Char's LPC Florida Camp Highlights

• Watching the sun rise with a great cup of coffee - it's so quiet and peaceful - as if it's rising just for us. How lucky do we feel?
• Early bird swimming at the "Lazy River" - a 350m meandering pool - one of 8 outdoor pools at our resort Orange Lake Golf & Country Club. What a fun and unique place for a group swim, and against the current to boot! Great variety when combined with the pool and open water workouts we've had.
• Catching a cat-nap poolside - the sun feels so good and warm on my belly. Loving that Vitamin D time.
• Eating the best orange I've ever had - deliciously juicy and perfect.
• Shopping for dresses and other pretty girl things - Dad loves to spoil me :)
• Patio lunches with dad - wine is fine anytime frankly, and he is such good company. Yes, I'll have another - thank you.
• Challenging run on the Orange Grove Trail - the citrus smells are amazing, and the long gradual climbs make for a great workout.
• Wild-life spotting - so far: 8 cardinals (love them!), 2 turtles, 4 eagles, countless egrets, and 1 scary gator!
• Cycling, cycling, and more cycling - through cyprus tree overhang, up Sugar Loaf's steep slope, through beautiful Lake Louisa State Park - the exploring never stops. The first rides of the season are always sooooo sweet, and I'm loving every minute (even the 4 hr long ones!). Bum is feeling great thanks to the Mega Days!
• Amazing dinners with amazing company - perfectly grilled steak, delicious grouper, fresh mahi mahi (that's for you Janie - almost as good as St. Croix), and even gator bites!
• 1463 new freckles - at least - and counting. Gotta love em!
• Taking my absolutely gorgeous niece Annika swimming for the first time - I am IN LOVE people!! Not a single cry - just a face of serious exploration and wonder the whole time she's in the water with you. Unbelievable. And, yes, she WILL be a swimmer. You should see her little legs kick when you hold her - and she's got long legs and long narrow feet (flippers) just like her Auntie Cha Cha, so I see big things in her future! Next swim we're going to review "flip turns" - I'll keep you all posted on her progress :)
• Watching the sun set on the beach while finishing off my chocolate mint ice cream - I somehow forgot about this flavour for a while - funny how it took a trip to Florida to realize how much I love it.
• Having the time to fully relax and appreciate how lucky I am to have experiences like this, and to have friends like you to share them with - thank you :)