“This is like the Discovery Channel… for REAL!”

Our family fun day on the boat was jam-packed with wildlife!

Dolphins!

We all felt like we were part of an episode on the Discovery Channel! It must be dolphin mating season or something because we saw so many and they were all extremely active. Hubba, hubba!

Flipper and friends were jumping out of the water and everything but my camera timing was subpar and I didn’t capture any of the amazing jumps. Ah well!

Next up on the wildlife tour…

HAMMERHEAD!

Ahhh! Shark! We saw a hammerhead shark. Yikes! Luckily it was a little baby shark (smaller than Sadie), but we were still a little freaked (well me, my mom and sister were anyway… Ryan & my dad jumped in to try and snorkle with the man-killer).

Fortunately we all survived the shark encounter and enjoyed our time on Beer Can Island (the island where we anchored the boat and explored).

Me, Ryan and Sadie

The Fam on the Boat!

Me and Mah Boyfriend

When we arrived back we made sandwiches, ate ice cream and even had some fresh doughnuts that I picked up after dropping my car off for an oil change.

Dunkin' Donuts

Weekends at home are the BEST!

French Toast with the Most

Having so many spices and fresh ingredients at my disposal is one of my favorite parts of being at home. After enjoying the freshly baked five grain wheat bread on my roast beef sandwich last night, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my breakfast this morning. That made French toast an obvious choice and after receiving enthusiastic reactions from my family, I knew I had a winner.

Egg Beaters, Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice

After rounding up the ingredients (bread and sugar not pictured), I heated up the griddle and dipped the bread in the egg mix sprinkled with liberal amounts of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. I added a few sprinkles of sugar for added sweetness.

As the toast was cooking I sliced apples and combined fresh blueberries and raspberries in a bowl to top the French toast.

Sliced Gala Apples

Berries Galore

The toast cooked quickly and soon the breakfast was ready!

The Breakfast Spread

Yum Yum

Since I’ve been on quite the pumpkin kick, I thought the addition of pumpkin pie spice might add a little somethin’ special to the French toast. The extra spice really made the cinnamon flavor pop!

Five Grain Cinnamon Spice French Toast

With big full bellies, our family is now ready for a fun day on the boat! Woohoo!

All My Bags Are Packed

“Good Lord, we’re only going home for the weekend,” Ryan said as he looked at my bags. Considering I typically live in my pajamas or bathing suit when I’m at home, I admittedly over packed for our weekend at my parent’s house.

I'm Ready to Go

In my defense, only the bright blue duffel bag is actually my stuff. Sadie’s dog goodies are in the other bag and the black bag on the ground is my computer which I need to keep up da blog. So there!  

A trip to see my family is always full of fun and food, and last night was no different. When we arrived, my mom immediately rattled off a list of everything she bought at the grocery store: deli meat, the fresh bakery bread with the specs of little nuts, six different kinds of ice cream (I’m not lying), Oreos (Ryan’s favorite), berries, pineapple, veggies, pretzels, Kashi cereal… the woman would not stop talking and my mouth would not stop watering.

Dinner was ready within an hour of our arrival.

Steamed Broccoli

Ham Steak

And Again

Fresh Bakery Bread

Sweet Potatoes

I filled by plate with a bit of everything and also made myself a roast beef sandwich because I was dying to use the fresh, nutty bread.

Roast Beef Sandwich

Well aware of Ryan’s intense love for Oreo’s, my mom also surprised us with this fantastic Oreo pie for dessert.

Oreo Pie

My sister had not arrived yet and the four of us did a number on the the cookie pie. Only a small sliver remained… oops!

About an hour or two later I helped myself to a large bowl of Edy’s S’mores ice cream for two reasons: 1. I’m home and can eat like a kid again! 2. It’s Limited Edition! It could disappear at any moment. 😉

Edy's S'mores Ice Cream

We spent the evening catching up and laughing while Ghostbusters was on the T.V. in the background. “Who you gonna call!?”

I went to sleep feeling (overly) full and happy. 🙂