Ryan and I were so excited not to have any commitments at all this weekend for the first time in months.
Neither of us can remember the last time we didn’t have one legitimate commitment on our weekend calendar, so it felt fantastic to be completely free today.
We decided to make the most of our free time and take advantage of one of the nearby hiking trails.
We loved hiking when we lived in Orlando, but had to drive a good distance to get to some quality trails like those at Weikwa Springs. Moving to horse country has its perks and a plethora of hiking trails are only a short distance from our house!
At the recommendation of a park ranger, we first completed the Swamp trail which was a two-mile loop that led out to a boardwalk overlooking Silver Springs.
The springs are absolutely gorgeous. The water is crystal clear and you can see the whole way to the bottom of the springs without a problem.
We hope to find kayaks to rent in the area to take out on the water sometime soon.
There was one little hazard lurking near the springs…
Gator!
We saw that guy from the boardwalk, so there wasn’t really a safety concern, but definitely something to be aware of should we ever kayak. Very cool to see!
When the Swamp trail merged into the Sinkhole trail, we decided to follow the trail to add another mile or so to our hike.
In total we completed just under four miles and had a blast.
The trails were gorgeous and the weather was perfect!
After hiking, we came home to grab a quick lunch.
Egg sandwiches for all!
My sandwich included two fried eggs, muenster cheese, tomato, roasted garlic hummus and arugula.
Yum!
We downed our sandwiches, quickly showered and were off again to the movies!
I talked Ryan into seeing Breaking Dawn. I thought the movie was okay. Truth be told, I don’t really love any of the Twilight movies, yet I still have the desire to see them all since I read the books. The birth scene made me feel nauseous! I don’t like seeing anything bloody and watching medical scenes in movies or television shows always make me queasy. Good luck to me during childbirth, huh?
And now I must rush off because we’re heading out to watch a Christmas parade!
Enjoy your night!
What a fun hike! I used to live in florida and remember the swimming springs with gator warnings. So scary! Have fun at the parade!
What a fun afternoon! The Husband and I are just hanging around the house tonight, which is something we really haven’t been able to do lately!
I’m so happy you didn’t like Breaking Dawn! I thought it was so slow and way too dragged out. Only Harry Potter can make a two part movie! I was surprised how bad it was, and how many people still loved it! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Sooooo, I didn’t realize that Breaking Dawn was two parts. At the end I literally turned to my friend and said “ummmm….what?”.
I love going on hikes!
Glad you got to the Ocala trails! I’ve only been on the Jeep trails in Ocala, which may or may not have been legal haha! We’ve been to the Wekiva trails which are nice.
I’m pretty sure if I talk about going to Ocala there will be no walking, only jeepin’ and getting muddy haha.
Oh my—lookout childbirth! e
You know, I NEVER watched any of the Twilight movies, except for this Breaking Dawn…and I liked it [surprisingly!]
Maybe it has a lot to do with Robert Pattinson…and his whole being [hair, clothes ect.] but who knows! 😀
That sounds like a fun day! Today was the first weekend in months I haven’t had to fit a long run in or worry about training so I spent it decorating my house and baking cookies 🙂 It’s nice to have nothing on the agenda for once!
I don’t remember the last time Aaron and I didn’t have a commitment on the weekend… maybe next weekend? That’ll likely change though. Anyway, looks like you guys had an awesome day! Perfect hike, perfect weather! We went hunting for a Christmas tree today, 4″ of snow up here!
oh how fun!! I’ve been dying to go hiking!! Especially today. I bet Sadie had the time of her life! 😛
Sadie is such a freaking cutie. I miss my pup!
I am so envious that you two have beautiful, warm-weather trails nearby. The one thing I miss most about the warm months is hiking! We have a trail with a waterfall nearby where I had one of my first dates — seriously perfect.
I love hiking around our state parks. My brother lives super close to Wekiva Springs, so I wander over there quite frequently.
Your egg sandwich’s always leave me wanting one too.
I love hiking! So pretty 🙂
Have fun tonight!
What ever happened to the Vegas rock n roll half marathon you planned?
the summit i was going out there for was canceled and since i was planning on help from them with my travel expenses, i had to pull out for financial reasons. i was really bummed!
Hiking is so much fun! Not something I do often, but when you actually get to do it once it a while, it’s a great change of pace.
haha! I am right there with you! I can’t even watch greys anatomy without feeling nauseous. I had to step outside during the preg scene in breaking dawn… and my friends made fun of me.
My boyfriend and I just went to see Breaking Dawn. I am a huge fan of the Twilight series, it brings out the child in me. It makes my imagination run wild and I believe in fairy-tales and true love. But, I have to say, of the three movies Breaking Dawn was my least favorite. It felt really slow and nothing was really accomplished. If I hadn’t read the books I would of been so confused. Here’s to hoping part II is better!
I do a double take everytime I see you in shorts! A bit colder up here in Minnesota! Have a great weekend!
I agree… I love the Twilight books but the movies? Eh. Yet I still HAVE to see them!
What a gorgeous hike!
I definitely agree on the Twilight series- the books are WAY better than the movies.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your relaxing weekend. 🙂
We took a hike around my partner’s neighborhood in Brisbane. It was such fun, seeing the wild birds, fauna and trees in Australia that are just a part of the suburb!
I’m with you, I get nauseous and queasy with anything bloody and I’m so bad that if I cut myself (even a little cut) I feel like I’m going to faint and HAVE actually fainted haha oh childbirth will be looooads of fun lol
I haven’t seen Breaking Dawn yet but have heard the childbirth scene is pretty bloody and scary.
What a gorgeous hike! I wish we had more hiking around here!
My Dear and I went for a walk yesterday, too- it was our first “big” walk since we moved into our new apartment! New surroundings are always so fun to explore 😀
Weird question but….how much does Sadie weigh. I see you often picking her up and wondered how heavy she was. Reason I ask is because I’m looking into getting the same kind of dog….so freaking cute!
Eh, gators….that would scare me away from the water!
We took our dogs on that same hike about a year ago and it was AWESOME — until we got home and found about a dozen ticks on them! Still cool, though. Makes me miss New England, where the hikes are h-i-k-e-s. Like, for realz.
I LOVE how Sadie stands up for all your family pictures! She’s so cute she’s like a lil person
A gator!?!? Wow, that is so cool. I’m from Vancouver (bears, mountain lions, and that sort of thing) so I can’t even fathom seeing an alligator! Have you seen one before?
I can’t stand bloody scenes either. That’s why I don’t even try to watch them. Blech!
I feel the same way about anything medical. Yuck.
don’t worry about when you give birth, you can’t see all the gooey stuff, plus you will be too busy focusing on your breathing 🙂
I said almost exactly the same thing about seeing the Twilight movies. I read the books, so I feel compelled to see all the movies! 🙂