Pensacola

Leave a comment Posted on May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 car reviews, parenting

Pensacola Road Tripping In A 2015 Toyota Sienna

If you’re a regular reader of Family Friendly Daddy Blog, you’ve probably noticed in the past several posts there has been a presence of a 2015 Toyota Sienna.

That’s because for my family’s recent mini road trip from Spring Hill, TN (the Nashville area) to Pensacola, FL we had the privilege of being able to test drive it. In essence, we modeled it; showing what it would look like for a family of 3 to take a 7 hour road trip (one way) in the Sienna. (We were in the vehicle for nearly 20 hours total, including the trip back, and driving once we got there.)

Here’s my newest video I made for the occasion, equipped with our own theme song I wrote and performed:

So today, I want to share my thoughts on taking a road trip in a 2015 Toyota Sienna.

My wife and I both agreed that the thing we appreciated most about the vehicle is how “road trip friendly” it is. For example, the 2 captain’s chairs directly behind the driver and front passenger’s seat are literally recliners.

That makes watching the large DVD/Blu-ray screen (equipped with headphones) that much more enjoyable for the passengers. It creates such a comfortable and entertaining environment for everyone; including the driver, who can keep the sound to the movie in the back of the vehicle.

In addition to the Sienna having a great capacity to be both comfortable and entertaining, we also noticed how spacious it is.

The paradox is that while it truly seems to be a large vehicle, it doesn’t drive that way. I had zero issues with visibility. The turning radius on the Sienna alone was amazing! I ended up having to do my share of U-turns while driving in an unfamiliar city, so I would know…

We also definitely appreciated the power sliding doors and back door. I was able to open them remotely for my wife and son before we even got the vehicle.

I will close by giving you another opportunity to check out my other blog posts involving the 2015 Toyota Sienna. It would be an understatement that we had a great family road trip, as you will read about when you click these links above each picture- and please don’t forget you can also watch the original video I made for these underneath each link:

Dear Jack: Our Homemade Jack-Man Commercial For The Toyota Sienna

Dear Jack: The Treasure Chest You Found Buried in Pensacola

Dear Jack: 2015 Toyota Sienna Walk-Around/Silly String Fight

Dear Jack: The RV That Exploded In Casino Beach Parking Lot/Highway 98 Bay Bridge Crash

Vegan Friendly Review of Pensacola, FL

Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine- Family Friendly Review

1 Comment Posted on May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 funny, parenting, People, Storytelling

Dear Jack: The Treasure Chest You Found Buried in Pensacola

4 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

Leading up to our recent mini road trip to Pensacola, you announced to me, “Daddy, when we go to the beach, we need to dig in the sand because maybe there is a buried treasure chest… and dinosaur bones too!”

So thanks to a quick trip to Dollar Tree and Party Central, I was able to obtain the treasure chest (a lunch box), plastic coins and jewelry, and some dinosaur bone puzzles; all for less than 10 bucks.

Mommy packed them up in our beach bag, and from there I loaded them up on the back of the 2015 Toyota Sienna we drove for the trip.

When we arrived at Casino Beach during one of our trips there, you and Mommy immediately began playing in the sand. I snuck over, just about 50 feet away from you, and dug 2 holes: one for the treasure chest and one for the dinosaur bones.

Right as I finished, you ran over to me in excitement. I explained to you that I thought I had just found a good place where someone might have buried some treasure.

Of course, from there, the magic began…

Here’s my video I made, capturing the whole event:

You were mesmerized by your finding for the rest of the weekend; proudly wearing your jewelry in the van and during lunch at the restaurant.

I could actually see this becoming a new tradition for us each time we go to the beach. I’m even imagining you getting old enough to figure out that it’s really just me hiding the treasures but where I would simply hide gifts that you want anyway.

And it’s all because in your own 4 and a half year-old creativity, your faith led you to believe that there truly would be hidden treasure there at the beach with Mommy and me.

Yes, the hidden treasure is definitely there if you’re looking for it.

Love,

Daddy

1 Comment Posted on May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 People, Spirituality, Storytelling

Dear Jack: The RV That Exploded In Casino Beach Parking Lot/Highway 98 Bay Bridge Crash

4 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

We definitely had a lot of fun during our Pensacola trip, but there was also a string of weird, potentially dangerous events in our near proximity.

Here’s my video I made for this story today:

For example, when we first arrived at in Pensacola, at Casino Beach, after our 7 hour road trip, you and Mommy ran for the water. As I was several steps behind as I was carrying our belongings, I heard an explosion behind me; from beyond where we had parked the Sienna.

I turned around to see a black pillar of smoke rising in the distance behind me; but not the far distance.

My initial concern was to make sure it wasn’t some kind of terrorist attack. So I did what any dad would do: I begin running as fast as I could towards the smoke.

If I needed to help us escape from the chaos in the Sienna as our getaway vehicle, I needed to be able to do so as soon as possible.

As I ran closer, I began hearing from other people who were running alongside me that an RV had exploded.

Dear Jack: The RV That Exploded In The Pensacola Parking Lot

Another explosion occurred, inviting more sirens and smoke.

I decided from there that there was no need to evacuate the beach, as I began to be able to see the flaming RV.

After an hour or so of hanging out at the beach back with you and Mommy, we decided to drive by the scene on our way back to the hotel.

The firemen were packing up and the policeman continued to keep a presence as curious onlookers like us visited the aftermath.

As you can see from my pictures, there were only charred remains of the RV. Even the car parked next to it took a major hit.

And that wasn’t our only brush with danger during the trip…

Later the next day as we were in the middle of the Highway 98 Bay Bridge in Pensacola, over the water, a 3 car pile-up occurred just a quarter of a mile ahead of us. We were stuck there in the middle of the bridge for an hour before the crashed cars were towed and we were able to move.

And on our final day, we had arrived back at our hotel to see dozens of people standing outside in the parking lot; along with a fire truck and policemen.

There was apparently some sort of gas leak scare that had occurred in the kitchen. The hotel had to evacuate everyone.

We had arrived about 45 minutes after the evacuation. We watched and waited from the Sienna. About 20 minutes later, they allowed us back in.

I can’t help but point out that we made sure to continually pray for God to keep us safe in our travels; from the moment we left our driveway.

And I believe our prayers were answered. Not to mention, to my knowledge, no people were seriously hurt during any of these events. So God wasn’t just answering our prayers, but others’ too.

Love,

Daddy

3 Comments Posted on May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 food reviews, vegan

Vegan Friendly Review of Pensacola, FL

(End of the Line Cafe, featured above.)

When I travel, I like to feature the “vegan friendliness” of the city I am spending time in. I like being able to share with other like-minded people where they can go to eat, showing them they do indeed have healthy options. Here’s my video I made for this occasion…

And I’ve done this before in other cities… Vegan Friendly Review of Asheville, North Carolina; Vegan Friendly Review Of Atlanta, Georgia; Vegan Friendly Review Of Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe; Vegan Friendly Review Of Ponte Vedra Inn And Club At Pompano Beach, FL…

Now it’s time for me to feature Pensacola, where my family took a mini vacation recently while driving a 2015 Toyota Sienna.

I can assure you that if you are wondering whether you can make a plant-based diet work in Pensacola, you’ve got nothing to worry about… whatsoever.

If you’re going to be there for a few days like we were, I definitely recommend stopping first at Everman Cooperative Grocery and Café. It’s a lot like Whole Foods, just a little smaller.

You can stock up on all your essentials there. For us, that was things like Larabars, coconut water, and Kombucha.

But while you’re there, you’ll realize what a great place it is to actually eat a meal at. Their café provided so many options for our family’s diverse tastes. We ended up having at least 3 or 4 meals there. My wife particularly loved their smoothie bar.

So whereas Everman Cooperative Grocery and Café makes for the perfect base if you’re unable to cook your own meals, there are 3 other obvious options in Pensacola…

The first is Mellow Mushroom. Obviously, this pizza joint is known for catering to the plants-based crowd. My wife and I never have to worry; we can easily order a vegan cheese pizza with veggies. (We actually dined at the one in Destin, but there is one in Pensacola as well.)

As far as the other two options, they are both artsy. At Sluggo’s, we enjoyed meatless, dairy free, “meaty” sandwiches.

And at End of the Line Café, we enjoyed some meatless, dairy free, “meaty” burritos.

There’s no question that all of these places served delicious and fun food. After all, they are very focused on healthy eating, therefore the quality is there by default.

Actually, there was one more that I almost forgot about. Jaco’s, in downtown Pensacola, right there on the pier. They are absolutely not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant by any stretch; however, they were very accommodating to our dietary restrictions; my son is a vegetarian, not a vegan. My wife said it was her favorite and that we definitely have to go back there next time we’re in the area.

So there you have it: Yes, you can totally enjoy a vegan and/or vegetarian experience in Pensacola, Florida. Thanks for reading!

1 Comment Posted on May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 car reviews, movie reviews, parenting, Uncategorized

Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine- Family Friendly Review

My family has just returned from a 4 day mini-vacation to Pensacola, while we reviewed and tested out the new 2015 Toyota Sienna; which happened to be equipped with an awesome DVD player.

We packed several DVDs for our trip, but there was one that received much more airplay, at the request of my 4 and a half year-old son… Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine (on DVD and digital on May 5, 2015 for $14.98 SR).

Something my wife noticed about this DVD that made it so attractive to our son is that he got to decide which Elmo musical he wanted to watch. There are 7 choices:

“Guacamole the Musical”
“Mountain Climber the Musical”
“Repair Monster the Musical”
“Bird the Musical”
“Cowboy the Musical”
“Detective the Musical”

While “Play All” would run them all together as one solid movie, my son appreciated the free will of deciding which episode he wanted to see, when he wanted to see it.

The concept reminds me of the way the 1980s Mega Man video games were designed; you got to choose which levels to play in the order you wanted; in other words, it’s not chronological but it is all connected.

My son’s favorite was apparently “Bird the Plane,” where Elmo flies Ms. Penguin to her wedding. He also kept asking for “Repair Monster the Musical” as well; where Elmo gets to use tools to help fix things for people.

I can confirm that Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine is very good for road trips. Ours was 7 hours one way; so all together, with all the places we visited once we got there; we were easily in the car for close to 20 hours!

As expected, the DVD implicates learning into the music, fun, and silliness. I imagine our trip would have been a lot loss serene if we wouldn’t have had the 2015 Toyota Sienna with a DVD player, along with a copy of Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine.

Infographic below courtesy of Brittany Dietz/Cheapflights:

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