We used to visit South Beach for spring vacations when my daughter was younger. We loved the vibe of the area and the Art Deco hotels. It was also an opportunity to spend some time in Little Havana and give my daughter a taste of Cuban foods, music, and more. This is a photo of my daughter and me in South Beach many years ago. She’s my mini-me! Also, don’t forget the South Beach Love giveaway ends tomorrow night!
A Happy Trip Back to Third Grade
While downsizing, I came across a photo of my third-grade class at P.S. 219 in Queens, NY. It was a happy trip back to those times since I’ve always loved school. It was also my last class in Queens since we moved to Levittown, Long Island where I started in the fourth grade.
I remember that dress well. It was one of my favorites because it made me look like a little flower. LOL!
That’s today’s Throwback Thursday! Don’t forget that my South Beach Love giveaway is still running at https://www.facebook.com/Caridad.Author/posts/10158065308960913.
A Happy Family Meeting
My hubby and I had an anniversary the other day and I thought I’d share this photo of the first big meeting of the parents once hubby and I realized that our relationship was going somewhere more permanent! Hubby and I are in the bottom left corner. From left to right are hubby’s dad, my dad, hubby’s mom, and my mom!
P.S. – Please drop by my Author Time chat on Thursday at 6 pm with the Belmar Public Library. You can join the Zoom session at https://zoom.us/j/91452521083 or watch the live stream at https://www.facebook.com/BELMARPUBLICLIBRARY/.
Fabulous Girls Weekend
We did an awesome mother/daughter girls weekend! We visited Longwood Gardens and then the next day we went to the Philly Flower Show.
The weather was hot, but we still had a wonderful time seeing all the flowers and gardens at the two locations. On Saturday we had a lovely lunch at the Chadds Ford Tavern and dinner at Il Granaio! Highly recommend both places if you’re in the area.
Sunday was all action day after we drove to FDR Park for the Philly Flower Show. This was the first time it’s been held outdoors since it’s normally at the Convention Center. Very different and I’m torn as to whether I prefer the indoor setting.
It was definitely great to be outdoors, but there were fewer of the big garden displays that they used to have indoors.
Regardless, we had a wonderful time and would definitely go again.
Here are some photos from our trip!
Happy visits to South Beach
When I was a child, we regularly visited Miami to see family and friends. Normally we’d go down during the summer months and boy was it hot and humid. We’d spend a lot of time in South Beach and Lummus Park. Back then it wasn’t a ritzy place to stay. In fact, at one point we stopped staying there since the area had gotten so rundown.
Flash forward twenty years and for a time we’d take my daughter there for spring break vacations. It was our way of exposing her to the Cuban culture we didn’t have where we were living and we always enjoyed going. We’d hang out on the beach, but also make time to visit Lincoln Road, Little Havana, or go to the Miami Seaquarium which was one of my favorite places from when I was a child.
My memories of those areas helped shape many of the scenes in South Beach Love.
This is a photo from one of my last trips to South Beach which was actually for a work conference. I was lucky enough to stay in the fabulous Loew’s Hotel, but we still made it a point to go to Lincoln Road and Little Havana. The conference even had an event at Monkey Jungle which was also a childhood favorite.
#ThrowbackThursday A Quinceanera!
In Latin tradition, girls are given a quinceanera, or Sweet 15, in order to celebrate their passage from girl to woman.
We had a quinceanera for my daughter with our family and close friends as well as a number of her friends. It was a lovely time and I think everyone had a blast!
Part of the tradition is that the women of the family, mom, aunts, grandmother and godmother, each present the young woman with a gift that symbolizes the passage. Things like earrings, bracelets, rings and other items that a woman would wear.
Here are some photos of my daughter, her godmother (my sister), her aunt, her grandmother and me doing that rite of passage.
Here is a photo of my daughter, hubby and me. If you believe in such things, you will notice the orbs that were present in this photo and many of the others. One friend who attended and is a sensitive said the place was haunted. It could be. We had the celebration in an old inn that has been around since 1843.
Reliving Memories at the Milleridge Inn
Hubby proposed to me at the Milleridge Inn and so it seemed natural that we have our wedding reception there. We had a small wedding, but the inn did a fabulous job of making it special.
When we heard that the property had been sold and the inn might be closing, we had to stop and have a meal there during a trip to Long Island. Of course, we had to stop and take this photo as well to commemorate the occasion!
