postcard inn.

Our last stop. This trip has been so unbelievable. I can’t describe the things we have been able to see and been able to do. Being in a car is so much more freeing because you can do ANYTHING! You can go anywhere you want to go and have no timetable of where you need to be. It’s been amazing and being able to do this with my family is indescribable.

So anyway, our last stop on this journey was St. Pete Beach at a place called the Postcard Inn on the Beach. And it’s literally out if a postcard! There is a vintage beachy vibe all around this place and everywhere you go there’s good lighting, great music and fun things to do. They have a big beautiful pool, fabulous beach shack bar and a great garden area with ping pong, a pool table and a fire pit. Where to start?

We checked in to our adorable little poolside cabana room with a front “yard” area and a hammock. The boys didnt waste any time getting into relaxation mode. Where we are in St. Pete isn’t exactly a “biking” area so we left those in the truck and opted to stay on the hotel property since there was so much to do! We threw on our bathing suits and grabbed the pups and headed to the beach bar! (Of course). It was a beautiful day and the bartenders were so nice, we had a blast enjoying the sunshine and the breeze.

We kind of laid low on our last day and hung in our front yard in the hammock by the pool and talked about how much fun this past week has been. It was a dream 🙂

So we are packing back up and heading home today. The end of the Lauderdale Florida Family Road Trip! I can’t believe it’s over!! I hope y’all enjoyed the pictures and the updates 🙂

siesta key.

Siesta Key! What an experience. Again, the word interesting comes to mind. A hippie little beach town next to Sarasota full of eclectic beach huts and happening tiki bars. We landed at the Beachpoint Resort. Y’all. Seriously. This place. I honestly can’t even describe it. It is the most hilarious, nutty, fun, hippie place I have ever been in my life. It’s all these colorful cottages in this little village decorated by thatch hutted tiki bars, Christmas lights and a giant golden Neptune statue. I, obviously, was thrilled.

We checked in, made a cocktail and jumped on our bikes! (The official Lauderdale commence vacation sequence at this point). Let me be clear and say that by “checked in” we mean we handed “Mike” some cash and he told us the key was on the coffee table in the cottage we wanted. No paperwork, nothing. He probably wasn’t even the manager.

ANYWAY! We headed over to this amazing barbecue place The Blu Que Island Grill which had love music and were thrilled to have Jake & Charley (important detail). We had the blue cheese chips and basically could have eaten them for the rest of the night. So good!

We left there and headed to the Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) a local oyster bar with lots of personality. We took the official “oyster shot” and met up with Matt’s old friend Lisa, who was fabulous, then moved on!

We ended up eating dinner at a place called The Cottage. Oh my gosh. It was absolutely delicious. I had the truffle seafood pasta and was literally in heaven!!

We packed up this morning and drove to Lido Key to have lunch on St. Armand Circle and saw the Circus Ring of Fame which was absolutely amazing. It’s like the Hollywood Walk of Fame for circus performers! I could have stood there all day reading about everyone but we have a schedule to keep!

So we are back on the road for our last destination for the trip (sad!) St. Pete Beach and the fabulous Postcard Inn on the Beach. Can’t wait!

made it to captiva.

We hit the road from St. Augustine to Captiva yesterday and it was a fabulous drive! We drove through Orlando and saw the endless amounts of Disney exits and all things mouse shaped. Even the electricity lines were shaped like Mickey! But we finally made it over the bridge onto the Sanibel and Captiva Islands. All I can say is wow. It is so beautiful here. It’s all a very old Florida cottage vibe, which I love. We roamed around, saw the shops and restaurants on Sanibel and then made our way all the way to the northern point of Captiva Island. It seems to be the more laid back of the two islands (which suits the Lauderdales just fine. Although I got the feeling that Charley was looking for something a little more out of control, but you can’t please everyone). We decided to stay at the adorable ‘Tween Waters Inn Island Resort. The website is a little deceiving because it makes it look like this sprawling commercial resort, but what really drew us in was the boutique feel of the cottages from the road. They put us in the absolutely perfect and charming “Hibiscus Cottage” which was painted all purple. It had a great little screened in back porch and was located right on the bay. We unpacked, made a cocktail and jumped on our bikes to explore!

Our first stop was a place called The Bubble Room. Interesting is the first word that comes to mind! It’s all crazy decorated with Christmas and cartoony decorations and all the servers wear Boy Scout uniforms (?). Quite an establishment.

Next, we wheeled on over to The Mucky Duck which came highly recommended by some of our fabulous followers! It’s this fun little English pub on the beach. We sat at the bar, had a great beer and met Lynn who was our bartender. Super nice. Dinner was eh but I think that was our fault for choosing to eat at an English pub.

We packed the truck back up this morning and are headed out to Siesta Key! I am so excited to see what today will bring!

lauderdale florida family road trip.

SO!
Seriously, we are having SUCH a blast! We got into St. Augustine last night and stayed at this adorable bed and breakfast downtown right next to the Bridge of Lions, The Bayfront Marin House and had the front room right on the water with our own patio and swing! They were absolutely thrilled to have Jake & Charley (obviously). We road our bikes around town and explored the historical downtown area which is so charming. We stopped at the Tini Martini Bar (adorable name) and had a martini and then headed out to find a place to eat. Well, when I tell you we hit the jackpot, it is the understatement of the year. We road down a little side street at sunset and saw this small, quaint little courtyard with tables setup, low lighting and a perfect ambiance. The Gourmet Hut is a farm to table restaurant with a new menu everyday with only fresh and local food. OH. MY. GOSH. Not only were we greeted by the fabulous owner who was so nice, but she made sure we got the best table in the house and then handed us off to our server who was so helpful and knowledgable. When we couldn’t decide between appetizers, he brought us both, one on the house! The wine list is also only small, boutique wineries. I cannot say enough good things about this place. And on top of all of that, super affordable! Anyway, needless to say, we are having the best time. Now, we’ve packed up the truck and are heading out, next stop: Captiva Island! Stay tuned 🙂

happy birthday husband.

Happy birthday to my adorable husband! We will be celebrating with balloons, champagne, presents and happiness!

Ed. Note: Jake could not make it for the photo as he was hiding in the closet due to his crippling fear of balloons…

good morning sunshine.

A little morning cuteness from Charley. Hope everyone slept this well!

best friends.

Well guys. It’s official. We have the best family in the world! Not only are they absolutely SO much fun- but they are smart, fabulous, uplifting and hysterical. So, needless to say, Charley & Co. Had the BEST time this week. We barely had 5 minutes to catch our breath between the cocktails, pool time, chitchat and “therapy”, this years “Board Meeting” as it was called was a super success.

We left feeling reinvigorated, rejuvenated and ready to take on the world! More pics to come after all the photographers get home, take about 10 naps and then send them to me.

beautiful day for a bike ride.

Well hello sunshine!! Today is a perfect day for a sunshiney bicycle ride to visit my fabulous family that’s in town. It’s my great aunt’s 80th birthday and the entire gang is here to sip bubbly and paint the town red. So, Charley threw on his dancing shoes and is ready to take on the week! Look out 30a- the Robertsons are here and ready to rock!

guess who’s back.

Guess who’s back!!

We’ve been pretty busy lately, so Charley hasn’t been going on as many adventures BUT! We are back in action. The band is back together. THE GANGS ALL HERE! And we are excited for new happenings and to see what the rest of this year holds! First up- a little kayak action. Did we actually make it in the water? No we did not. BUT we geared up, put our life jackets on and put about 1 toe in the surf before we decided it was too choppy. Oh well. Getting there is half the fun.

free kissies, today only.

Happy Valentines Day from my little heartbreaker, Charley!! Hope everyone gets lots and lots of kissies today!! If you need some, Charley will be giving them out for free ALL day!