Florida Memories

For years, my morning routine has included a small glass of orange juice with my breakfast. I always, always eat breakfast, and it just doesn't feel complete if I don't get my o.j. Tropicana Pure Premium is 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice. Florida has been growing oranges far longer than any other state in the U.S., and Tropicana is the largest buyer of Florida fruit each year. Valencia and Hamlin are the two types of oranges primarily used in Tropicana Pure Premium, each fruit adding special flavors and characteristics to the finished product.

Right now Tropicana is running a sweepstakes with great prizes, such as a one-year supply of Tropicana or a trip to Florida to visit an orange grove. Although I have been to Florida many times, I don't think  I've ever had a good look at an orange grove. For more information about the sweepstakes, and to enter, visit Tropicana's Facebook page and click on the "sweeps" tab.

Since Chris's brother lives in Florida, the Sunshine State is a favorite vacation destination for our family. There is so much to see and do, and despite our multiple trips we have barely scratched the surface on all that Florida has to offer. My brother-in-law lives in the Orlando area, so we have definitely spent quite a bit of time at the various theme parks in the area. But we've also visited Cocoa Beach, Kennedy Space Center, more than one wildlife park featuring gators, and downtown Orlando. Once, way back when Bethany was a baby, we took a day trip to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.

In addition to our central Florida adventures, we've also had a few beach vacations in southern Florida. I've written before about my love for Captiva Island, which is one of the most blissful places I have ever been. For three years, we spent Thanksgiving on this Florida island paradise. We rented huge, beautiful houses with private pools and short walks to the ocean. We caught lizards and hunted for starfish (don't worry - we left them on the beach!), went on dolphin-watching boat excursions, saw manatees up close and personal, ate delicious food, and took our Christmas card photos in front of a decorated pine tree on the beach. The variety of sea life we saw was breathtaking and amazing. The lack of fast food and chain establishments of any kind was refreshing. Sampling the key lime pie at every restaurant was decadent. Some of our happiest family memories are from our time spent on various Florida vacations. I'm sad to say this will probably be our second year in a row without a trip to Florida, but I'm sure it won't be too long before we're back. I can't wait to see what other Florida fun we can discover.

Do you enjoy Florida vacations too? What is your favorite Florida memory?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Tropicana blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

Cocoa Beach on Dwellable