Lunch before breakfast!

Marci and I are out at our favorite campsite (Princess place) this weekend. The weather was beautiful last night and we slept well with a cool breeze blowing off the river through our mesh screened tent. I woke with the sun and grabbed the fly rod. Caught lunch before I even had breakfast.

More pics HERE.

Chad

FREEEEEEDDDDOOOOMMMMM!

It was a little more than two years ago when I read Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover” and it changed the way I looked at money and debt forever. Unbeknownst to Marci, I had already made the decision that I wanted to marry her, and if I was going to do that, I knew it was time to make some changes in the way I treated money. Soon after reading The Total Money Makeover, I paid off my credit card and stopped using it. I then secretly started saving for an engagement ring.

After getting engaged, I turned Marci on to Dave Ramsey and she soon read his books as well. She quickly came on board. Since then, she stopped using her credit cards, paid off her car and we cash flowed our wedding and honeymoon.

After the wonderful excitement of the wedding and honeymoon was complete, we tightened our belts again and hit our final debt with a vengeance, our Mazda. The Mazda is the 3rd new car I have bought in my life. This is the first time I will have a Title in my hands! We made the last payment today… nearly 2.5 years EARLY!

Today is the day we became debt free (except for the house of course.) FREEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!

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.

Withlacoochee/Rainbow River Camp and Kayak Weekend

Click here for photos!

Chad and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend paddling with the Florida Sport Paddling Club. We headed to Dunnellon on Friday and set up camp right after night fall. It was bone chilling cold, the temp got down to 27 degrees by the morning! After setting up camp, we made a late dinner of burgers and lipton noodles. Then, off to sleep in our cozy tent, aptly equipped with a small heater (thank you, Chad, for making the run to get that heater earlier tin the week!).

We awoke Saturday morning to a frigid morning, but as we got moving, the bite of the cold wore off and gave way to a gorgeous morning. We loaded the gear and headed to our kayak drop off on the Withlacoochee River. After shuttling back with the club, I rejoined Chad and off we went down the magnificent river. We paddled for many hours, enjoying the quiet, the fresh air, the serenity of being in nature and clearing your mind. We stopped at a clearing in the woods for a short lunch break, then headed back out on the water. We were on the water about 5 hours on Saturday, I give total credit to the fitness level of this club, they paddled for so long and kept a great pace – and did not complain once about aches or pains. I think it was the scenery, you just cannot feel bad in such a perfect place!

We finally landed at our finish mark and loaded the kayaks. While many of the club members wanted to catch an early dinner, we wanted to get back to the campsite and enjoy the down time and have a nice cocktail. For dinner, we made tortellini and pasta sauce, a favorite of ours when we camp. The night was capped by a gift exchange among the group, we laughed together, shared stories and cider, and kicked back after a long paddle. The tent was calling my name and we were sleeping soundly by 10!

Sunday morning brought a close to many of the group member’s  weekend. Many had long drives and decided to pack up and head out early. We, on the other hand, wanted to spend another glorious day on that water! Staying at the Rainbow Springs park allows free access to the boat launch. We loaded our gear and headed upstream to Rainbow Springs, about a 2 mile paddle. Arriving at the spring, it was quiet and free of the usual throngs of swimmers. The cold weather meant we had a spring all to ourselves! We took great pictures and enjoyed the clear waters.

We decided to drift back to our launch point, and fish along the way! Chad chose to fly fish, while I chose spin. Neither of us had any luck, I think the fish were stunned from the cold! Either way, it was a great time to practice casting.

After we arrived at our launch site, we had some lunch by the river, then packed up our gear for a ride home. What a spectacular weekend, great new friends, beautiful scenery, a perfect Florida weekend!

Sneak Peek Slideshow

The Buoy’s have posted our Sneak Peek Slideshow. You can check it  out HERE!

Our Honeymoon Video

Here is our compilation of pictures and videos from Cayo Espanto! There are so many wonderful pictures, how could I NOT create a video montage set to cool, relaxing, loungey music? : )

There are a total of 6 High Definition video/ photo shorts, totaling around 20 minutes in all. You can select 720p on the player and watch in full screen for the best experience. So grab a cocktail, sit back, and join us on a video and pictorial journey through our week in paradise!