a little Florida trip.

We had a short trip to Florida, but it was probably my favorite visit ever to the Sunshine State. We experienced Florida in a new way and learned so much. Zara had a blast and I loved seeing her so happy!

On our way to Florida, we stopped in Montgomery, Alabama. We let Zara get her wiggles out at Blount Park. She played with dogs, climbed on the bridge and we saw 40 turtles surface in the water!

We met up with my sister and her boyfriend (Brian) in Tallahassee for some delicious Cuban food. Exploring with a local is my favorite:::

We drove through Apalachicola State Park. The trees seem endless. They are a wonder! Brian knew where to find some rare carnivorous plants. See below::

We found a ton of mole crabs our first night on the beach. Zara thought they were hilarious. We all had so much fun playing with them:::

We spent a day at St. George Island National Park and learned to fish in the ocean. It was very cool. We caught 2 sharks (one we let go, the other was dinner). We played with hermit crabs and tiny fish. This beach totally won me over. There is a lot of diversity with the wildlife and not very many people::

Zara kept kissing them::

& maybe we have matching swimsuits::

She loves to feed them::

Shark meat is so good. We had shark tacos for dinner. I tried not to think about the shark's beating heart after Brian cut the head off. ah!::

I should have taken more photos of the super cute house we stayed in, but here are my people at breakfast::

The next set of photos is from the Gulf Specimen Aquarium. We all loved it. So many of the exhibits were hands on.
These giant snails are one of my favorites. They are really old and interesting::

I am also obsessed with scallops. I love their tiny eyes and the way they squirt water!

I felt like I was on an awesome field trip with Brian (aka Dr. Adventure Guide)::

Huge sea turtle::

Horseshoe crabs!::

We also visited Wakulla Springs National Park and took a guided boat tour. The water is always 69° due to the spring. They also filmed Creature from the Black Lagoon here. ::

I had a malt from the Wakulla Springs lodge and it rocked my world::

Wakulla Springs is very dreamy::

Zara loves to be outside and play in dirt and sand. The beach is her place::

I faced my fear of heights and jumped into the spring- 4 times. There were gators in there. yikes! ::

Spanish moss::

The world's smallest police station near our rental house::

On the way home we stopped in Nashville for some bbq on 12th avenue and a stop at the sweetest flower truck. Zara was so amazing on the drive back. Hardly any tears. I was so impressed::