Memorial Day Weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year! It’s a day of remembrance where we celebrate our brave American heroes. So grateful for their sacrifices to keep us safe.
It’s also the weekend to celebrate dad’s birthday! This year he turned a young 56 years old and the celebration was filled with lots of food, love and adventures. It started out in a sweet way with homemade, chocolate strawberries and Publix’s Chantilly cake (so delicious).
My dad always makes hand-dipped chocolate strawberries for everyone else’s birthdays and celebrations. I wanted to return the favor and make them for him! It was surprisingly easy and fun to do. Now I know I can make my own whenever I’m craving a sweet bite.
We continued the celebration by going to the annual blue crab festival in Palatka, Florida. For this festival, we connected with my friend Bubba who is a local to the area.
He knew the best places to explore in Palatka – he was our own personal tour guide. It was perfect! We rounded out the day with a bite at Hawg Wash BBQ joint. If you’re a lover of brisket, then this place is for you! Their brisket burger – yes you read that right – was a Lowe favorite.
Sunday was spent exploring the O’Leno State Park north of High Springs, Florida. This was one of the first state parks to be built in Florida. It’s an absolutely beautiful park filled with easy trails and views of the Suwannee and Sante Fe rivers. Naturally, we forgot to take a lot of pictures, but below are some we did snap!
We rounded out the weekend with a Lowe BBQ at the apartment. It was filled with ribs, chicken, mac and cheese, potato salad and more! The absolute star of the night was the homemade banana pudding. It’s not a regular banana pudding – it’s a cross between banana pie and pudding. I feel like it’s my mom’s mission to share this recipe every where she goes. Recipe to come soon!
Another great weekend filled with love and adventures!
Orange Blossom Belle 