We are back from a lovely break to Miami. Sun and sand, then some misty rain--good food, a visit with family, and it all equals a great break.
We aren't habitual "spring-breakers," so even a three-day getaway was a real treat. Not unexpectedly, the highlight was seeing the girls enjoy the beach and pool.
Other highlights:
1. Ada has turned into a little mermaid, swimming strong in the water. She can float and swim well underwater! A great accomplishment from a girl who couldn't get her face wet last October.
2. Cuban food. Plantains, rice, chicken, pork, garlic. Ah! I must try to cook some of this myself.
3. Esme surprised us with her language skills. On our first afternoon there, Esme was approached by a little girl in the pool. Somehow, Esme recognized that the girl was speaking French (she was!), and so Esme launched into French herself, saying, "Je m'appelle Esme." (My name is Esme.) Baby French being what it is, the girl answered with "Quoi?" (What?) Esme continued to repeat herself, and since her French is limited, so was the potential friendship. Regardless, it was amazing to hear. Especially because Esme changed the pronunciation of her name from our Anglicized (Ez-mee) to the French (Es-may).
We have spoken a little French and Spanish with her, and she's picked up some phrases from Dora and from Hi-5. But who knew she understood it this well?
4. Our hotel, the Sagamore, bills itself as "an art hotel," and it is. It's a gallery in itself, filled with provocative and pleasing displays of art in all media, from digital screens to sculpture to collaborative projects in the stairwells. What a pleasure it was! The picture above is of the girls in one of the many gallery areas of the hotel.
5. I am not now the svelte creature I have wished to be, and yet, I had a wonderful time despite my misgivings about being in public in a bathing suit. South Beach may be reputed to be home to the super-fit and glamourous, and there were some beautiful people around. But, as in all places, people appeared in all sizes and shapes, and they were all lovely in their respective confidence. By the end of the trip, I was no longer expecting the thin police to step from behind a palm tree to ticket me for being fat and ugly. In fact, instead of being disheartened about not being a skinny-mini, I feel excited about continuing my workouts and enjoying just being me. This is progress, and definitely a highlight of the trip for me personally.
All in all, a wonderful trip! Now, tell me about your vacations!
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16 comments:
Hi Kirie
I am so glad you had a nice mini-vacation. Love the pictures of the girls. It looks like they were really enjoying themselves.
Hope to see you soon.
Love, Mom
Kirie, how nice!!!
Sounds you had a great time, and those pictures are so cute, everybody enjoying and having fun.
Hope you had the time to really rest and charge batteries ;)
Have a great weekend, dear
xoxo
Love the vacation pics...wishing to be part of that sandy surface myself. Enjoying your life at any size is far more important that searching for skinny police. Glad you are determined to find your inner beauty. When you do it will shine through everything else and your outer beauty will then transform and reflect your vast and beautiful soul.
Hey Kirie
I love the photos. I can see them on the beach having fun! It was the favor part of the trip for Meghan and Danny for sure. Just being on the beach together is so fun and relaxing.
Missing you all. Hope to talk soon. Love to all...
Aunt Judy
I love the pictures. The story about Esme's international chat is hilarious!! She, as you know, is brilliant.
I also love Cuban food. Rice and beans and a side of plantains ( carb loading fun!).
I'd much rather enjoy the black beans and fried plantains than stress over how I look in a swimsuit. Your girls are so gorgeous!! Glad it was a good time.
Mom, it was wonderful. I know you would LOVE the hotel and the beach. Next time, come with us!
love,
Kirie
Seeker, thanks for the well wishes. It was a great re-charging. Love your new photo, by the way!
Kirie
Gram, that is wise advice, and I'm getting better at following it. You know, it sounds corny, but I am really feeling beautiful lately. When I can start my day by smiling at myself in the mirror, things are looking up.
Kirie
Judy, I know what you mean about kids and the beach. Something about the abandon of digging in sand and water is thrilling to them (and to me, too, actually!)
Would love to have all of you come out for a beach vacation one summer here...Meghan and Danny would love it!
love,
Kirie
What a fun post! I really really enjoyed the photos. And how did you find such a unique hotel? Good for you for doing the spring break in such style.
I feel sorry for my neighborhood kids as their spring break has begun in an awfully rainy fashion. Hope they get some sunshine during the week!
1. Yay for Ada! Being a little fish will serve her so well in the future. Floating is especially a big deal, as there are all kinds of great swimmers out there who still have a hard time floating on their back.
2. If you end up making something plantainy, post a recipe!
3. Esme and her Baby French. Wow! That is really impressive. Wee ones really do have such a capacity to learn and apply, but still amazing, especially the Es-may part. It's such a joy to watch. I love the "Baby French being what it is" about "Quoi?" Hee!
4. We've never made it to the Miami area; I'm not the beachy type. I want to be, but your point 5 usually precludes me from going there. But your hotel sounded wonderful. It's so great what you expose your kids to. So many people don't consider culture in their own lives, let alone their growing, learning children.
5. You always inspire me to like myself better. I have some cute bathing suits, but I do everything I can to not put them on. I am really going to try to get to the gym today ...
We're going to LA at the end of May and will do Disneyland. We did Disney World in September (you called me on our first day there :-)). We will try to do possibly Legoland on the 2nd day. Jury's still out on that. One of the vacations we're trying to plan for maybe three or four years from now is Iceland! Plus we want to get to the Carolinas, as those are still states we haven't been to that we really want to see.
Kirie:
They are so cute. Glad you had a nice vacation! Esme and her French... tres impressive (that's half English/half French for "Esme is smarter than me.")
XO
~b
That sounds like a lovely trip, Kirie! Your girls are beautiful. I love it that Esme is learning French and using it!
that sounds like it was amazing and the girls are cuties!
we have vacation plans for the summer- 3 weeks home in the US and 3 weeks in italy :)
I'm so happy to read you had a wonderful time. Ada and Esme are beautiful and changing fast, n'est ce pas? Now is a good time to teach them other languages. It looks as if Esme is more than ready to dive in.
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