I think I need a new Bondi Band.

Instead of “Will Run for Margaritas”, I need one that says “Will Putt-Putt for Food”. After all, that described my day yesterday perfectly. After a typical morning at the beach and lunch/naps, we decided to take advantage of a Groupon we purchased for some putt-putt action.

Take note: sign up for deals in the areas to which you plan to travel. You can score deals on fun activities for the trip without extra hassle. That’s what we did to score a great price on a round of putt-putt, or miniature golf as some call it.

We picked up our clubs, balls, and scorecard and began a super serious game of golf.

Makenzie dominated the game, of course. She decided that the start of each part of the course was about 1 inch away from the hole.

Smart girl. I could have used such handicaps for myself. I clearly do not have good hand/eye coordination and scored at least a 3, but usually a 5, on each hole. Somehow Peter knocked out more than a few hole-in-ones.

Oh, well. I still had a blast. How could I not watching this little one have the time of her life? Although, I think she got more excited over the pirate flag than the actual game.

Once we finished our round of putt-putt we got showered and ready for our family dinner for the night. We went to one of our favorite restaurants – Stonewood Grill and Tavern.

We love this place. They have amazing food and drink. We look forward to it every year.

Tonight I started with a rosemary infused blueberry martini.

Then, a group of us split a bruschetta appetizer that included a fantastically delicious balsamic reduction. I happily devoured my piece.

Once again, my sister and I decided to share a dish. For tonight’s dinner we went with the filet and portabella ravioli combo. Each of our portions included a 3 oz filet, ravioli “pillows” stuffed with a wine sauce and portabella mushrooms, a Caesar salad, and creamed spinach for a side.

I wish the pictures could do this meal justice because it tasted incredible. Splitting a meal created the perfect portions, too. I left perfectly satisfied, but not overly full. I love when that happens after dining out. I know I can easily eat a bit past my comfort zone when faced with an abundance of delicious food. So restaurants that serve realistic portions always win in my book. Hopefully we will get the chance to return again next year!

• Is it easy for you to eat more when restaurants serve a huge portion?
• Do you call it “putt-putt” or “miniature golf”?

Our annual family vacation doesn’t officially begin for me until our first family dinner.

We have visited the same group of restaurants on our yearly vacations for the 25+ years we have gathered in Daytona Beach. The group has seen some come and some go, but regardless we always have a nice-sized crew to enjoy our meals together. Last night we took our first dinner outing at Park’s – one of my grandfather’s favorites.

After perusing the menu, nothing really stood out to me for my dinner. Since I couldn’t make up my mind, I ended up deciding to split a couple of dishes with my lovely sister.

I actually really like sharing dishes with someone because then I can sample more than one thing. Too bad both dishes weren’t too appealing.

We split an order of broiled scallops in a spinach hollandaise sauce and crab stuffed shrimp. The scallops ended up a little flavorless and the stuffed shrimp had very little crab meat. Meh. At least the margaritas were good.

Wait. Make that great.

I ended up with two…and a slight buzz. I couldn’t turn down a second. These were perfect. They had quite the bite to them, which I love. I hate a super-sweet, mix-tasting margarita. Give me the tequila por favor. Ahem. When on vacation, right? 😉

Now that we had the official beginning to our vacation, we could wake up today and get a jump on our beach action. We hit the beach early, around 8 am, in order to get in a decent amount of beach time.

For the record, I don’t think a sweeter picture exists than this little moment I captured….

After getting sufficiently sandy (seriously how do kids get sand basically caked into their skin?!), we headed in for lunch and naps. With two little ones we sadly end up spending a few of our mid-day hours indoors. Although since I have to embrace my pale ways, it works. It also gives me ample time to prepare (and share) a delicious lunch.

At the beach, I must have a light and refreshing lunch. Today’s made my stomach all sorts of happy. I had a sandwich made with ham, swiss cheese, avocado, spinach, tomato, and mustard. Along with cherries and carrots.

I about busted out a happy dance in the grocery store when I saw these cherries on sale. I scored them for $2.24/lb – way better than the $4/lb I typically find. I will relish these little balls of fruit this week. Just as I plan to relish the sand and waves. Time for more beach fun! And a crazy evening tonight. It will include costumes, funny stories, and food from the 1940s. You just wait.

• Is there a certain grocery item you love but will only buy when a good deal?
• Do you like sharing meals or ordering your own thing?