Photos from Saturday Bike Ride...

Ok, I think this is the last of the photos...for awhile at least. :P

Dad and I went on a bike ride around the island this morning. Stopped at a cute little bakery/cafe/gift shop called Ginny's & Jane E's....I would love to own a place like this one day! I got this cherry berry muffin and Dad got a cranberry orange scone. Pretty tasty!

Saw these cute bottle cap magnets while we were there! I plan on going back and getting one! I'm sure Jennica will want one too.....She also has an obsession with magnets...hehe.

Well, I suppose I should get outside and enjoy the sunshine! But first, a Diego Update:  He's had two different interviews for a maintenance position at an apartment complex in Lakewood, California. He's schedule to have a third interview on Monday---this time with corporate. So it's looking pretty likely that he will be offered the job. He would rather do electrical over general maintenance, but it does sound like a good deal. We would get a two to three bedroom as a part of the deal. They run for $1400 to $1800 so that would be nice. We'll see what happens though.....

A few more photos......

On Friday we went over to this little restaurant called The Salty Dog over in Sarasota. It had been featured on Man vs. Food because of the salty dog---a hot dog dipped in batter and then fried. My mom loves this place! Jennica and I had never been there before so Mom and Dad took us over there on our way to town. The food was pretty good and there was a nice waterfront view. Mom let me try a bite of her salty dog and it was pretty good!  Here are a couple photos from the restaurant:

We went back over to the produce market to get some strawberries. Ended up getting a watermelon too! Strawberries and shortcake are a Florida tradition! We used to come down here almost every spring during spring break, right when the strawberries are in season. So we would always have them for dessert when we were down here.

Another tradition-- we would always take a trip over to Mixon's Orange Grove. They have the best orange juice and we would always get an orange flavored ice cream cone! yummalicious! These are the two souvenirs that I bought while at Mixon's:

I'm becoming slightly obsessed with cute, retro looking owls and had to buy this owl candle! Too cute! Jennica and I both bought a Mixon magnet. I love magnets! If I'm going to buy a souvenir, I usually go towards the magnets over the keychains. I think magnets are so cute...;)

A picture of yahoo's tribute to the Royal Wedding yesterday. Yes, I did wake up and watch it...:P I happened to wake up at 5, so I stayed up until a little after 7 watching the coverage on CNN...(Have I mentioned that I love and adore Anderson Cooper ;) hehe ) Anyways, I thought the actual ceremony was dry and absolutely boring. It literally put me to sleep a couple times...:p But I do love William and Harry...( I used to have a crush on William when I was way younger)...kate looked absolutely gorgeous! I loved the lace on her dress and her veil!

Photo Review

More photos from this past week....

View from Beach Cafe on Wednesday...it was a beautiful sunset! We were a little worried at first because it had been kind of cloudy that day, but it turned out wonderfully! I love Florida sunsets! :)

My yummy mangoes that we bought at the produce market! Sooo delicious! I absolutely love and adore mangoes! They're probably my favorite fruit ever. I had never even tried one before I met Diego, so I've only been eating them for three or four years now. I can't imagine a world without them..haha ;P

Jennica and my Dad....waiting for a table @ the BeachHouse Restaurant on  Thursday night....One of my absolute favorite restaurants on the island. Not necessarily because of the food (although they have this amazing pineapple coconut bread) but because of the atmosphere and view. It's right on the beach and there's always a nice breeze. I like to go here right at dusk...it's great! They always have a wedding going on, and it's a very popular place. My dad says the seafood is really good too....I've never really tried it though because I'm not a fan of seafood.

View from our table at the BeachHouse....love it! :)

Some photos

Well, I haven't written in a couple days, so I thought I should update. I'm going to add some different photos that I've taken over the past few days...

On Wednesday, Mom, Dad, and I went on a bike ride to the north tip of the island. I absolutely love the beach on that end! It's gorgeous! Saw a man catch a baby shark, which was pretty cool! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it....

Another view of the north end taken during our bike ride....

This photo of my dad was taken at the Beach cafe. We ate there for dinner on Wednesday night. It's right on the beach and has an absolutely gorgeous view of the sunset!

Fun in the Sun....

Too much fun perhaps? I have a really bad sunburn...it's so extremely painful! On Sunday I got a sunburn on my chest, so I've been wearing a tank top to cover it a bit. Well, I guess it's not helping all that much.  Today (tuesday) the burn on my chest worsened and I have a sunburn on my neck and shoulders/upper arms.  My mom was putting aloe vera on my neck/shoulders for me and when she just lightly touched my right arm/shoulder it was so intensely painful. I hope I don't get blisters. :( ouch! My bottom lip is also super sunburnt. I guess I've learned my lesson...from now on I will remember to re-apply sunscreen after I get out of the pool!

Having gorgeous weather down here. There was not a cloud in the sky today! Had a very relaxing day by the pool then we went to the Beachside Cafe for dinner and to watch the sunset. There was live music, a nice breeze, wonderful island atmosphere and excellent company. ;)

Jennica and I have been trying to map out our road trip to Cali. It's only about five weeks away, so we need to get it planned and book hotel rooms.  We were trying to find a room iin Monument Valley--there are two different hotels with gorgeous views, but everything was booked up. :( Even the hotels in Keyenta, AZ (the town right outside Monument Valley) seem to be pretty well
booked up. I'm anxious to get these hotel rooms taken care of because I know it can get pretty busy out there in the summertime with everyone taking vacations.  Although, with these outrageous gas prices, maybe people won't be traveling as much.  I'll try to post our itinerary once we have it finalized. I think it's going to be a five to six day trip and we're making quite a few different stops along the way! I'm really excited about it! I think it will be great sister bonding time....last time we went on a road trip together was in 2007 when we went to the East coast. That was a really fun trip! We made lots of good memories! 

Well, I suppose I had better get to bed! I'm hoping to get up early-ish and go for a bike ride. G'nite all!

We made it to.....

Florida! Yay! I flew down here with my mom, dad, and Jennica. Our flight was at 5:30 am CST on Saturday morning so we had to get up at an ungodly hour. I think my alarm went off at 1:20 am. We left the house at around 2:30 or so. Had to drive down to Indy, parked the car at some car lot, took the shuttle to the airport, checked our luggage, went through security, stopped at a shop to get some water and magazines. We had only been sitting down for five minutes and they started boarding us, so we really had no time to spare. There had been some bad storms, so they re-routed us which was supposed to take an extra 30-40 minutes, but we made it on time. Landed in Florida at 8:45am EST. I made the mistake of falling asleep on the plane and so I was absolutely exhausted for the remainder of the day. Well,everyone else was too, but I think it's worse when you fall asleep for a short time and so then you're even sleepier. haha.

It was a jam packed day--we couldn't get into the house until noon/1ish, so we ran around and did a bunch of errands. Stopped at Bob Evans for breakfast, went over to the flea market to pick up some strawberries and tomatoes, went over to Mixon's Fruit Farm to get oranges and orange juice, drove to the island, picked up the key, unloaded everything, drove back to Bradenton and went to Walmart, ate at Boston Market.  The island is absolutely is sooo busy, probably because it's Easter weekend. I've never seen it this busy before, everything is absolutely packed! I hope they all go away after today, haha. I don't like large crowds of people....

Time for a Diego update: on Friday he drove probably around 22 hours straight.  He made it from Temple, TX all the way into California. He spent Friday night/Saturday morning at some hotel just past the Cali state line.  On Saturday, it was a four hour drive into L.A. He made it home safely and is not readjusting to life back at the Robles house.....

Well, that's it for now. I think I'm going to go outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Happy Easter,everyone! :)

Boston Market

IMAG0071, a photo by kylee.cooper,robles on Flickr.

My delicious dinner at Boston Market. Why oh why did they have to close the one up in Merrillville? This is one of my fave places to eat at....

Flea Market Photo

IMAG0066, a photo by kylee.cooper,robles on Flickr.

Produce at the Flea Market in Florida

Goodbye is Not Forever (Man, what a morbid sounding title! haha)

My dad helping Diego clean his truck for the trip.

Diego with his food for the trip.

Our final glimpse as he drives off....  :(


Diego left on his cross country trip to Cali yesterday morning.  Mom made a giant farewell breakfast---french toast and scrambled eggs. It was a sad goodbye. :(  He ended up leaving a little later than planned and didn't get on the road until about 10:30 Central time.  His goal was to get down to Temple, Texas, which is like a 16 hour drive, because he has a friend that lives down there. I was a little doubtful that he could drive it all in one day, but he did it. He got there around 5:30 am. I think. I'm quite impressed because I don't think that I could drive that long without a break! But I guess he's used to it since he drove a truck for awhile and was always helping his dad drive for their produce business out in Cali. Anyways, he spent the day chillaxin with his friend JR and he'll be leaving bright and early in the morning. I looked up directions on google and he still has a 23 hour drive ahead of him!

So that's the Diego update....As for me, I spent the day in Laffy sorting through boxes and papers. I have so much junk that I need to get rid of! I filled up two bags of trash and have a pretty good sized pile of things for the garage sale which we will hopefully be having in a few weeks! Jennica helped me sort through my things up in Rensl last night and I have a bunch of boxes full of things for garage sale also! So, I feel like I'm making progress! :) Honestly, I think I could easily become a hoarder! haha  Mainly because of all the papers and different items that I associate with memories---I never want to get rid of these things because they trigger past memories. I think it runs in the family though so at least I'm not alone. haha I think it's a sickness :P

Well, that's all for now. Good night all! :)

My Mood= Sad ;(

It's been a very melancholy day today. Diego is supposed to leave for Cali in the morning. I'm feeling really sad about it all. I'm not looking forward to this six week separation. Everything has just been up in the air and we have no definite plans and I'm really just hating it.  This whole move to Cali is becoming very real. I think that the most difficult part is Diego going out early. I'm sure that it's probably for the best because he will get to spend some time with his family and readjust to thing there, but I really wish that we could have gone out together. Ah well, nothing much I can do about it now. I guess six weeks isn't THAT long, right?

On a brighter note, we went down to Kentucky over the weekend and visited Carra! Had a really fun time! She has a nice place with the cutest little front porch! Jennica, Diego, and I drove down in Jennica's car and then Kristina and Bryan drove down in their car. I hadn't been down there in six or seven years! I enjoyed spending time with everyone---we made a lot of good memories! The most memorable experience was probably the hotel. Never stay at the Howard Johnson's in Nicholasville, Kentucky! We ended up leaving and spending the night at Carra's. haha

Stopped by Bryan and Kristina's new place in Greenwood on the way home. We ended up eating at Noble Roman's. Jennica and I have been wanting to eat there forever....there used to be one in Lafayette near the mall. I have so many memories of our trips there with mom, dad, and Jennica. My dad would take Jennica and me there every Christmas when we were shopping for Mom. Good times!  The Stewies were wanting to see Diego before he left, so we ended up driving up to Peru to visit them. We had a nice visit and Aunt Key served us up a feast. Didn't get home until after midnight. It was an extremely long day, but it was fun!

Well, that's it for now. Diego and Dad just came in from the garage. Looks like they finished cleaning and packing up the truck. G'night.

Spring is here!

Flowers that my Mom and Dad gave me for my Birthday....They're absolutely gorgeous!

 A bird sitting outside the kitchen window when I walked downstairs this morning. haha He was just perched up on the ledge.

Love this Quote

 

“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently.” Bill Watterson

Things, They are A-Changing....

Diego found out last week that he was hired on by a lighting company out in California.  So, it looks like he will be heading out there next week sometime.  The job offer is definitely an answer to prayers and I am extremely grateful because I had no clue how we were going to transition out there.  But, at the same time, it's so very sad.  :( This move is finally becoming a reality and I'm not liking it at all.  Change doesn't come easy for me and I often resist it....this change will be even more complicated because Diego and I are going to separated for approximately five to six weeks.  I have a lot of things to finish up here in Indiana and will then be moving out there in late May/early June.  Things are going to be SO busy all the way up until the move, so maybe I won't even have time to miss Diego...lol.  :P Here's a list of upcoming activites:

April 14: Meeting with Ms. Avery (Mentor teacher from Key)
April 16 +17: Visit Carra in Lexington, Kentucky
April 18: Dinner at Billy Bob and Beth's House
April 20/21: Diego leaves for Cali
April 23-May 1st: In Florida with the familia
May 7: Garage Sale
May 8: Mother's Day
May 14: My Graduation from Purdue!!!!
May 21: Wedding Dress Shopping with Kristina
May 28 or 30: My Graduation/Going Away Party
Beginning of June: Jennica and I begin our roadtrip to Cali

In between, I also have to finish my online class (It has to be submitted by June), pack, get things ready for the garage sale, apply for jobs in Cali, try to find an apartment in Cali, take a CPR class, spend time with my family, and I want to exercise/get in shape. :sigh: I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But instead of complaining, I guess I'll just try and be grateful for this opportunity.  L.A. is definitely not my top choice for places to move, but I'll try to keep a positive attitude and an open mind.  I really am looking forward to living in a new place and experiencing a new way of life. It seems like we've been talking about this move forever, but now the moving date is just way too close for comfort.  I'm beginning to get anxious! In spite of the anxiety, I have a peace that everything will be okay. I know there must be something in California for me. I just have to find it. 


 

A New Start

Yesterday was my 28th birthday. I am now officially an old woman. :P As Jennica and Mom keep reminding me, I am now closer to 30 than 25. I am in my LATE 20's. Augh! I feel like my life is passing me by. So I have decided that I want to make a life change. I always talk the talk, about wanting to truly experience life, but now I want to walk the walk. As one of the changes, I have decided that I want to start a blog. I have talked about it for a long time,but just never really got around to it. I want to begin documenting my daily events--the things that are happening in my life. This blog is for myself, my friends and family, and anyone else who might run across it.

I feel that now is a particularly good time to begin, especially since I will soon be relocating to California. I'm not quite sure what direction my blog will take. I want to document my daily events, my thoughts, my interests, and also have a daily photo. Some of my interests involve: baking/cooking, travel, teaching.

I have a lot happening the next few months, but I will do my best to update every few days.