Spring Break 2009: Part II (Sarasota and a Helicopter Ride!)

Continuing on my brain vacation/last year's Spring Break recap...

After the space shuttle launch, Brian and I drove across the state of Florida to Sarasota and spent the last half of our vacation on the beach! Sarasota was the first place I have seen SUCH blue water. It was absolutely beautiful! It is such a cute little town with some great shopping and cute restaurants too, which was obviously a bonus!

My idea of a perfect vacation involves a lot of laying out in the sunshine, and we certainly did plenty of that. For lunch one day, we broke out Brian's trusty grill and made hot dogs right by the water.

One morning, we got up before the sun to look for sand dollars. Even though we didn't find any, it was really cool to be on the beach and watch the sun come up with no one around!

We had a couple of amazing dinners on the water, including one at The Sandbar...

...and watched some of the most breathtaking sunsets!

Brian calls this picture the "Buzzer Beater," because he snapped it just before the sun dipped below the horizon. Such a clever boy, that one.

This trip was really the first time Brian and I were able to spend an extended period of time together, 24/7...long periods of time in the car, unable to escape from one another (haha, just kidding...kind of). Anyway, I could not have loved it more! It was a short trip, but I really feel like it is one of the times we grew together the most in the past two years.

On the drive home, we decided to stop in Orlando and take a sightseeing helicopter ride over all of the amusement parks! Obviously I love airplanes, but this love extends to pretty much any type of aviation, so I could not have been more excited!

It was a quick ride, but it was really cool to see all of the Orlando sights from up above.

Plus, I look pretty good decked out in flying gear, right? :)

Such a great vacation, and it makes me smile to remember it. I can't wait for the next one!