Apparently There Is A Day for Manatees!

I found out today that it's Manatee Appreciation Day!! So in honor of the sweetest marine mammals ever... Happy Manatee day :) You can read more (and see more cute pictures) about my love of these gentle giants here!

Five on Friday

Goodness friends I haven't linked up for Five on Friday in such a long time! I'd say it's about time to join the lovely ladies again. Linking up with Christina, Darci, April, and Natasha for my favorites from this week!
{one} Simplifying my life is something I am focusing on this year! Cleaning out my closet was LONG overdo. My process for this was anything I haven't worn in the last month or two months gets donated. I have challenged myself to not buy any new pieces of clothing, my own version of the contentment challenge.

{two} This gorgeous calendar caught my eye in Anthro a few weeks ago. I LOVED the image of the derby on the front and once I saw all the beautiful images it contained I just had to have it. The 2014 Travel America Calendar from Rifle Paper Co. highlights iconic images around our beautiful nation and i jsut so happens that I have only been to the first five places listed... coincidence? Maybe but I cant wait to travel to the other 7!

{three} I am in the beginning stages of my PowerSheets journey and they are nestled in my beautiful Simplified Life Binder, that I talk about here. This process has been a very revealing, brutally honest process. I am working through Lara Casey's Goal Setting Series and.... it's tough. God keeps revealing to me "Fear not for I am with you," Isaiah 41:10. It is so hard to give over control but goodness, I have to just trust that His plans are A MILLION times better than any plans I could every dream up!

{four} A perfect reminder as I begin many new adventures! Print by Mandy Cave Watercolor.

{five} STILL reeling over this experience of a lifetime! If any of y'all follow along you know I love two animals very, very dearly... Newfoundland dogs and manatees. During my Christmas break I had the privilege of swimming with the gentle wild manatees in Crystal River! See all my pictures here :) Warning they are so cute your heart will melt!

Happy Weekend from my manatee friends and I!

A Manatee of a Time

Friends I have a confession... I LOVE MANATEES! I have always adored these sweet gentle giants. While on a trip in the Florida Keys two summers ago, I made sure to take pictures with as many "manatees" as I could. Luckily, one manatee swam up to greet me at a restaurant's dock!

Today... I got to accomplish one of my lifelong dreams. Today... I got to swim with the manatees! My family attempted to swim with them back when I was in high school but we were unfortunately stormed out. However, this year was different. My family journeyed down to Florida after Christmas solely to swim with these gentle giants. We booked a group tour with Captain Mike's Sunshine River Tours, donned our wet suits and ventured out into Crystal River. 

The manatees flock to Crystal River in the winter months due to the river's warm natural springs. When I say warm, I mean 72ish degrees. Regardless of the temperature, I was one of the first in the water and one of the last to get out! The manatees just seemed to know how much I love them because they immediately found me! :)

This one was having the best time chewing on the anchor line.

If this manatee could talk he would say, "Who me? You love me? Aw shucks..."

They kept getting closer and closer and closer! They just wanted their bellies rubbed :)

These are some of my favorites. Taylor took a few pictures of me with a baby manatee! Cue heart-melting.

Needless to say, swimming with the manatees is a memory I will cherish forever. So sorry for the overload of manatee pictures, they are just as cute as buttons!