Beach Vacation Part II - The Food!!!

So I must first start off by apologizing as I didn't realize how hard it would be to get to a computer to blog daily.  I tried yesterday, and as I didn't bring my laptop with me and the hotel computer was down, I just couldn't. 

As far as vacation goes, it could not be going any better.  The Beach is beautiful, thus that is where we have been spending the majority of our time the past couple days.  The sun has been hot, mid 90's, but that is just fine and makes the ocean feel even better!  Tyler has really taken to the boogie board, and although he only wants 'the little waves'  he has done pretty well with it!

As far as other 'adventures' while on vacation, I have to give some big props to the restaurants we have been hitting up.  On Sunday night it was off to Parks Seafood Restaurant (http://parkseafood.com/).  The intriguing part about Parks is not that the seafood is out of this world good, although the Gator Tail is pretty good, but the extras that come with the meal.  They start you off with some kind of seafood dip with crackers that is awesome, then out comes a fish soup/chili that is amazing (Krisi and I were glad that her sister doesn't particularly care for it, thus we got her portion as well)!  Another great part about Parks is that the parking lot is not exceptionally huge, which would normally be a bother, but there is actually a park right across the street which is an easy fix for the parking problem.  It also allows for great photo ops, as Tyler found out!

Monday was filled with more beach time and then a decision was made to try out a new location, which is always a 50/50 chance.  The reviews on TripAdvisor were fairly good, thus we decided on Our Deck Down Under in Port Orange.  I was a little weary as we first entered and had to stand in line for about 20 minutes to order our food at the counter.  However, we then went and found our own table which had an excellent breeze out on the deck and a good view of the Halifax River.  The food eventually came out (how they knew where we were sitting I still do not know) and was very good.  The shrimp seemed to be a hit and my grilled mahi was excellent as well.  Even the hush puppies was titled perhaps the best ever had by one member of our crew!

Tuesday, guess what, more beach time.  I don't know if you know me or my family very well, but we pretty much love the water and the sun, so the beach is about as close to perfect as you can get.  This time though the plan was made for our evening Dinner to be at Aunt Catfish on the River (http://www.auntcatfishontheriver.com/) which is actually located just across the Halifax from Our Deck Down Under.   This restaurant is my wife's family favorite.  The best way to go is early for the Early Bird Special (before 5PM on weekdays).  The food is phenomenal, but my favorite is the salad bar and the fixin's bar which is full of corn bread, baked beans, cheese grits, and other goodies.   By far, if you are ever in Daytona or even a 20 mile radius the trip to Aunt Catfish is worth every penny spent, and I guarantee you will not leave without a full tummy!

Last but not least last night, we took a little time to go onto the beach and do a shout out to our family friends the Wilsons and their little girl Kenley.  Kenley, will be having her third heart surgery in the coming weeks, and I ask all of you out there reading this to pray for her.  Her father, Kurt, designed this heart logo when Kenley was first born and asked that we all try to make our own version wherever we are and to pray and think about Kenley.  Thus with my limited artistic ability, and Tyler's good photo taking ability we made sure that Ormond Beach was thinking of Kenley as well.  Here is a link to her story in Carepages.com (http://www.carepages.com/carepages/WilsonFamily), and I encourage you all to read and pray for Kenley in the coming weeks!

Wednesday is going to be an adventure as we will actually be going to Orlando for a trip to the water park, always a good time!  Please check back in a few days for more blogs!

Vacation Day Part 1

So vacation started off fast!  And by fast, I mean I was being chased!  Let me back up a little.  We started out on Friday afternoon from Ohio heading for Ormond Beach, Fl (directly north of Daytona Beach).  My wife, our son, and my wife's parents all gathered into our Trailblazer for the trip down. 

On Friday, as we could not check into our hotel at the beach until Saturday, we took our time and enjoyed the drive.  Well, I enjoyed the drive, they slept, which was okay by me as a quiet car, is a happy car!  We managed to make it to Watersboro, South Carolina and decided to stop for the night at the Sleep Inn.  Let me give the Sleep inn some props as the room was nice and clean, the shower was nice, and the breakfast was good (and free!). 

The next morning, I awoke at 5:30 and could not fall back to sleep, thus it was a good chance to go for a run.  Of course it was already 85 degrees outside but I slowly made my way down some random road.  As I made my way back, I got the runner's worst nightmare... loose dogs!  This is where the fast part of the vacation came into effect, as I got over the being scared out of my mind by the barking, I booked it as two big dogs came running my way.  Of course I am NOT fast, but I had fear on my side, and they were not as determined as I thought, and thus after about three house lots, they turned back. 

We got back on the road early and made our way down to Ormond Beach around 2:30 on Saturday.  The room wasn't quite ready, so it was time for us to put on bathing suits and head for the Beach!  Nothing could have made Tyler, our son, happier as he barrelled into the salty waters of the Atlantic.  An afternoon on the Beach is always welcomed after a long drive, but the real enjoyment was about to be had.

We all showered up and headed to our first journey for food.  As it is vacation, Krisi's mom has one stipulation... NO COOKING!  I am perfectly fine with this, as it means great seafood at awesome locations all week long.  The first night it was one of my favorites, The River Grille.  ( http://www.rivergrille.net/ ) The food is awesome, atmosphere is better, as you are sitting on the banks of the Tomoka River and can walk out on their docks and occasionally catch an alligator rummaging around.

After dinner it was back to the hotel for relaxation and bedtime.  A great way to start off the week!

Going on a Trip

So the person who inspired me to start blogging (the one and only Dustin Jarrett) is currently blogging on his trip that he is taking in the Northeast US. I love these kind of blogs, as I think it is so neat to follow along, especially as DJ is going to a bunch of Dirt Tracks in new states. I definitely encourage you to read DJ's blog and frequently, as I do; it is often insightful and hilarious.


Anyway, this has inspired me to attempt to blog about my upcoming vacation. I am a very lucky person, I have this amazing wife, with an amazingly cool family. And we are going to be heading to Ormond Beach, FL (if you are unfamiliar it is right next to Daytona Beach). My wife and her family have been making this journey on an annual basis for about 20 years. This will be my 2nd trip.

We will be packing Krisi, Tyler (our 3 yr old son), John and Debbie (Krisi's parents) and myself into our Trailblazer and heading down to the beach for a week. It is guaranteed to be a fun week of sunbathing, eating, adventure golf, sunbathing, eating, napping, sightseeing, eating and playing on the beach. I know, so I gain 20 pounds and get a sun tan, not much to talk about right? Trust me the adventure is always on, and I will try to take some good pics to help share the adventure.


Like I said in the beginning, I am just trying out this blogging this, so we will see how it goes. Check in later in the week for more updates, pictures, and who knows what else.


Oh, and dont forget to check in on DJ at http://dustinjarrett.blogspot.com.


~ The Wanderer

Late Night TV

When it comes to sleep I have two modes: Out Like a Light or Up All Night. Most nights, as my wife will tell you, I will lay down, say a few words and the next thing you know I am dead to the conscious world. If she is lucky the snoring will hold off until she falls asleep, if not, I am sure to wake up around 3am to find her on the couch.  She is a trooper and actually likes to kid me about my classic line "I am not even tired"... (3 seconds of conversation) and I am facing the other way dreaming about my 24 ft.open bow Sea Ray ( I will save that for another post).

On those nights I can't saw logs instantly, I frequently find myself, as many of you fellow insomniacs do, flipping through the channels.  First off my remote sucks (thanks DirecTV, hope you are enjoying my two yr contract... another post, sorry), but then I have my own method for attacking the channel surfing.   Start at channel 206, SportsCenter, and see if there is any game that is in the 4th quarter, late innings, final ticks of the clock, etc and finish that.  Or watch the Top 10 during the actual SportsCenter show.  If that fails its time to jump to skip the next40 channels (mostly infomercials... NOT A FAN!!!) and go straight to the movie channels: TNT, USA, FX, etc.  Now unless I am really lucky this is usually a bomb, and if I am really rouging it and have two Up All Nights in the same week, you know its the same movie.  I mean seriously of the 5 million movies that have been made over the past 100 years, you really cant find a new one for each of the 365 days of the year???  So, as usual when the movies are a bust its time to go to my favorite channels... Reality TV!

Give me any of it, if its drama I love to watch, even people who are obviously ACTING like its real drama I like to watch. All time favorite (at least fr the past couple years) Cake Boss, who doesn't like FONDANT?!!!  I can watch Buddy make anything, as I am right now.  I do always wonder how much of those cakes actually get eaten, I am guessing not a lot.  No Cake Boss, my next favorite is a combination of some somewhat similar shows American Pickers, Pawn Stars, all those auction shows.  They are all basically the same, people paying money for crap and then selling it for a profit!  Its great, sometimes you get some history lessons (another favorite of mine).  These are the shows I love to watch late at night. If all else fails I think there is always an episode of Friends playing on a channel somewhere 24/7, so that is a great fallback plan.  


This being my first blog, which is probably a pretty big #fail, I am getting tired of typing, so I guess I will stop.  If you thought this was good, or have your own thoughts.  Drop a line.  I know the blog page sucks now, but it will get better.  And hopefully the posts will get better too. In the meantime, when you can't sleep,hit up Buddy on TLC, I am sure he will be making something you have never seen before, and maybe if nothing else it will put you to sleep!


~Wanderer