Week 1: Tallahassee, FL

We left. We packed this Big B up and headed out of town.

Our first stop: Tallahassee, Florida. It's been fun. I decided that each time we visit a new spot I will research the best things to do so it's ready to go when we are ready to make it happen. It also helps that we have a couple connections in the area that hooked us up with some insider knowledge (Thanks, Mike!).

Below are some must see Tallahassee attractions. Side note: It helps if you have a Noles fan in the house or in your moving house (in our case).

1. Lofty Pursuits: With this crowd of die hard ice cream lovers it was no surprise this quirky little shop was on the top of the must do list. It looks like a whole lotta nothing from the outside and even walking up to the front door. However, inside there are quite a bit of little treasures to unravel. Old soda pop machines, homemade old-fashioned candy samples, a sit down little scoot scoot and delicious ice cream. Definitely check it out!

2. Cascades Park: We pretty much stumbled upon this one and so glad we did. After the drive the kids were in desperate need of some action. They ran up and down and all around at this park. Cayenne may or may not have walked out diaperless due to some unexpected action in the fountains. I wasn't prepared with swimsuits in the car this go round. People of all ages were walking, jogging, playing, reading, biking. A great place in the middle of Tallahassee to just get outside.

3. FSU: The stadium and the gift shop, of course. We even got to hang out on the field. The boys loved it! They again, ran all over the place. They immediately reverted back to tackle football days, without pads and started going at it. I was pretty sure someone was going to break a bone. Then Cayenne got involved, they calmed down and all started chasing each other. We went into the trophy hall, saw a few sparkly (not a word the boys would've used) National Championship trophies. The boys got to see Dalvin Cook passing by or wheeling by I should say. It's pretty cool to see people you see playing football on TV in real human form.

4. Tom Brown Park: This is a huge recreation area that has a great playground, a BMX course, bike paths, racquetball and tennis courts, disc golf and baseball fields. Unfortunately, the BMX course was closed but the playground was a big hit. We'd definitely come back here as it was really close to our campground.

5. The Capitol Building Observation Deck and Museum: Edson got to come with us to this one. We went up to the 22nd floor and literally saw a clear view of  ALL of Tallahassee. We then went to the historical part of the capitol and the kids got some history lessons in the form of a couple scavenger hunts.

Reno in session! Order in the court!

6. Mission San Luis: A really cool old mission smack dab in the middle of a busy area of Tallahassee. This was really unexpectedly cool in my opinion. I went into it thinking it would be another history type lesson and left being impressed with what the state has done with it. It is a Mission that the Spanish and Apalachee shared in the late 1600s. Archaeologists have re-created the mission based on everything they found doing massive digs in the late 80s. They even have employees: friars, blacksmiths, etc. that play the part while you are visiting. They are dressed to the nines in period gear and act as though they are still in that time. The kids got into it, too. They also had a scavenger hunt (with a prize at the end) and the actors made them not even realize that they walked quite a bit. One added bonus: the 'church' on the property is home to a gazillion bats. It smelled awful. Watching Reno squirm and forcing him to come in with us was enjoyable.

What loofahs are made of - I had no idea!

The Ball Game that Apalachees used to play

7. Proof Brewery: We stopped by this place around happy hour on a Friday evening. When we found a parking spot we noticed that they were checking ids and that about 10 young college guys were headed inside. Hmmm...Well, this mama of 3 isn't about heading into youngin' territory with 3 hungry kids. I called and they said they were family friendly and they don't have a menu. That being said, we'll catch you on the flip side Proof. I definitely think it's worth coming back tp but on a different day. I read that the outside patio is a great chill spot for adults and kids alike. I want to come back sans kids and check out all the stores/coffee shops and more in the neighborhood. It's a up and coming little hood called Railroad Square Art Park.  It just has a laid back funky vibe that I loved seeing.

I'll be honest this week was really hard. Transitioning to being in such a small space and HOMESCHOOLING in this space is like WHOAAAAAAAAAA! We are hopeful that this is just an adjustment phase for all of us. It's difficult to get the kids to focus and stay on track. Keep in mind we have a 2 year old running around this Big B along side E who is working nonstop. It's all about figuring out how to make it work.

All that being said, Tallahassee was a good time. We got to meet up with some new (Mike) and old (Uncle Don) friends. It helps that Every. Single, Person we met was incredibly nice. Tallahassee has still been able to maintain the small town feel and we LOVE that.

Until next week!