Christmas In Florida- Day 6 (cont.)

Our trip to St. Augustine was a lot of fun, and Vince, Colin, and I certainly worked up an appetite walking around town for most of the day. Our choice for dinner: Hollerbach's Willow Tree cafe in Sanford (a small town just outside of Orlando). I wasn't in the mood for German prior to our arrival, but the crowd, ambiance, and smells from the kitchen quickly changed my mind!

Despite our growling bellies, we zipped into the restaurant's market

next door to stock up on a few treats for Christmas...

Not only did the market have an impressive beer selection, but it

also had a fresh deli, take home pastries, and an interesting array of

packaged German foods, sauces, candies, and cookies- it was a fun stop!

On to the restaurant... I was shocked at how busy it was (this

picture was taken around 7:30 pm!) We navigated our way through

the crowd, got our names on the waiting list, and headed to the waiting area

(Relatively) a little something to take the edge off my hunger...

This appetizer was too tempting to pass up

Definitely worth it! The pretzel and homemade cheese spread

disappeared pretty quickly between the three of us ;)

The pretzel helped, but we were still pretty hungry! We were

about to give up hopes of getting a seat in the main area and eat in the

bar when our names were called- YAY. Off to the fun area- complete with

live German bierhall music, cheerful patrons, and authentic decor

My choice: Chicken with Jager Sauce, house made sauerkraut, 

and sweet red cabbage with apples and spices. It was delicious!

Vince did a sampler plate...

...and Colin had the Eisbein, which was fork-tender and

mind-blowingly good. Each one of our meals was excellent, and

we all had a lot of fun singing along and toasting with our fellow guests.

Happy and definitely not hungry, we hit the road again to finish our trip :)

Christmas In Florida- Day 6

Our first day in St. Augustine was a lot of fun, but we needed some recovery time so we let ourselves sleep in considerably the next day. It was time for brunch when we set out from the hotel, but it was worth it!

House-made croissants, poached eggs, and coffee for 

brunch from Petit Pleasures hit the spot. From there we set

out to see more of the town and enjoy the sunny weather.

One of the main shopping streets

Gorgeous hotel I'd love to stay in sometime...

Lightner Museum history

The square in from of the Lightner Museum

...and the courtyard in the center of the property- beautiful

Dream-worthy property just down the street

By this time it was late afternoon, so it was just

the right time for a quick tour of San Sebastian winery

The self-guided tour was short and sweet, but there were

several knowledgeable employees that made it interesting and

we found some great Christmas gifts in the gift shop :)

From there, we walked back to the car, dropped off our goodies, and

headed to the Fountain Of Youth Archaeological Park (I couldn't pass that up!)

There was a great old photo at the entrance to the park

We got our passes and headed into the park to explore

One of the old drinking cups

Still running! There was a stack of cups nearby, so Vince,

Colin, and I all had a few glasses for good measure ;)

There were a lot of interesting facts posted to provide context for the structures

Sample boat and housing

Statue of Ponce De Leon

The park was a great way to end our time in historic St. Augustine, and the weather was icing on the cake. We headed back to the car, made a quick stop at the outlets on the way out of town, and started driving back toward Orlando.

Christmas In Florida- Day 5

After several days at my dad's house, it was time for a road trip. I wanted to take Vince to St. Augustine- one of my favorite places in Florida so far- so we piled in the car on Friday with my brother and set out. 

Arriving at the hotel...

What a great holiday welcome- carolers!

Time for lunch. Good BBQ is a rarity in Alaska, so we

all agreed to take advantage of a promising opportunity...

Believe it or not, this is the burnt ends appetizer- and it was fabulous!

Our next stop was a historic site I wanted Vince to see

The Castillo De San Marcos is always a great stop!

Our next order of business was a visit to the cigar store

Vince and Colin checking out the goods

Looking smooth by the marina ;)

Now we were thirsty! My brother recommended Rendezvous

and it was a great suggestion- the import beer selection was impressive!

Our favorite of the day: Delirium Noel- mmm

Feeling refreshed, we took some time to stroll around town

and admire the scenery; here is a quick pic of Flagler College...

...and the park in the middle of town- so picturesque!

From there, our next stop was Collage for dinner

And then A1A Alehouse for some after-dinner drinks and live music

Good times :) Time for bed...

Christmas In Florida- Day 4

Every day in Orlando had been great so far, but I was especially looking forward to our 4th day for one reason: Vince and I were scheduled for our first dance lesson together! Vince found a Groupon deal for a 1-hour ballroom dance class and bought it as a surprise for me! So thoughtful :) Not to mention a good idea considering our wedding in February was rapidly approaching...

I had too much fun to remember to take our picture taken, but the

class was amazing! Our instructor was great and we both had fun. I am

still daydreaming about the next time we can take lessons :)

Christmas In Florida- Day 3

Let the cooking begin! My dad agreed to show Vince and I how to make blood sausage using his family's recipe and we were excited to help! We headed to a kitchen store along with my brother to get a few new tools, gathered our ingredients, and set up a station in the garage...

The boys

Colin putting his muscles to work ;) The process is pretty simple-

the hardest part is finding the right ingredients. We finished up the mix,

popped it in the oven to cook, and waited for the flavors to meld...

Sausage in the oven, Vince and I set out for our usual walk around

the lake and admired the neighborhood's Christmas decorations

One of my favorites :)

The reward for our culinary and physical efforts?

Some seriously good season ale!

Christmas in Florida- Day 2

Our second day in Florida had an early start- my dad, brother, Vince and I were off to go fishing. My dad got a new boat in 2014, so Vince and I were excited to see it (not to mention excited for the opportunity to be out on the water). We made it to the marina around sunrise, stocked up on bait and ice, and headed to the dock.

Pretty slick! The boat's transfer from the storage unit to the water...

My brother Colin and Vince getting ready to go

The boat :D Sadly, I have no fish pictures to share, but it just

wasn't in the cards. None of the boats were doing well, so it wasn't

just us! That said, we had an amazing afternoon on the water 

soaking up some sun, visiting, and enjoying the day :)

Christmas In Florida (2014)- Day 1

Wow... It is officially APRIL of 2015 and I am just now getting time to post Christmas pics! This winter has been a busy one indeed, but life is good :) Vince and I had a wonderful time visiting my family in Florida for the holidays, so I wanted to take the time to make some posts about our trip. Enjoy!

FINALLY! Our descent into Orlando after a long day of flying!

My dad & stepmom greeted us at the airport and took us home. The

house was beautiful! Reina (my stepmom) did a fabulous job of decorating

the house, and she even personalized the guestroom for us. So sweet! Vince

got his first tour of the pad, and then it was time for dinner: homemade

cioppino (yum!). It was the perfect dinner after a day of travel.