Our First Real Vacation In A Looong Time!

For most who work 9-5 jobs, there is a solid distinction between work time and, let’s call it non-work time. In other words, they know what time they clock in every day and what time they clock out. There is a pretty clear line.

But for us? Not so much. Anyone who owns their own business knows (as we quickly found out), it’s almost impossible to have “working hours” and “off hours.” We have tried! We set up a schedule once. It lasted approximately 4 days. We do, however, know people who have done it and we applaud them vigorously! But it just doesn’t work for us for 2 reasons. First, we just aren’t built to have that kind of rigid schedule. That was one thing we couldn’t stand about 9-5 jobs. The second reason is that a business doesn’t run on your schedule. Running a business is a 24/7 job. There is a time for rest and a time for work, of course. But as a business owner, it all kind of runs together.

So when we have the opportunity to take a real vacation?!…we get excited! We don’t get a real vacation very often. And that’s not a complaint at all! We have opportunities that few have, such as a flexible schedule and ability to work while our dog keeps us company on the couch. But early this year, we decided it was time to get away.

Quick confession: We actually did a fair amount of work on this particular vacation anyway. Can’t stop, won’t stop, we’ll sleep when we’re dead. You know how it is. But hey. It also made it a business trip and keeps Uncle Sam’s hands off of a little bit of our money, right?

Fast forward to February 7th and we were on our way to Amelia Island, Florida! Yay!

Sunday: Amelia Island

When we first got there, we explored the resort. And what a resort it was! Our room had a view straight out over the golf course and then the ocean just beyond. We were in heaven! We made our way down to the pool…or should we say pools with an “s.” Of course, February is not ideal swimming time even in Florida, but they had gorgeous fire pits all around the pools so we could sit by the fire and enjoy the views! Rest assured, we will be back someday during warmer weather.

Monday: Amelia Island

The next morning we got up early (early for us, not like 4:30 or anything crazy like that) and walked to a little place called Amelia’s Wheels, where we could rent bikes or a golf cart to explore the island. It was a crisp morning so we opted for the golt cart and headed out. We could only scratch the surface of the island, but we had so much fun exploring marshes, crossing bridges with gorgeous views and just enjoying being together.

Once we finished exploring, we jumped from one golf cart to another because Ryan had a golf tee time set up for the afternoon. Alyssa doesn’t play golf but she’s an expert caddy and she’s learning to love riding along and reading her latest mystery novel. You just can’t beat the views on this amazing golf course!

That same evening, we came back to our room to find a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of sparkling cider waiting for us! We had mentioned that we were partially there to celebrate Alyssa’s birthday and it was so sweet of them to take care of us like that!

Tuesday: St. Augustine

On Tuesday morning, after we slept in a little bit, we headed an hour South to St. Augustine, Florida. St. Augustine is the oldest continually-inhabited city in the United States. Not only that, but it’s one of the most quaint and charming cities we have ever seen! As is our tradition in most cities we have never been to before, we got tickets for a hop-on-hop-off tour through the city. Our tour guide, Robert was amazing! He knew every little detail and we learned so much. Little known fact: St. Augustine is home to a Live Oak Tree that’s over 600 years old!

Wednesday: Lady Lake

When we left St. Augustine, we continued South for 2 hours until we got to the little city of Lady Lake, Florida. Both sets of Alyssa’s grandparents live there for most of the winter so we got to head down and visit them for a few days! We had a great time! On the first day we took a ferry boat ride down the St. John’s river. It was just a tad chilly for Florida, but we didn’t mind. We were on vacation, remember?!

We are so blessed to spend time with family who are so giving and shower love on us every time we see them! Though they are Alyssa’s grandparents, it means a lot to Ryan as well, especially after the passing of his grandmother last July. To say we are grateful to have had a chance to get away and spend some time together would be an understatement! Though our crazy lives don’t allow for many vacations right now and though our calling requires us to be on the clock at virtually all times, we are so blessed. Because we like to think that we live by this quote by Seth Godin:

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”