Travel Diaries: Friends and Family in Florida

One of the blessings of being stranded Stateside while I await my settlement visa for the United Kingdom has been the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends. Barry had to return to England to start graduate school and Roxy flew over safely a few weeks ago. I miss them like crazy! Although it has not been easy to be separated from my little family, I have had to accept the situation and make the best of this time (albeit reluctantly!).

Barry and I are so fortunate to have great friends and family on both sides of the pond, and this unique time in our lives has allowed us spend time with them. I have had such fun with my AMAZING nieces - being an Aunt is the best - as well as my bestie, Jen and her family(including my Godson). In addition, I've been able to enjoy long visits with my Dad who lives in Winter Garden. This morning I had the unexpected joy of having breakfast with an old friend from Chicago and her husband. Had I not been 'stuck' here, I would have missed out on so many opportunities to connect with loved ones!

And I can't forget about the animals - they are our family and friends too! Below are some pictures of some of our loved ones from this trip.....

With my dear friend Michelle

 Roxy is SUCH a great swimmer!

 Barry had a lot of fun at the shooting range with our friend Phil. Turns out my husband is a good shot!.

I had the opportunity to spend sometime with my bestie's parents at a vacation resort in Orlando. Here is Jen with Brad, her stepfather.

 Isn't she darling?? We invited our friends Mary and Dan , as well as their daughter Kara over for dinner and a little swimming. Kara loved the water, and I really enjoyed spending time with all three of them!

 Friends Michelle and Elaine. Love them!

Yup, our friend Phil is really cradling their Boston Terrier Rufus. 

I was fortunate to celebrate my 35th birthday with friends, and with this AMAZING homemade ice cream cake made by my bestie (Thank you Jen!) 

 Barry is trying to teach my Dad how to operate his laptop.

 My two favorite men, and the smartest people I know!

 I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with these two crazy kids, Tori and my Godson!

Sibling moment on the Jetty in Fort Pierce, FL.

 This is one of my sister's dogs, or Roxy's canine cousins, Clifford, who is the most loving retriever!

 My niece Sydney with one of their cats, Ceasar! Their kitties make me want to adopt a kittie....

Last weekend my nieces, along with Hailey's beau, and I made vision collages. Essentially they are visual reminders of what we want 5-10 years from now. They turned out amazing, and we had so much doing them!

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