, too!

After sunbathing for quite awhile, I got a little restless and decided that a walk would be best for my tightened up leg muscles.  It was pleasantly breezy and I couldn’t even feel my skin burning from the sun…but it was.

The pier was just under a mile away, so it wasn’t too far, but it was just what I needed to stretch my legs while enjoying the view.  On my way back, I collected a few seashells down by the shoreline.

Eventually, I returned to my towel for some more tanning…I even had SPF 30 on, but the backs of my legs and my chest turned a nice shade of lobster red by the time we headed home. 

I was hungry, so I broke into my packed lunch around 12:30PM. 

Grainy bread with spinach, turkey, athenos hummus, and some garden salsa with a side of green beans (unpictured, was an orange and some sourdough pretzels later as a snack)

Braxton decided that he wanted to scare me share with me this HUGE mussel that he found on the beach.  Isn’t it disgusting unique?

We stayed on the beach until about 5PM and then went back to the condo grounds to cool off in the pool before our drive back to Orlando.  We also got a few good shots of the family.  It was the first time most of us had been in the Gulf of Mexico!  We stopped at Sonny’s BBQ Pit on the way home for dinner take-out. 

While the rest of the family ordered the pulled pork sandwiches, they kindly allowed me to make a nice big salad from their all-you-can-eat salad bar!  Spinach, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, strawberries, cottage cheese, chickpeas, beets, cucumbers, mushrooms, carrots, imitation crab, and quinoa cranberry salad! Deeelishhh <3

I’ve got more pictures of the family from the beach, but you’ll have to wait until I get them uploaded!  No harm in adding a little bit of Florida flair to the everyday posts once I get caught up, right?

XO.

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