An Ode to My Mom

Super busy the past few days, because today is a HUGE day in my graduate school career, so much so that I've been dreaming of Friday (this Friday - today!) at 5pm for a few weeks.  Wish me luck & cross your fingers that I pass my big general exams!

In the meantime, remember when I did an Ode to My Dad?  Well I bet my Mom has been waiting ever since for her time to come, and that time is now!  I've been off visiting my Mom in Fort Myers, Florida this week for a few days after the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Orlando on Sunday, and we have been having a blast.  I am so lucky to have two extremely amazing parents!

She is the best and had planned many fun activities for the two of us.  I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation, it feels like I've been going non-stop since I landed in Orlando Friday night!  On Sunday after she picked me up in Orlando activities included searching for armadillos (we saw no armadillos) and hiking at a nature preserve.

Walking along the canopy tree-top walk.  That bridge was very rickety!

Although we didn't see any armadillos we DID see some alligators!

I was pretty much 100% certain I was going to witness this alligator demolishing that great blue heron.  I was terrified of it happening, but let's be honest, I'm human, a tiny part of me also kind of wanted to see it happen.  Don't tell anyone!  Luckily (or unfortunately), the heron and the alligator must be the unlikeliest of best friends.  Just like the fox and the hound.  And all was well.

Another scary alligator.

On Monday our activities included biking about 18 miles on Sanibel island in somewhat of a "beach-crawl".  We searched for shells at I swear the best beach for shells in the world and contended with a flat bike tire.

Beaching it up!

Isn't it lovely?  I want to live here.  

Look at all those shells!  Seriously, there are just mounds and mounds of them.  

Just a small miniscule of the huge number of shells we took home.

My Mom is showing you how flat my bike tire is.

Isn't my Mom the best?!  THANKS FOR HAVING ME MOM!  Many more activities occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out about those!  Did you know I'm running ANOTHER half-marathon this weekend?  I told you I've been going non-stop.  

Isn't my Mom fabulous?  Isn't FLORIDA fabulous?  Have you been here?  Where did you go and what did you do?  Being here certainly makes me feel sorry for myself living in rainy cold Seattle.