Many Florida kids go back to school tomorrow and though my sister and I are many years removed from high school, today felt like it was one of those perfect “last days of summer.”
We rounded up the whole family and our designated boat dog, dubbed “Shark Bait,” and spent nearly six hours out on the water.
My dad took us in and out of canals and around some houses.
Doesn’t my parents’ house look nice from the back?
Totally kidding. 
If that were really my parents’ house, I’m pretty sure Ryan and I would move into the guest house on the left hand side with Sadie and be permanent freeloaders. I’d offer to make meals and Ryan could earn his keep by doing yard work or something. Sadie would provide the fertilizer. We’d make it work juuuust fine.
Our time on the boat was spent speeding through Tampa Bay before deciding it was time to swim. We anchored up about 75 yards off shore of the Fort DeSoto dog beach.
My mom and sister took Sadie there last weekend (remember my mom’s recount of their visit?) and Ryan and I were both anxious to check it out.
The minute Ryan dove into the ocean, Sadie jumped right off the boat to join him.
Sadie is actually a fantastic swimmer, but we strapped her in the doggie lifejacket for extra safety.
I hopped in quickly after them, with my mom, dad and sister joining us a couple minutes later.
Once on the beach we spent a good while walking around and saying hi to the other dogs before playing in the waves.
My mom and Ryan also found a bunch of sand dollars!
Eventually it was time to head back, so we swam to the boat and headed home. Before pulling up the anchor, we ate a bunch of snacks from the cooler. What is it about swimming that makes everyone so hungry?
We were about an hour from home, so everyone fell asleep on the boat while my dad sped through the water and got us home safely.
Once home, my mom prepared a delicious late lunch of lobster and fish that my dad got on a scuba diving trip to the Keys last weekend.
I took a picture of my lobster tail while waiting for everyone to join me at the dinner table, but then totally got sidetracked and didn’t snap any more pictures. Woops.
It was a good meal though! Any kind of seafood caught by my dad and prepared by my mom is a winner.
We hung out for a while longer, doing laundry and being lazy, before saying our goodbyes.
Of course it was sad to say bye to everyone and Sadie, but I will be back at my parents’ house on Wednesday because I fly out of Tampa for a trip to Philadelphia for the Healthy Living Summit on Thursday morning.
Now we’re back in Ocala.
Home sweet hotel.
Hope you guys had a fantastic weekend!
P.S. The Fashion page was updated this evening.
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I love how there is a body-shaped impression on the hotel bed! That’s too funny.
your weekend sounds like you had a lot of fun! I love being on the water but my dogs are so scared they would never jump in with me! Cant wait till HLS!!!
I haven’t been boating in years… I need to make new friends, with boats.
I loooove boat days! I like the doggie lifejacket idea! We have two labs that LOVE to swim, and sometimes they swim for so long they don’t realize they get tired. I think it’s a great idea “just in case.”
Wow! Schools in Florida go back early! My siblings start on August 29th, which is actually a week earlier than most of the schools in the Baltimore area.
Sounds like a fun day out on the water! The weather here has not been cooperating lately!
We start school on Tuesday. (I’m a teacher.) I *always* get super hungry after swimming–I don’t know what it is!
I can’t wait to meet you next weekend at HLS!!!!!!
Love the doggie life jacket! Dogs can really tire themselves out especially when they are good swimmers and love the water, and they have no way of saying hey I am done with this and need a break.
Haha OH MY GOSH! You totally had me going. I was about to be like “That’s your parents house!?!??!”
This looks like such a fun day – love Sadie in the life jacket 🙂
The sun always makes me super hungry, but I haven’t swam (swum!?) in the longest time; the combination must make ya hangry! You totally had me on ‘your parent’s house’. If that were my folks’ house I’d be a permanent freeloader as well!
Sounds like the perfect summer Sunday to me. Think your parents would be cool with adopting me?
I love Sadie’s life jacket!
I just found your blog (i’m new to the blog world) and I love it 🙂 your dog is so cute.. the pictures are hilarious! can’t wait to read more.
Sounds like a great day! Our next door neighbor goes lobstering every year in the Keys, and I always look forward to the feast he prepares. Lobster is so yummy!
Okay I loved the bit about you earning your keep at your parents house. Especially the part about Sadie providing the fertilizer! hah!
I have been reading your blog lately and I love it! Your day sounded like mine, although we live north of Tampa so we were boating near Dunedin. Sadie is adorable!
Sounds like a wonderful summer day! I haven’t been on a boat in years, but it’s so much fun and I hope one day I can buy one and speed around with my own little family. 🙂 We stopped in Ocala on the way to Disney a couple months back, made me think of you guys!
days on the boat are so much fun! the sun and swimming make me hungry too!
What a great way to close out the summer. It must have been great to have your little family back together again. You can’t move into the house soon enough!
I want a piece of that lobster tail. Mmmm…
Looks like a fun day at the beach! I’m sure it’s easier leaving Sadie knowing you’ll be back together permanently soon!
Oh boating is always such a good time! Sadie looks s stinkin’ cute in her life jacket!! I wish I was going to HLS. I so want to meet all of you fabulous bloggers :).
i LOVE boating. Perfect summer day for sure!
Have a great night at the hotel (soon you’ll be in a home, wheeee!)
It’s sand dollar mating season right now! They’re everywhere!
i love your dog! so so so cute! 🙂 We spent the day on a boat today too…saw dolphins…was amazing…I’m posting a video tomorrow..You have to stop by!! xoxo from Trinidad
As always I love reading your posts and I love when Sadie is included … you made me long for the beach … it has been so long … and yummy lobster …
Looking forward to tomorrow’s posts …
Buonanotte! J
I love Sadie’s lifejacket! glad to see her parents are teaching her water safety haha 🙂
I have what is probably a silly question… is it true that you get gators and whatnot in Florida? I’m from Vancouver, so we have bears (and mountain lions up at our old property), and I can’t fathom the whole Florida-gator thing!!
Loving your blog as always. 🙂
yes! crazy, huh?
Looooove Sadie’s doggie lifejacket! That’s the cutest/funniest thing ever.
What a fun day! 🙂 Loved your life plan with the big house! Sounds like a good one to me! lol.
That sounds like the perfect summer day. On a trip to the keys a few years ago we went in and out of the canals on the boat just dreaming of living in some of those gorgeous houses. I wish!
I haven’t been out on a boat in so long. Looks like so much fun! And Sadie is too cute in her little life vest. Safety first! 🙂
Love the pictures of Sadie! She is so cute!
My daughter has renamed your family for you. Sadie is now Saggy and Ryan is now Wyden. She was asking about the photo of Ryan and Saddie in the water together 🙂
If home is where the heart is, then I think your home is wherever that lifejacket lovin paddling pup is!!
Too cute.
Can’t wait to meet you at HLS!
Doesn’t falling asleep while Dad drives bring you back to the comforts of childhood??
Most of the meat and seafood I ever had at home growing up was either hunted, fished, or bought at the county fair by my dad and brothers…that sounds so hokie!
Have you ever gone wakeboarding?
yes and i am AWFUL
Shark Bait reminds me of Finding Nemo. “Shark Bait oh ha ha!” hahaha 🙂 omgsh please don’t let me be the only one who wants to say the oh ha ha after shark bait. Just like, “My bubbles! My bubbles! Don’t touch my bubbles!” Love that movie. Great name for a boat for sure.
oh yes! that’s where we got the idea!
You are so lucky that Sadie is a swimmer! We visited my in-laws’ house this past week–they have a pool in their backyard, and try as we might, our Butters just refused to come into the water with us! I have no idea why he is scared of a pool but he sees no problem with trying to get in position to jump from our second floor porch onto the ground below…
i love that your dog’s name is butters! 🙂
Where did you get Sadie’s life vest? I’ve looked around for a cute one for my pup!
we ordered it online: http://www.pawsaboard.com/dog-lifejacket-pet-life-jacket.asp
I LOVE Sadie’s life preserver! Looks like a perfect summer day. Jealous!
By the way, have you ever opened up a sand dollar? Believe it or not, you will find five white “doves” inside!
yes! very neat!
If that’s your parents’ house, ask them if they are looking for a live-in cleaner? 😉
Even though the hotel is not home I bet it is nice to come back to a clean place!
I agree with you about swimming making you hungry. I downed a whole Publix sub at the beach in no time. Just a loaf of bread and 2lbs of veg, no big deal.
The view of “your parents’ house” made my eyes bug out of my head 😀 Swimming always makes me exhausted and starving!
Looks like you had an amazing weekend!
I wish we were having the same kind of weather over here, unfortunately the idea of swimming outside makes me shiver in our climate!
Sadie is so cute 🙂
Fantastic! The water looks nice and the view is great. You must have had a great time!
Looks like you guys had a gorgeous and relaxing weekend! I think it is so cool that your dad snorkels! I bet your lobster dinner was the best! Did you go boating on a lake or was that a bay/ocean? Hard to tell. Lovely non the less! Have a great week!
ocean!
I haven’t been on a boat for so long now. It looks great!
What a great weekend. I love boating and swimming with family, but in New England, during the summer you can really only do that in lakes and stuff, since the ocean is constantly cold, even in August.
My dog is a swimmer too – he loooooves the water!