After a rough year—2020 was a blur of baby-induced sleep-deprivation, COVID loneliness, and difficult personal growth—I’m having one of the best years of my life. Maybe it’s the simple pleasure of going outside without a mask. Maybe it’s the sense that I’m starting to get my life back now that Lily is a toddler. Whatever the case may be, I’m enjoying life now more than ever. The past few months have been packed with adventure and new experiences, and I’m looking forward to the future with optimism. Here’s a peek of what I’ve been up to since my last post.
Lily Finally Met Her Grandparents
The world shut down in March 2020, the week before our daughter Lily was born. My parents had to cancel their April trip to Florida, and met their first grandchild via FaceTime instead.
My parents and younger sister Rachel finally got to visit in March 2021, just two weeks shy of Lily’s first birthday. We had a blast exploring the theme parks, playing with Lily, and spending time together at the gorgeous Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. Lily and Grandpa shared a Dole Whip at Magic Kingdom. Rachel met Anna, Elsa, and Buzz Lightyear, three of her favorite Disney characters. My mom got to visit Morocco, her favorite pavilion at Epcot, and enjoy a relaxing hotel day with Rachel while the rest of us day-tripped up the coast.
I got to experience a lot of things for the very first time. I rode Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure with a surprisingly enthusiastic Rachel, who happy-screamed the whole time. Finally, I joined my Dad and husband on a surprisingly emotional visit to the Kennedy Space Center. And I finally got to eat at the Portofino Bay Hotel’s award-winning Italian restaurant, Bice. This trip paved the way for an incredible spring and summer packed with new experiences and time spent in our favorite places.
I Started Freelance Writing
This spring, I picked up a freelance writing job with Orlando Date Night Guide. It feels so good to apply my talents and contribute to a publication that I’ve admired for years. It’s wonderful to finally get paid for my work, and I feel more motivated than ever to carve out a career as a writer. My favorite thing about freelance writing is the ownership I have over my articles, and I’m already looking for more freelancing opportunities. This feels like the beginning of something much bigger, and I’m excited to see where I’ll be in a year or two.
Read my Orlando Date Night Guide articles here.
Adventures Near and Far
We visited so many new places over the past four months or so. We went glamping at Lake Louisa State Park, drove out to St. Pete to experience Van Gogh Alive! at the Dalí Museum, and explored more of our beautiful new city. I finally had a girls night with one of my best friends at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, and went out to eat at Bigfire Restaurant for the first time.
We also had a great time visiting some of our favorite places. We spent countless weekends at the Disney parks with Lily, and with every visit, there’s a new “first” for Lily. First Dole Whip, first time on the People Mover, first time seeing the tigers at the Maharajah Jungle Trek, and so forth. It’s especially fun now that she can walk and even run to the things that catch her eye, like a certain pink castle. We had a great time tasting our way around the 2021 Epcot Flower & Garden Fest, waving to Lily’s favorite characters at Hollywood Studios, and relaxing at various Disney resorts. Back home, we sat out back in the inflatable pool and grilled as often as possible. I typically dread summer days in Florida, but now I see them as an excuse to have a pool day and go relax in the sun.
I have so many fun new things already on the calendar for the coming months, and I’m excited to keep exploring and spending time with friends.
We Made Over Our Guest Room
I love working on home projects when I have some spare time. This year we finally tackled our third bedroom, converting it from a rarely-used storage room into a comfortable and stylish guest room. I painted every surface, including the ceiling, a clean bright white. Dan installed a ceiling light to brighten up the space, and a curtain rod with light-blocking curtains for privacy. We bought a new headboard and bedding. And most exciting of all, I completed my first furniture painting project! I took the black eight-drawer Ikea dresser from our old bedroom and painted it a gorgeous stormy sea blue. I love the end result! The finished product is definitely not perfect, but I’m proud of how everything turned out.
Between the fresh white walls, fun dresser, and sleek new ceiling light, the room looks much cleaner and more welcoming. I still want to add wall trim and additional décor to spice up the plain white walls. I’ll share the details of the project soon in a separate blog post.
More fun home projects: we got our lawn and landscaping in shape, finally eradicated our endless supply of weeds, wasps, and fire ants, installed two gorgeous pendant lights in the kitchen, upgraded our master nightstands, and refreshed our interior trim with two coats of bright white paint.
My Seester Visited Florida
Last month, my sister and her husband came to stay with us in Florida. They were the first guests to stay in our newly-furnished guest room! We spent three days at Universal Orlando, and rode the new Velocicoaster three times on our last day. What an incredible coaster. Our annual passes are blocked out for the summer, so Dan and I skipped the Magic Kingdom day. We made up for it with a fun day resort hopping between Disney’s Riviera Resort and the Epcot area resorts.
The worst part about living in Florida is being far away from my family, especially now that we are all growing older, getting married, and so on. It was so fun to catch up with my seester, get to know her husband a little better, and watch them play with sweet Lily. Baby girl just loved all the extra attention.
It feels good to be able to relax again after a rough year. I have so much more planned for the months ahead, and I can’t wait to share more soon! As always, you can follow my adventures on Instagram. Hope you all are having a great summer!
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