Andrea's back!

After a four year hiatus, how fun it was to have Andrea back in Florida for a visit!  Between Covid, kids leaving for college, missions, etc. we had not been able to find a time that worked until now.  Ironically, I ended up catching Covid about a week before she arrived.  Seriously, to have made it to 2023 with never having Covid and then to get it right before she arrived seemed cruel. The funny thing is that the last time she was out, she had called me shortly before her arrival to alert me she was recovering from a case of shingles. Well, we didn't let that stop us then and as you can tell, we didn't let this stop us now, especially knowing I was probably through the most contagious part.  Thankfully, aside from feeling a little weak and tired at times, we had a great time and I wasn't responsible for contaminating anyone else! 

I had really been looking forward to taking Andrea to tube down Rock Spring.  I knew she would really enjoy it and the last time she was here I didn't even know about it so this was at the top of my list of places to take her to see.  There is such a peaceful vibe here too, at least until you come upon the alligator warning sign just before putting your tube into the water...

We spent the next day at this cool sculpture garden located on the grounds of the Wave Hotel in Lake Nona.  It was actually something Andrea stumbled upon and it reminded us of the sculpture garden we had done together years ago in Cincinnati. In addition to the grounds, the hotel is done up with all sorts of modern art which also reminded me a bit of the 21C hotel in Cincinnati. 

Here are just a few of the fun pieces on display, some of which hopefully will bring "good luck"... ha!

Finally, we made it to the beach! I guess the third time is the charm since it took Andrea three visits to Florida before we made it!  We went to Wilbur by the Sea, one of my favorite beaches on the east coast of Florida and it never disappoints.  Sadly, as you can see there was still plenty of damaged beach front homes that had yet to be renovated after last year's hurricane.

Andrea is definitely one of those girlfriends that make up for the sister I never had.  I feel so lucky to count her as one of my close friends. We have so much in common and no matter how much time has passed between seeing each other, we always pick up right where we left off and have a great time together.  Now Nova and I will countdown for the next meet up, hopefully in Utah next year!