We took a red eye from Phoenix to Atlanta, had a two hour layover, and then a one hour flight from Atlanta to Jacksonville. We arrived very tired and feeling very gross to be greeted by my mother in law Vivian and brother in law John.
She took us back to the new house (which was SO beautiful and so fun to finally see all completed) and we quickly passed out for a couple of hours before more of Nick's family came over--his grandmother, Jose, and his aunt and uncle, Eddie and Ana. After talking with them for a few hours, we all went into St. Augustine into the old city. We ate at a Mexican restaurant, Casa Maya, and had some delicious fajitas. We then walked around and got the most delicious hot chocolate from Kilwins. Like, real hot chocolate. This was NOT Swiss Miss haha!
I absolutely LOVE the old city--I just love the vibe, the cute little stores, the people, and the lights at Christmastime. When we arrived back to the house, Nick's sister Sarah and her boyfriend, Tyler, had arrived from New Orleans, so the whole family was assembled!
The next day was Christmas Eve! Vivian took us all for a walk to an old cemetery just outside of their neighborhood, where the oldest gravestone dated back to 1775! There were also many unmarked graves, which John had learned are for many of the family's servants.
We then walked over to the beach, which is just absolutely breathtaking and crazy to me that we could be out on the beach on December 24th (I am an Ohioan at heart).
We then had a relaxing afternoon before everyone came over for Christmas Eve dinner. The spread was a traditional Cuban fare--lechon (pork) yucca, rice and beans. YUMM! We also got new Christmas pajamas to wear We then built a fire and roasted marshmallows, made smore's, and even roasted some Starburst.
Christmas morning was beautiful! We were so spoiled by Santa Claus and had so much fun doing the Secret Santa gift exchange when the rest of Nick's family arrived.
We went back to the old house, where I was able to see dolphins and jellyfish from the dock! Nick and Tyler even fished off the dock and caught a few!
The next day, the boys went on an 8 hour fishing trip, so us girls (+ John) went to the after Christmas 75% off sales! We got a lot of fun stuff, and had a great time! We ordered pizza so the hungry men would have something to come home to.
The next day was a really lazy day--I watched tv, read, played video games, ate the fresh fish caught the day before (delicious). Nick and I took a long walk on the beach, looking at all of the sea foam!
That evening, Sarah + Tyler, John, and Nick + I went into the city one final time. I got a couple more cute things, and we had a great time looking at all of the lights!
The next day, we drove down to Miami, which I will post about in a separate post!
I should note that we did all come back up to St. Augustine for one final day before flying back to Arizona. We had a super chill day--we all went out to dinner at The Oasis (Nick LOVES their conk fritters) :D, did laundry, packed, and we were going into the city, but as we were driving around, it started pouring down rain :D
What a wonderful time with family and friends! Being in Florida is truly beautiful and is definitely relaxing. Until next time, St. Augustine!
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