St. John « Spot the Charley

Lounging on our poolside patio at the Postcard Inn in St. Pete Beach

Hello again!! Wow, it it fabulous to see you all again! I gotta tell you, the Lauderdales have been movin’ and shakin’, shakin’ and movin’! We’ve been here, there and everywhere and I am sorry that I haven’t posted to keep you updated! BUT, here we are again. And I am so excited to be back on the blog. We have had some serious changes in our lives over the past 6 months, some good, some bad, some happy, some sad, but we have sure had a blast overall.

One big change in our lives is that Matt and I decided that it was time for us to sell our fun and fabulous bike rental shop on 30a, Peddlers, and move on to our next adventure further down south. We loved creating and growing such a unique business, and are so excited about and looking forward to the next plan we have cooking. But before we jumped into the next plan, we thought we would take some time and spend with our amazing family and friends. Having that time with them was such a blessing in our lives, and it allowed me to spend some beautiful, quality time with my sweet dad before his time on this Earth was over. Being able to focus solely on him and nothing else was the greatest gift I have ever been given. My father and father-in-law were two men who DEFINITELY knew how to relax and enjoy life, so in their honor we decided to take advantage of this opportunity and live it up a little!

It has definitely been a time of travel.

Our suitcases in the sand after we jumped off the boat and waded to shore to check-in. There’s no dock, people. Just salty water, sandy shores and frozen painkillers awaits you…

We’ve done a little of this…

Cassie, Sarah and I in the BEAUTIFUL water at Trunk Bay in St. John USVI. Probably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen

Ok. A LOT of this…

Kimmy and I lounging with a Corona at Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas USVI

A little more of this…

Delicious, custom cucumber martini at amazing restaurant, Room with a View in St. Thomas USVI, overlooking Charlotte Amalie

One of the best parts of all of this time with our friends and family is that Jake and Charley have been able to be a part of it ALL! They have become quite the travelers going from Florida to DC to San Francisco to Key West to Nashville to Naples to Miami. And, of course, they have loved every second of it.

Jake and Charley made it ALL the way down to the southernmost point in the continental US and of course, Charley bugged us to take a picture

And for now, the Lauderdales are hanging our hats in Miami while Captain Matt gets his captains license. We have a few tricks up our sleeves for the next few months so stay tuned. And for now, I leave you with our favorite toast from my amazing father-in-law, whom we miss dearly everyday. I have also put together a little gallery of photos for you to peruse of some of my favorite pics from the last few months. Enjoy!!

“Heres to good ships, and wood ships
and ships that sail the sea,
but the best ships are friendships,
forever may they be!”
– Robert “Blender Bob” Lauderdale

In their Hawaiian shirts and with cocktails in their hands, typical Friday night for these two 🙂

: Lounging on our poolside patio at the Postcard Inn in St. Pete Beach

: With my amazing girlfriends at the Korbel Winery in Russian River CA

: Beginning of our ladies trip in Napa, CA at St. Helena Winery

: The END of our ladies trip in Napa, CA at Mi Sueno Winery

: Cassie, Sarah and I in the BEAUTIFUL water at Trunk Bay in St. John USVI. Probably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen

: Just one of the delicious dinners in New Orleans

: Halloween party 2013 with our favorites: the Keepmans and the Schlossers! My mother-in-law and I were “Thing 1 and Thing 2” and Matt was a hotdog…obviously.

: Jake and Charley made it to Peach Park in Clanton, AL!

: Jake and Charley made it ALL the way down to the southernmost point in the continental US and of course, Charley bugged us to take a picture

: Jake, Charley and Matt enjoy a happy hour in Key West

: After landing in Baltimore, we took the train to DC and Jake, obviously, was cool as a cucumber…

: Kimmy, Charley and I wearing the fabulous Blender Bob sunglasses at the MMRF Race for Research in DC

: At the MMRF Race for Research in DC

: Charley tries out for the Chippentails…

: Land in San Francisco, Charley is about to hail a cab

: Jake and Charley take on San Francisco!

: Charley at the helm taking us to Clearwater Beach, FL

: Charley with a coffee reading to blast off to Naples, FL!

: We had a delicious breakfast at this fabulous little outdoor eatery in Naples, FL

: A little sunset happy hour with Jake as security

: Outside our cottage at the Sandcastle Inn on Jost van Dyke for Christmas!

: Our suitcases in the sand after we jumped off the boat and waded to shore to check-in. There’s no dock, people. Just salty water, sandy shores and frozen painkillers awaits you…