Coming back to work and getting back into the swing of things is always harder after a weekend at the beach.  We spent the last 5 days at our house in New Smyrna Beach and I’m not ready to be home yet.  

Near Daytona, New Smyrna Beach is a quiet, mostly seasonal and tourist type beach town.  We bought a house there a couple of years ago and we try to get there as much as possible - but it’s not nearly enough, of course!  This place, for me, is paradise!

With everything within walking or bike riding distance including the beach, the small downtown area, restraunts, Publix, etc. you really never have to get into your car.  We find ourselves completely obsessed with the outdoors while we are there.  At home our time is so limited that when we are there we like to spend as much  time outside in the beautiful sunshine as possible.  Malia loves to play on the beach and make sand castles.  This weekend Uncle Scott was the premiere castle builder and he and Brian even made her into a mermaid!  She looked soooo cute!

Uncle Scott and Aunt Nee Nee even tried paddle surfing!  Brian and I love paddle surfing and we both went out on Saturday - it was beautiful!  Scott and Denise both did really well for their first time on the boards! I think Denise would have stayed out all day if she wasn’t so afraid of being eaten by sharks! (I’m not making fun - I’m scared too!)  Other than Jill and Kevin, they were the first of our friends to try out paddle surfing and we were very impressed!

Anyway, the weekend was great and now we are back at it.  When is the next vacation?……….

We are so excited!!  My family has been invited to stay with friends at their Villa in Lucca, Italy for a week this summer!  What a treat!  None of us has been to Italy yet and what an exciting way to go.  We will be staying in a private Villa in Lucca for the week with Fred and Robin Cunningham and about twenty others of their family and friends, many whom we have never met.  Our good friends the Rofrano Family are going along on the trip as well so a few old friends and a few new ones - sounds like a party!  Let’s go!  I can’t wait!

I have been doing my research on the internet and I picked up several great books on Italy and a travel language CD as well - all at Amazon.com, of course.

Please leave comments if you have suggestions for sites to see or “Do Not Miss” stuff to see in Italy.