New Flooring Project

Marci and I saved for around 6 months in preparation for, what atleast I consider to be, the last major update to our home. New roof… check, new AC… check, new appliances… check, new flooring… under construction!

Floors Direct has a crew on site today laying new laminate flooring in our living room, hallway, and bedrooms as well as new tile in our kitchen, foyer, bathrooms and back porch and I have to tell you, these guys are busting it out.

To get ready for the install, this weekend I ripped out the old sinks and cabinets in our master bath and found out that the entire dam wall to our walk in shower was completely rotten. Thank goodness for my dad who was kind enough to come over and instruct me on how to build a new one so as to not impeed progress on the flooring installation. Needless to say, instead of just replacing the sinks and toilet and then coming back to the shower remodel, we now have a full master bath to remodel, so, maybe I spoke too soon about that “last major update.” Maybe I should just say that the flooring is the most dramatic update. However, we plan on renovating the bathroom ourselves rather than hiring in a crew. I am sure with my dad’s instruction and assistance, we will soon have a kick butt master bath to match!

Anyway, here are some pics showing the progress HERE.

Fred Howard Park to Anclote Key

Marci and I paddled from Fred Howard Park to Anclote Key as part of our birthday extravaganza this year. The morning started out very overcast and we were afraid we would get rain. The paddle consisted of a 3 mile open water crossing, which was calm this monday morning. We arrived after about 45 minutes of paddling with a short break to do some fishing from the kayaks and found that we had the island all to ourselves! We took a brief walk to the lighthouse and found that the mosquitos were very hungry. Since we had not applied bugspray, the time spent at the lighthouse consisted of a quick picture and a much faster walk back to the beach.

After setting up a makeshift sun shelter, Marci found a happy spot to read her Kindle and I found a fishy looking spot by the dock to do some fly fishing… it’s what we do. The overcast conditions meant great fishing in the morning and I caught several grunts and a nice sized trout.It seemed that the white on white clouser minnow tied on a size 2 hook with 5/32 dumbell eyes was the fly of choice today.

I also saw tarpon attacking bait and even a manatee right off shore. Marci spent her time reading “The Yearling” and was quite content reading and taking pictures of the sandpiper who had a home in the roots of a downed tree nearby.

The wind picked up and knocked down the tarp shelter while I continued casting in to the bait pods. Marci took it upon herself to rig up a much better shelter which was soon needed as the sun burned off the low lying clouds. With the high sun and tidal shift, the bite soon died down and I found myself ready for a beer and a dip in the cool water. We brought snorkeling gear, but found the area off the beach in front of the lighthouse to be pretty merky. We enjoyed a nice swim while watching sea gulls dive in to the bait pods.

We retreated from the sun under the shelter and had a wonderful lunch that consisted of chicken salad, cheese, crackers, jerky, and of course another beer. We figured it was around noon as we listened to the coast guard radio looking for a vessel that had made a Pan Pan call, a call that we did not originally hear. We decided to check the time and found it was actually around 3:00! Time flies when you are relaxing.

The breeze had died down as we started our crossing back to Fred Howard. It was blazing hot and Marci and I both kept dipping our hats in the water to try to keep cool. The paddle back seemed to take a while longer, but, we made it and decided to take a dip at the park before packing it all up and heading back to Innisbrook.

Check out more pics HERE

Backyard is ready for Spring!

Chad and I planted our garden today. Includes lemongrass, 5 kinds of basil, lavender, parsley, cilantro, dill, cherry tomatoes, beans, serano peppers, jalpenos, and bell peppers! Now…. let’s see if they can GROW!

The Digital Negatives are here!

We just received a wonderfully packaged DVD from Mike & Ann | Visual Storytellers of all of the Digital Negatives from our wedding! There are some GREAT photos so, if you have not seen any of the previews over at mikebuoy.com, you are in for a real treat! They did such a great job capturing our special day. We hope that you enjoy viewing all of them as much as we have.

P.S. If you would like any prints, just let us know!

Bridal Prep	Bride & Bridesmaids	Groom & Groomsmen
First Look	Group Formals	The Ceremony
Reception	Reception / Dancing	Reception / Photobooth

Silver River Kayak Trip

Absolutely awesome day on the Silver River! Marci and I experienced some classic, “old Florida” today. A 10 mile trip this beautiful day on a crystal clear river, alligators EVERYWHERE, wonderful birds around every corner, and FREAKING MONKEYS! I have lived in Florida all of my life and have never been to Silver Springs. Paddling the Silver River definitely ranks in my top 5 day trips to date. For more pics CLICK HERE.

Our Wedding Album

We have decided on the final layout for our wedding album! The Buoy’s are giving the pictures the final “white glove” treatment, and then it’s off to the publisher. We expect to have our DVD with all of the digital negatives by the end of the month and the album in hand, one to two months following. You can take a look at the final layout below. Use the arrows to view the album within the page or, click our pictures to go Full Screen.

Wekiva to Buffalo Tram

Wekiva River adventure last weekend – went to Buffalo Tram campsite, it is about 2 hours kayaking downstream from the state park, we had lunch and made a day of being outside. The weather was overcast, but we were the only ones on the river for hours. There is NOTHING like being in nature with the silence and solitude – great day!

HERE are a few more pics.

Birthdays at Cedar Key!

My birthday is September 20 and Chad’s is September 21. How lucky! We make birthdays a big deal! This year, we took a trip to Cedar Key, Florida, a sleepy little coastal town near the panhandle. The main key, Cedar Key, is surrounded by smaller key islands, perfect for fishing and pulling up for lunch and a swim. We, of course, took the kayaks and spent 3 days on the water. Dolphins, tortoises, and turtles came to visit near our kayaks. We ate the famous sweet clam chowder at Tony’s and had a few fun drinks at the local bar, Coconuts. We both caught fish – it was a great get-away right before the wedding. Happy Birthday to us!!!

Check out our pictures from Cedar Key – http://www.chadandmarci.com/pictures/?album=10

Pictures from our “Getting to Know You” Session

We just received our digital copies of the pictures that Mike and Ann Buoy took on our “Getting to Know You” session with them. This session was a lot of fun! Mike and Ann basically joined us on a date and brought along their cameras. The results are organic and beautiful! Along with being a wonderful addition to our BLOG’s photo gallery, these pictures will be used to create a custom guest book for our wedding. We are definitely going to be ordering a couple of prints for the home and office as well.

Great job Buoy’s! I have said it before and I will say it again, you guys are the best wedding photographers in Orlando.

If you have never seen any of Mike and Ann’s other work, you have to check them out at http://www.mikebuoy.com/ .

Check out our pictures HERE.

Our Maiden Voyage…. on NEW Kayaks!

Chad and I bought kayaks yesterday and took them for an inaugural spin on Lake Virginia in Winter Park. We bought a blue one for me and a yellow one for Chad. He is already referring to his kayak as, “my other blond!” I thought he should name it, “The Banana Hammock” – the verdict is still out. : ) Mine is named Blue Belle. They are the new Hobie Revolution kayaks with a Mirage drive. This means we have a pedal in the center of the boat that allows you to choose – pedal OR paddle! It also has a rudder on the back for steering. These are prefect for fishing, you can easily pedal with your feet and have your hands completely free to FISH!

Yesterday, our maiden voyage took place on Lake Virginia in Winter Park. We paddled around the Winter Park chain and explored all the possible fishing holes. Then this morning, we went out again to Lake Virginia with our poles and spent a few hours tackling some bass.

The kayaks are a great way for us to get exercise, get outdoors, and explore our beautiful state. We have already planned a trip in December to camp at a few new sites. Now, we have the kayaks to spend our camping time on the water. Between fishing, paddling, and pedalling - we have decided these are our new way to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy being together.  

To check out the pictures, CLICK HERE.