After the addition of a dog and two boys we decided it was finally time to take that second vacation we've always talked about. (Now if we could only get to that bucket list we would really be making progress). Of course we needed some salt in our vacation and what better place than Key West. This was my third trip, Carrie's second and my 10th year reunion from that fateful first trip where I first fell in love with Florida. During that first trip we spent nearly a month down there and I was probably lucky to return at all. This time we flew in for the first time and due to the size of the island it's like landing on an aircraft carrier (of course I have no experience doing so making this analogy totally arbitrary so don't quote me on such a comparison). All I know is we take our 737 and we pound that puppy straight down into the pavement and slam on the brakes. Right before the fun begins they give you a fairly hilarious account of what's about to occur. After all you are minutes away from your favorite tropical cocktail so no one really cares about the hard landing as long as you can walk off the plane. It's tropical so you get the stairs rolled up to the plane and get to walk across the active taxiway with your luggage in hand because we're too cheap to pay to check or have no faith it will actually show up. We had arrived in time to check into our B&B. There are only B&Bs in Olde Town, the place to be. Turns out one of the guests in our bed and breakfast is the head coach at Iowa State, Paul Rhoads. He offered to take us out and buy us a drink (we didn't know who he was) but Carrie said, "Now, Josh we have to get up early and go snorkeling. We have to go home." Easy come, easy go when you're living life like a song.
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We went snorkeling on the world's third largest reef, which was roughly 7 miles out to sea in search of some pirate booty but all we found was fish. There was a supposed barracuda sighting but we didn't see him. I did see a sizable puffer fish and who knows what else because I'm not versed in fish of the tropics. Our friends saw some tarpon, which we later discovered after the snorkeling trip. We did see some flying fish, which are pretty entertaining to watch skip across the water. The snorkeling is hard work because you are out there and can't stop swimming. Well, you can but it results in drowning. You jump off the boat and that's it my friend. You either figure it out or become part of the reef. Lots of people didn't last very long, but the wife and I survived and I think I will continue on to get certified for diving. I would like to treasure hunt and there are literally billions of dollars in ship wrecks around Florida and the Keys. I only need a few million of that.
We went on a sunset cruise as well and a big storm kicked up just west of the city and hid our sun but we had a nice relaxing time on the boat ride enjoying a good drink and the peacefulness of the water. It was great to get more than 7 1/2 minutes of conversation in before being interrupted to clean up some sort of bodily fluid that came shooting out of one of our children. The wife and I got a much needed to chance to reconnect and she was reintroduced to nightlife for the first time in four years. Child rearing is so time consuming!
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We wanted to thank my parents for being gracious enough to move to Iowa for the weekend and watch the boys and the dog. I tried to be as blunt as possible for what they were about to encounter but I still think the lack of sleep took it's toll. Seriously people, we're not making this stuff up, we really do only get 4 hours of sleep a night. That lack of sleep compounds over time. We also wanted to thank Carrie's parents that came down to pinch hit so my folks could get an early start on heading home. They were relieved to be, well, relieved. We cannot describe how enjoyable it was to have adult time away and sleep in past 5:15 am while enjoying sunshine for more than 2 days in a row. It did rain down there - for the first time in 5 months we were told. It was a torrential down pour but late at night and we were safely tucked into our night spot so we didn't get wet. We had a fantastic time. It was great to come to see the boys and they were equally as excited to see us. It's good to know we're appreciated by them too. Wink, wink. If you haven't been, get to the Keys. You won't regret it.
We went snorkeling on the world's third largest reef, which was roughly 7 miles out to sea in search of some pirate booty but all we found was fish. There was a supposed barracuda sighting but we didn't see him. I did see a sizable puffer fish and who knows what else because I'm not versed in fish of the tropics. Our friends saw some tarpon, which we later discovered after the snorkeling trip. We did see some flying fish, which are pretty entertaining to watch skip across the water. The snorkeling is hard work because you are out there and can't stop swimming. Well, you can but it results in drowning. You jump off the boat and that's it my friend. You either figure it out or become part of the reef. Lots of people didn't last very long, but the wife and I survived and I think I will continue on to get certified for diving. I would like to treasure hunt and there are literally billions of dollars in ship wrecks around Florida and the Keys. I only need a few million of that. We went on a sunset cruise as well and a big storm kicked up just west of the city and hid our sun but we had a nice relaxing time on the boat ride enjoying a good drink and the peacefulness of the water. It was great to get more than 7 1/2 minutes of conversation in before being interrupted to clean up some sort of bodily fluid that came shooting out of one of our children. The wife and I got a much needed to chance to reconnect and she was reintroduced to nightlife for the first time in four years. Child rearing is so time consuming!
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| Banyan Tree |
Duval street was great as usual and we enjoyed our Jimmy Buffett haunts of Margaritaville, Captain Tony's Saloon, Sloppy Joe's, Irish Kevin's and our favorite the Hog's Breath where we were deemed good enough for locals over the long weekend. Tipping goes a long way down there! I ate approximately 2 1/2 pounds of shrimp and left wanting more. Seafood where have you been?!? We were so busy finding time to squeeze a meal in was the most difficult thing to do. We visited the southernmost point, Mel Fisher's treasure museum (Atocha), Hemingway's and saw the great trees. They have these very old Banyan trees and kapot tree (see pictures) that are unbelievably massive. Just walking the island is a neat experience when you are surrounded by so much history (forts, boats, smugglers, wrecks, and treasure).
We wanted to thank my parents for being gracious enough to move to Iowa for the weekend and watch the boys and the dog. I tried to be as blunt as possible for what they were about to encounter but I still think the lack of sleep took it's toll. Seriously people, we're not making this stuff up, we really do only get 4 hours of sleep a night. That lack of sleep compounds over time. We also wanted to thank Carrie's parents that came down to pinch hit so my folks could get an early start on heading home. They were relieved to be, well, relieved. We cannot describe how enjoyable it was to have adult time away and sleep in past 5:15 am while enjoying sunshine for more than 2 days in a row. It did rain down there - for the first time in 5 months we were told. It was a torrential down pour but late at night and we were safely tucked into our night spot so we didn't get wet. We had a fantastic time. It was great to come to see the boys and they were equally as excited to see us. It's good to know we're appreciated by them too. Wink, wink. If you haven't been, get to the Keys. You won't regret it.
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