Destination Daytona

A weekend getaway to the beach was just what I needed, after my long trial of schooling (that has now come to an end) and a break from work. There was only one person I wanted to take and I am glad he came with me. We have been friends for about 2 1/2 years and its been a roller coaster relationship but he is one of the most important people in my life and I am very lucky to have him... to share this weekend with him.

If you follow me on IG (itskelly7) then you saw some of the photos I posted from our getaway already... if you don't go check them out.

We stayed in a lovely resort that is located on Dayton Beach, the Shores Resort and Spa. Our check - in wasn't until 4pm on Friday afternoon so we stopped and had lunch before heading to the hotel. We still arrived early but to our relief they let us check - in early. Upon arrival they give each guest a welcome pack which includes items to make s'mores... the hotel has fire pits located on the pool deck so guests can enjoy a sweet treat while watching the sun set and listening to the sounds of the beach.

After unloading the car we headed to the room (sorry I am a terrible blogger and did not get any pictures of the room, while it was still clean). The room was bright with color and the beautiful Florida sunshine. The view was spectacular

At one point on Saturday, after being in the sun all morning, I made myself a drink, pulled up the chair in the room, and opened up my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 to read the current book Timebound. It was wonderful to just sit staring out the window at this beautiful view with a drink in hand enjoying a good book.

I was anxious to get down to the pool so I unpacked a few things, threw on my bathing suit and was ready to go soak up that beautiful Florida sunshine before it disappeared behind the hotel... but not first without having the boy take a few pictures of me.

I just love hotel beds... they are so plush, comfy, and white. Its like falling into a bed of clouds.

Bathing suit is from the Victoria's Secret outlet and the hat is from a consignment store, I do not have links for either of them.

I snapped a few pictures of the hotel from the pool deck...

A beautiful and unique hotel with lots of bright colors and its right on the beach.

 
They have cabanas guests can rent and use for the day to relax, take a nap, enjoy a cocktail and even lunch; whatever your heart desires.

And of course there is a pool deck bar to indulge in some summer beverages or cocktails... my preference Pina Colada. YUM!

This is the view from the window in the hallway outside our room.

Friday night we had cocktails at the bar before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant Ocean Deck. The food was good but we think the drink made us sick : /   Sorry no pictures we sat in a corner off to ourselves and just enjoyed each others company, chatting about whatever topic came to mind. 

Onto Saturday... I got up before the boy because was still feeling a little bit off, so I got ready and went for a walk down the beach.

A relaxing walk along the beach was wonderful but nothing like laying out by the pool catching some more rays... which is what I did next *wink* After a morning filled with rays, waves, and pool days it was time to head in to get cleaned up for lunch.

We had lunch at the hotel restaurant Azure. They have seating inside and outside on the terrace. We chose to sit inside to get a break from the sun.

We started out with balsamic glazed fried calamari. YUM! 

I paired my lunch with a glass of Malbec, my favorite red wine.

For lunch I had a salad with baby arugula and pears with pecans, stilton and a white balsamic vinaigrette. Full of flavor and the cheese was delicious. N was hungry and too quick for me to be able to snap a picture of his lunch he had a chicken quesadilla that looked tasty... I did taste the guac that came with it, it was yum. I do love a good guacamole.

After lunch we headed back up to the room where we both fell asleep for a couple of hours. I woke up with enough sunlight left so I snuck downstairs to snap some pictures of the inside of the hotel. Its a marvelous sight so be prepared...

Along with the bright colors throughout the hotel the inside had aspects of dark wood and plush furniture. The hotel is homey and inviting.

I love these chandeliers... I took a lot of pictures of them but I liked this one the best.

The chandelier in picture above has monkeys sitting on it... how cute ;)

This is the amazing bar we had drinks at Friday night with the wonderful bartenders.

Saturday night the boy and I ordered room service, picked out a movie from the hotel library and stayed in bed. It was relaxing and comfy.

Except for the loud people above us who I thought were going to come through the roof at one point. There were a few weddings going on that weekend and one of the receptions was going on right above us... frown. Other than that we had a wonderful two days together and I would do it again.

xo

*My Thoughts*

The hotel was gorgeous and the staff was wonderful. The lady at the front desk was kind enough to put our leftovers in the microwave in their office for us since there was no microwave available to guests. I would definitely stay at this hotel again if the chance arrives.

I cannot wait for my next adventure.

You can find hotel information here. If you book online through the hotel's website you receive a 10% discount with the code WEB10.

Feeding the Giraffes

As promised yesterday its giraffe feeding time...

I handed over the camera to D and went off to feed the giraffes... or should I say giraffe. It was a particularly hot day out, Derek and I were both sweating and kept looking for shade to hide out in. All of the animals were hiding out as well. The first time we passed the giraffes the trainer was trying to feed them but they were not playing... sigh

On the way out we stopped by the giraffes again and this time they wanted to play or eat.

Hello everyone this is Rafiki, he is shy, I was told, so I walked up to him slowly (instead of excitedly, which I was)... His massive tongue grabbed the lettuce right out of my hand and gobbled it up.

This is my excited face!

Even though I did not get to touch the giraffe and I had to stay behind the barrier it was a fun experience and one that I am glad I got to do. Maybe one day I will feed a giraffe not trapped in a zoo... a girl can wish. 

I am glad D snapped this picture because as soon as I fed Rafiki that last leaf he ran off to join his friend (who's name I do not know) and to find some shade. I don't blame you buddy.

I forgot to add these photos yesterday... I just couldn't leave them out.

This little turtle had the cutest face and I could not leave without first snapping a picture of him. Cheesin'

American Bullfrog

It was a fun day overall... I left hot and sweaty yet still fun.

xo Kelly

Giraffes, monkeys, and birds... Oh My!

I did something fun with my brother, who just recently returned from the UK, today! But first I want to tell you about this book I am reading. Be patient I will get to that title in a minute... *wink*

I purchased this book of the website I use to find new books to read (ones that I normal wouldn't pick up). Website information here. If you like to read this website is for you... books range from free to $2.99. Not a bad deal...

So anyways this book is titled Timebound by Rysa Walker. This book is fascinating. It is about time travel, but not normal time travel... can time travel even be considered normal? Anyways, in this book people in the future are born with a gift that they grow up learning about and they pursue a career according to their gift. One of those gifts is the ability to time travel, but it is used only for research of history... so people with the time travel gift travel back in time to study further certain points in history. The main character Kate gets wrapped up in all of this and now I am traveling along with her on this journey. If you are looking for something interesting to read I recommend this book. 

*photo found on Google

Okay now on to the giraffes, monkeys, and birds... like I said I did something fun with my brother today. We went to the Central Florida Zoo. It is located in Sanford and lucky for us it wasn't that far of a drive. I hadn't been to the Zoo and I don't know how long and I had been hearing about this feed the giraffes for months now. I told myself when school ended I would go to the zoo and feed the giraffes. 

My brother just returned from studying abroad in England and I figured he would be the perfect person to go to the zoo with since I hadn't seen him in a few months, so we needed to catch up. 

We were off to feed the giraffes and see all the other animals.

Get ready... grab a cup o' joe or tea which ever you prefer and snuggle up this is gonna be a long one...

This is Sir Gus and he was kind enough to make this pose for me so I could snap a picture. How kind of him *wink*

Now that I have taken you on a virtual journey through the zoo its time for the giraffes and flowers.

Did you know that? I sure didn't

I know this photo is blurry but I was trying to capture the butterflies flying around in the flowers.

Shrimp plant huh? They even look like little shrimps hehe

Florida is known for its beautiful sunshine, which makes for great lighting for photos, but it was humid and hot that day.

 

Derek and I found ourselves playing in the gardens.

There was some beautiful art work throughout the zoo painted by a man named Rick Cannizzaro. The one pictured above is my favorite.

The zoo has a ropes course that spreads over a pretty big area... I want to go back just so I can do the ropes course, even though I am afraid of heights *wink* 

Look for my next post on feeding the giraffes. I promise it won't be as long as this one. 

xo

Kelly

*My Thoughts*

I had a fun day out with my brother... it is good to have him back.

It was very hot that day and I wore a maxi skirt, which was a bad decision on my part since it didn't breathe that well. But I love the skirt. I got it from Bealls if anyone is wondering.