Posts Tagged With: florian

Baby’s 1st birthday and another bus video!

Posted on February 24, 2020 by erikamae82

Matt just put this video together so I thought it’d be fun to post it out there! To see the previous footage of us being introduced to the bus, check out the last post by clicking here!

This next clip is our first visit to the bus as the new owners! Shanti was so little, my goodness how time flys. Before you click the link, let me share with you that it was a super hot day in Northwest Florida and our little girl was barely 5 months old, in other words, not cut out to melt in the smoldering heat. I took it upon myself to protect her by driving to a local grocery store (where we walked around in the air conditioning drinking iced beverages, snacking on samples and talking to strangers) while Matt willingly battled the heat in order to start the transformation. For what it’s worth, he did it with a smile with no complaints.

Here’s a minute peek of our first day working on the skoolie!

Now back to the present moments, well kind of. Last month on January 17th, Shanti had a birthday and was a happy little superstar just smiling her way through her first steps.

Between MiMi, Gam Gam, friends and other family, this little girl was spoiled with love, treats and more love!

Momma bragging moment: I made the cakes for each gathering! No dairy, no artificial anything and absolutely no food dye… just coconut products and blended berries for the pretty colors!

A month later was my moms birthday, so on February 18th we went out for a girls day!

Another wonderful event from this last month was a visit from a long time friend from abroad! If you’ve been following this blog since the beginning, you’ve seen him appear in at least 20 posts and probably more ranging from several steins at Oktoberfest, to quirky parties in Greece, Fútbol in Europe, good times in Barbados, California, Amsterdam and now Florian is in Florida!

…and a bigger surprise was his sweet girlfriend Tatjana joined!

We didn’t take to many photos, but here’s a video of Florian making Shanti laugh… worth a look if you need a smile!

And here’s Florian teaching Shanti how to snap. I freakin love it!

That’s all for now folks.

Keep smiling and remember that too much attention on the destination takes away from your beautiful present journey.

Categories: Baby Talk, Travel talk, Uncategorized | Tags: 1st birthday, florian, Florida, moms birthday, Shanti, Tatianna | Leave a comment

Visitors, a dozen of them!

Posted on October 13, 2018 by erikamae82

Visitors! I’d love to go into full detail about each guest and at happened while they were here, but I’m too eager to catch up to the present day! With that said, I’m just going to sum up the 10 wonderful months of guests (for my selfish reflection and future reference).

First there’s Florian. If I could bundle up happy, creative, smart, funny, quirky, loyal and loving… he would be it! I met him over 7 years ago at my first Oktoberfest in Munich Germany, (a tradition that went on for years to follow) and continued to reconnect around the world. Prior to Barbados, there was a a surprise trip to Recklinghausen, a quick stop in Amsterdam , a week in Crete Greece and the unforgettable vacation he took to visit my home state of California!

Florian’s visit was over a year ago and I was able to make a post about it (I just didn’t want to leave his smile out of this article). If you’d like to see that one, please click here!

Next up was Amanda, a driven, hard working, beautiful friend that I met while working out. Who would of thought a few partner burpees would lead to a friendship and a visit out of the country?! She was also the first and only guest to get me out to run a casual 5k with her… on a Saturday… just for fun. Only you Amanda!

Kira and John, the first couple to come see us. I was so honored that they were willing to jet off (leaving their 3 kids with Nana) and stay awhile! I don’t think I had laughed so much in a matter of 5 days until these 2 showed up. Too much fun and memories for a life time!

Cole is a photographer, videographer, musician and owner of the quickly growing Enlightened Studios. Such an intriguing guy to have a round, especially when him and Matt would often nerd out on camera talk. Fun facts: Cole is the one that recorded our engagement! Fun fact #2: Cole and Matt now work closely together as they expand Enlightened Studios!

Sweet Erica… hairstylist, yogi, free spirited and a pocket full of sunshine. Her arrival overlapped with Coles and made for a great combo. She joined us with the cruise and a mud n’ paint party fully embracing the local celebration. My favorite part of her trip was our girls day out adventure! Accidentally driving the off road course, animal flower caves, a sunset glass of wine and a toast to the next chapter.

Josh is a long time friend of Matts and a new time friend to me! Adventure came full force when he landed, with hiking, climbing, surfing, dancing and a vegan dinner every night. Josh seemed to fit right in with his flexible personality and willingness to experience it all!

Matts mom Terri, her fiancé Jack and his daughter Lauren came out to see what all of our talk was about this beautiful island. It was also the perfect opportunity for me to get to know them even more! Island tours, boat cruises, beach days, local cuisine and a girls night (just me and Lauren) were just a few of the events welcoming this crew to our home.

Reni was Matts best man in the wedding and stayed with us for the days leading up to it. He doesn’t go unnoticed with his bright smile and not-so-subtle character. It definitely wouldn’t have been the same without him! What added to his energy? Only my dear friend Bree! An equally enthusiastic person with a lot of love and energy to give. These two at our place during the same time made for constant laughter and a family feel right off the bat! We were focused on the wedding so there weren’t too many casual photos taken around the house. Here are a few from the celebrations!

So in the short 10 months that Matt lived in Barbados with me, we got to house-sit 5 different homes and hosted a dozen visitors (not including the 25 at the wedding)! I’d like to claim a small success in sharing the beauty of my favorite island, so thankful we had the opportunity.

Categories: Accommodations, Uncategorized | Tags: Amanda, Barbados, Bree, Cole, Erica, florian, guests, host, house sitting, island tours, Jack, John, Josh, Kira, Lauren, pre-wedding, Reni, Terri, travel, vacation | 1 Comment

Let’s play catch up – part 1

Posted on April 10, 2017 by erikamae82

If you check out the prior post, you’ll grasp the idea that my blog took a well needed moment of hibernation as I focused on the more fragile priorities in my life. So first off, I want to thank all of you that contacted me during this break in loving concern, your messages came at what seemed to be at the perfect moments. To those who didn’t reach me directly but sent thoughts my way, I tell you that your energy was felt. Now, I’m excited to announce that over the next year you’ll begin to see changes in Her Happy Trails and I thank you in advance for your support!

As the shift begins, let’s play back some of the glorious events that occurred during the last few months.

For those of you who have been reading this blog for years, you’ll quickly recognize this amusing reunion. Florian is the name of a genuine friend you’ve seen me connect with over the years. We met back at Oktoberfest in Munich in 2011 and thats where it all began! From Crete Greece to California and Nevada through Germany and hitting Amsterdam his smile has appeared all over herhappytrails and now it’s glowing in Barbados!

Just for personal kicks, I put together a collage of us from all over the world.

There’s definitely a part of my blogging spirit that wishes I would of written daily with specific details of his journey to the island but as I mentioned before, the blog was resting. Florian means so much to me and his presence is unforgettable so here’s a “nutshell” post to reminisce of his visit to the Caribbean.

His trip allowed for time to explore all varieties of the island. We walked your typical southern touristy area and lounged on the beautiful west coast beaches. An all day tour seemed to be the highlight when we hit the very north peak of St.Lucy and explored the animal flower caves. Here’s a bundle of shots that hopefully gives you an idea of the amazing time we had.

Florian, I hear your silly dinner song whenever I say “candy bars” and Matt & I can’t go an entire car ride without saying “I bet Florian walked here”. I’ve stopped counting but am regularly tempted to add a number every time someone offers Bob Marley or green grass and giggle at the idea of saying, “No thanks, I prefer my lawn to be brown”. Because of your journey, I have a new perception of Bajan policemen and the bus system. Finally my friend, I must admit…. the peanuts are still in the sock. Thank you so much for the friendship, laughter and effort to not let another year pass by without a hug.

Before Florian had arrived, Matt and I did a little exploring for ourselves! Here are some of my favorite shots you can find on his Stone Sharp Images website if you’d like to order prints. I think they’re such a different view of this stunning island that I’ve known and loved for years.