Back in the Real World

I've been meaning to get back on here to post about the last leg of our vacation and let you know we made it home safely, but obviously that did not happen! Suffice it to say that, yes, we made it home safely!

As for the last three days of our trip to Key West, we were pretty low-key. Wandering around the island, great walks at sunset to find a perfect outdoor cafe or bistro for dinner (the recession has been hard on tourism there, so we got some great two-for-one deals on amazing meals!), and spending time at the pool at our resort. Our last day there was actually a constant downpour, so we stayed inside watching old movies on cable, then getting great deli sandwiches and key lime pie for dinner!

We planned to wake up bright and early Friday morning (and by bright and early, I mean 4:00 am) but neither of us was sleeping really well, so we got up at 3:30, said "screw it", got dressed, and hit the road. Although Patrick drove the entire way on the front end of the trip, he promised me I was going to "get" to help on the way home (I'd like to note that while I may not have offered to help driving, I certainly was more than willing to do so if asked...but who's going to volunteer for that?!?). So he drove up through the Keys (and a rain storm) and we stopped in Miami (I think) for breakfast and to switch drivers. Then we stopped again in Kingsland GA (if I remember correctly, some old ND friends of mine were stationed there a year or so ago) for lunch and another switch. Somewhere in North Carolina, between lunch and dinner, I took over again, and then Patrick drove the last leg from northern NC home. We actually did really well and knocked an hour off the advertised driving time on Yahoo maps...even managed to get two loads of laundry done and pretty much totally unpacked before we went to bed around 10:30! Not bad for an 1100 mile trip!

Since getting back, Patrick has been catching up at work and getting ready for an upcoming trip to Iraq. I've been running errands to get food back in the fridge, figure out what keeps making my washing machine "walk" all around the laundry room while running and then stop draining, and the million other things on my "to do" list before school starts again in a week! I had a placement test over at the hospital to which I'm applying for a nursing program, which I passed (thanks to all you well-wishers!) and am now awaiting the interview, which is the last step of the application process. Next week is pretty crazy with doctor's appointments, pre-deployment activities (aka executing our updated wills, which is so morbid and I hate it), and taking care of my mama who will be having carpal tunnel surgery next week (and of course, my dad will be out of town!)...I'm glad I'm close enough to help out...

Other than that, it's business as usual around here. I'm not looking forward to the separation coming up. In the past, it was always me deploying (or at least we were gone at the same time) so I had something to keep me busy. This time it's different...so if any of you ladies want to do something fun, I'd really appreciate the distraction!

Changes in Latitude

And for Tuesday's edition of the travel journal...

This morning we woke up leisurely and once again enjoyed breakfast pool-side at our hotel. After breakfast, we walked to the Mallory Square and historic seaport area and toured the Key West Aquarium, which was the first tourist attraction on the island. We enjoyed the touch tanks with horseshoe crabs, starfish, hermit crabs, and more. We watched sting rays and sea turtles splash tourists, and we took part in the shark feeding. We got to see sea horses and shrimps, several fish indigenous to the area, and many species that we swam with during yesterday's snorkeling trip (to include the Great Barracuda).

After the aquarium, we walked around the Mallory Square and seaport area for a little bit, but it was really crowded as a cruise ship pulled in early this morning. We wandered off the beaten path a bit and found a great little hole-in-the-wall diner for lunch. Since we got quite a bit of sun yesterday, we decided to come back to the hotel to relax a little bit before hitting the gym. This evening, we walked down to the seaport to the Sunset Pier to take part in a local weekly tradition: Sunset Shrimp Spectacular. For $5, you can buy a half-pound of steamed shrimp, complete with cole slaw and corn on the cob, and for another $5 you can wash it down with a margarita. If 'ritas aren't your thing, you can purchase a "bucket of beers" instead. The pier was completely packed, and we had to stand in line for a little bit, and then stand at the pier's rail to eat, but that was the best $5 meal I've ever eaten! With the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration going on in the distance, a live band playing at the end of the pier, and sail boats gliding into the marina, it was a great atmosphere and delicious food! Too bad it's only a weekly event! We continued the evening at the famed Rick's Bar on Duval Street with $10 all-you-can-drink Rum Runners before crawling into bed...which is where I am now, and I'm going to snuggle under the covers and fall asleep listening to the pool fountain outside our door! Night!

Fins to the Left

This morning, we woke up bright and early (so what else is new, right?!?) and discovered that breakfast in our hotel didn't start for almost two hours. So we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and go for a walk around the island. We bought some coffee at a cute little shop on Duval Street to begin our exploring. We saw the southernmost point in the continental US, tons of chickens and roosters (complete with the sunrise cock-a-doodle-doo-ing), the Key West Lighthouse, Hemingway's house, and a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes who protects the island from hurricane devastation. OK, so maybe our walk didn't cover the whole island, but we saw many of the hotspots that were on our must-see list!

By the time we were back, breakfast was being served, so we settled into a cute table right next to the pool, and had delicious fruit and yogurt parfaits, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and piping hot coffee/tea. It was just what the doctor ordered: light, refreshing, and perfectly cool in such a humid climate! Off to the gym for a morning workout before hitting the beach!

After getting cleaned up post-gym, we wandered down to Fort Zachary Taylor Park and beach and set up camp for the morning. The water was gorgeous, just the right temperature, and the sun was hot! We got wraps for lunch from a vendor right on the beach and really enjoyed the day. We went back to the hotel in just enough time to reapply sunscreen and grab my snorkel gear before heading down to the historic seaport to meet our ship, the Caribbean Spirit, for a sunset snorkeling and sangria cruise. The weather was just gorgeous and all the tropical fish near the coral reef were funny! We swam with some barracudas, and Patrick thought he saw a small nurse shark! It was a great evening only topped by a great seafood dinner on the pier when we were finished!

Looking for My Lost Shaker of Salt

This morning, we woke up bright and early and made the long trek from Savannah to Key West. I must admit that Patrick did all the driving, both from Norfolk to Savannah and from Savannah to Key West. A total of over 1100 miles! My only job was to unwrap snacks and open cokes for him...which I'm pretty good at!

We arrived at our quaint little hotel, La Te Da, right on Duval Street, around Happy Hour, but we were so wired from being cramped up in the car for eleven hours that we went right over to the Naval Station (really just an annex) and used their gym. Then we had some drinks in our room while we got cleaned up, and went to a little hole-in-the-wall family-run Cuban restaurant for dinner. We shared a pitcher of sangria over our meal, and then wandered up and down Duval Street to get our bearings for all the hot spots! Although it's super humid here, and we were still sweating at 11:00 pm, "Conches" are more than willing to offer you a "traveler" (to-go cup of your libation of choice) so we were still refreshed!

Now it's just midnight and we're both pooped after waking up so early to drive, so I'm going to get some beauty rest before we go exploring (and snorkeling) tomorrow!

The pictures were all taken from the car as we left mainland Florida and began the 100 mile (plus) drive down the Keys!