Sanibel Island

Mondays after vacation are really the hardest type of Monday. We got back from Sanibel last night and had such a great trip! The weather was only in the 60s, but we had lots of time for coffee runs, walks on the beach, shopping, and pedicures.

Coffee from Sanibel Bean is some of my favorite. I especially loved their tropical blend coffee paired with a cinnamon-raisin bagel. The coffee shop is a quick bike ride from our condo and also a favorite place to stop for an ice cream cone.

The above picture is from Bowman's Beach, a new spot we decided to spend an afternoon exploring. The beach is huge and usually crowded on hot days, but once we walk about a mile down you have the whole beach to yourself.
A huge storm hit the island on our first day there. After the storm passed, we went for a late night walk and came across this huge Horse Conch. After a little cleaning we put it on display in our condo and it looked amazing. At Bowman's beach we also stumbled upon a pool filled with tons of little fighting conchs, still alive and all hanging out together.
I was so happy I got to see my friend Ali on Saturday! It's been so long! She is working in Fort Myers so we were able to get together for lunch, a walk on the beach, hot chocolate, and lots of girl talk.

These pretty purple sea urchins covered the beach during our trip. I've never seen any before and was amazed by how lovely they are! My mom and I called the little spikes sprinkles, they reminded us of little beach donuts.

This map of Sanibel is outside of Bailey's grocery store. We were here just about every day getting coffee from their amazing coffee bar or picking up sandwiches for lunch.
How fun are these parrots! There are several different birds outside of Jerry's grocery store. Sometimes you can hear them saying "Hello" or whistling at you as you walk by.
Caesar is there of the left and was definitely the most rambunctious bird I've ever met. He'll climb right over to you and poof out his top feather. I always caught the little guy on the right napping! My kind of bird!


Bailey's coffee bar! Best vanilla latte!
After dinner my mom and I like walking around the shops on the island. The stores are linked together by beachy boardwalks and are practically an oasis to walk around. Fountains are palm tress can be found all around,
This art shop is one of our favorites to pop into while on vacation and is filled filled with pieces from local artists, especially blown glass and quirky paintings. The stairs are hand painted and so colorful. 

Coming back to work today was definitely a struggle but I was happy to get back in my comfy bed. It feels nice to get back in the routine of things again, but I already cannot wait for more sunshine.