St. Augustine: A Tradition
I am very, super, incredibly into traditions. When I was a kid, I would look forward to the predictability of holiday celebrations, seeing family at certain times of the year, and knowing that at Christmas, my grandma would buy us all the same thing, but just in a different color.
I love traditions so much that even when Josh and I first got married, we tried our best to keep up with all the things both our families would do for holidays- we were there for Christmas Eve food yummies and Christmas movie with Josh's family, we would spend the night at my family's house and sleep in the same room as all my siblings just like we did when we were kids. Anything either one of us had always done, we tried to make happen into our adulthood.
Even when we first had kids, we shuffled people EVERYWHERE not to miss a single thing.
The winter after Nolan and Judah were born, 2013-2014 was a polar vortex. It was snowy and FREEZING! For like the whole thing. With the exception of leaving for work, Josh and I barely left the house and Nolan and Judah hardly ever got outside. Those were long months. By the time March came around, we were about the lose it! We had an eight or nine foot tall mound of snow in the middle of our cul-da-sac and no end of winter in sight. We HAD to get out of there.
Josh began looking for anywhere we could go on spring break to help us get warm for a bit. Because it had been so cold, we were worried about going into Tennessee or South Carolina, etc... we needed to go all the way to Florida. While using Google Maps, Josh literally went all up and down the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean looking for cities to try- somewhere we'd never been, somewhere unique, somewhere maybe not super crowded or touristy with spring breakers, somewhere we could easily get to. Because it was March, it wasn't the easiest to find places to stay. It was looking like our escape from the shut-in life might not happen and then he found St. Augustine!
I knew nothing about that city- I didn't even know it existed.
Though research, I learned it was the oldest city in America founded in 1565- that's 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and 42 years before Jamestown, Virginia was founded! Because of this, it had a few old sights including a fort and an old Spanish church that Josh knew I would dig. I also learned that was where the Fountain of Youth was! It also had beautiful beaches and some of those awesome moss trees. I was hooked, I was in!
We booked a condo across from a public beach and started packing immediately! Our first big vacation as our new little family!
Nolan and Judah, at almost 11 months old, "enjoyed" their first flight, spent hours moving furniture around on the balcony, played in the pool, touched the ocean for the first time, and enjoyed endless walks downtown and around our condo complex. Even though I swore I'd never go anywhere ever again (taking two kids, all their gear, and two carseats around an airport was an act of pure torture), it was magic and heaven.
Fast forward two years later, when Carter was 11 months old, we were packing up our car this time to head back to St. Augustine- our first long drive as a family. People thought we were absolutely insane- you're driving 16 hours with three kids under three?! Why yes... yes we were.
Our car was packed floor to ceiling, we were singing along to Folly and the Hunter, and we couldn't WAIT to head back to the same condo complex and the quiet town of St. Augustine. We enjoyed all the things above as well as visiting the gator park, pulling the fire alarm (thanks, Nolan), and spending lots of time at the playground across the street. We hadn't really meant to go there again, but it turned out to be the best option so why not?
Here we are today... it's about to be spring break again...I have another little guy going to be 11 months old...
Do you see where I'm going with this?? :)
In the fall, we had already began talking about what the rest of our school year might look like- my parents and sisters were wanting to take a trip altogether in February, taking a trip to Disney came up, we got another polar vortex, etc. All the while, we just couldn't get St. Augustine out of our head- we had done it twice already when our babies were just exactly the age Preston was going to be...
Could we really NOT go there?!
SOOOOOOOOO
We looked around, saw a vacancy at the same condo complex... ;)
We leave for St. Augustine in less than a week.
This charming little city has turned into such a special place for us- a first vacation for our babies, the first place our kids touch the ocean, the place where we slow down, warm up, and just enjoy being a family.
We can't wait to take Nolan and Judah- this will probably be the first time they actually remember this place.
We can't wait to take Carter- our little fish who will no doubt spend hours and hours in the pool.
And we can't wait to take Preston- our last baby, to see all the sights his brothers have enjoyed before him, to move furniture around the balcony, to walk on the white sand (he will be the first 11 month old we are taking there that can WALK), to take stroller rides in the mornings downtown and evenings around the fountain at the condo complex.
Traditions are so important- they keep people grounded, keep family together, and create memories that stick. We never knew St. Augustine would be a tradition for our family, but we are so so thankful it is.
I love traditions so much that even when Josh and I first got married, we tried our best to keep up with all the things both our families would do for holidays- we were there for Christmas Eve food yummies and Christmas movie with Josh's family, we would spend the night at my family's house and sleep in the same room as all my siblings just like we did when we were kids. Anything either one of us had always done, we tried to make happen into our adulthood.
Even when we first had kids, we shuffled people EVERYWHERE not to miss a single thing.
The winter after Nolan and Judah were born, 2013-2014 was a polar vortex. It was snowy and FREEZING! For like the whole thing. With the exception of leaving for work, Josh and I barely left the house and Nolan and Judah hardly ever got outside. Those were long months. By the time March came around, we were about the lose it! We had an eight or nine foot tall mound of snow in the middle of our cul-da-sac and no end of winter in sight. We HAD to get out of there.
Josh began looking for anywhere we could go on spring break to help us get warm for a bit. Because it had been so cold, we were worried about going into Tennessee or South Carolina, etc... we needed to go all the way to Florida. While using Google Maps, Josh literally went all up and down the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean looking for cities to try- somewhere we'd never been, somewhere unique, somewhere maybe not super crowded or touristy with spring breakers, somewhere we could easily get to. Because it was March, it wasn't the easiest to find places to stay. It was looking like our escape from the shut-in life might not happen and then he found St. Augustine!
I knew nothing about that city- I didn't even know it existed.
Though research, I learned it was the oldest city in America founded in 1565- that's 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and 42 years before Jamestown, Virginia was founded! Because of this, it had a few old sights including a fort and an old Spanish church that Josh knew I would dig. I also learned that was where the Fountain of Youth was! It also had beautiful beaches and some of those awesome moss trees. I was hooked, I was in!
 |
| Magnolia St. |
We booked a condo across from a public beach and started packing immediately! Our first big vacation as our new little family!
Nolan and Judah, at almost 11 months old, "enjoyed" their first flight, spent hours moving furniture around on the balcony, played in the pool, touched the ocean for the first time, and enjoyed endless walks downtown and around our condo complex. Even though I swore I'd never go anywhere ever again (taking two kids, all their gear, and two carseats around an airport was an act of pure torture), it was magic and heaven.
 |
| Nolan and Judah- 11 months old taking an evening walk |
 |
| Our family of four at the ocean! |
Fast forward two years later, when Carter was 11 months old, we were packing up our car this time to head back to St. Augustine- our first long drive as a family. People thought we were absolutely insane- you're driving 16 hours with three kids under three?! Why yes... yes we were.
Our car was packed floor to ceiling, we were singing along to Folly and the Hunter, and we couldn't WAIT to head back to the same condo complex and the quiet town of St. Augustine. We enjoyed all the things above as well as visiting the gator park, pulling the fire alarm (thanks, Nolan), and spending lots of time at the playground across the street. We hadn't really meant to go there again, but it turned out to be the best option so why not?
 |
| Our family of five at the ocean! |
 |
| Nolan (almost 3), Judah (almost 3), and Carter (11 months) exploring the beautiful, historical, and charming downtown |
Here we are today... it's about to be spring break again...I have another little guy going to be 11 months old...
Do you see where I'm going with this?? :)
In the fall, we had already began talking about what the rest of our school year might look like- my parents and sisters were wanting to take a trip altogether in February, taking a trip to Disney came up, we got another polar vortex, etc. All the while, we just couldn't get St. Augustine out of our head- we had done it twice already when our babies were just exactly the age Preston was going to be...
Could we really NOT go there?!
SOOOOOOOOO
We looked around, saw a vacancy at the same condo complex... ;)
We leave for St. Augustine in less than a week.
This charming little city has turned into such a special place for us- a first vacation for our babies, the first place our kids touch the ocean, the place where we slow down, warm up, and just enjoy being a family.
 |
| St. Augustine Beach Pier |
We can't wait to take Nolan and Judah- this will probably be the first time they actually remember this place.
We can't wait to take Carter- our little fish who will no doubt spend hours and hours in the pool.
And we can't wait to take Preston- our last baby, to see all the sights his brothers have enjoyed before him, to move furniture around the balcony, to walk on the white sand (he will be the first 11 month old we are taking there that can WALK), to take stroller rides in the mornings downtown and evenings around the fountain at the condo complex.
Traditions are so important- they keep people grounded, keep family together, and create memories that stick. We never knew St. Augustine would be a tradition for our family, but we are so so thankful it is.
Comments
Post a Comment