Yup. We know we have to return to jobs and school soon. Stop reminding us!
Today was our last day in Key West but we had by far the best weather day of our whole trip. 70, sunny, and breezy. It was be-a-u-ti-ful!
So we headed out this morning to drop off Jess and Caleb at church. They found a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints meeting house just a half mile from our condo so we dropped them off and hit Duval Street! Some of us have been sickly for days, a few of us needed to actually see the famous Duval Street, but since we aren’t exactly night owls, we were less likely to be checking it out at night when all the bars are hopping. We are more of the dinner at 5:30, bed by 9 kinda people. Don’t judge. To each his own.
We got our souvenirs, Christmas ornaments, shirts, magnets, etc and picked up the kiddos after church. Then we drove around to a few spots including Higgs Beach below before deciding that some of us needed a nap. We aren’t all healthy, so you gotta work with what you got.
A competitive game of tennis was watched from the balcony. They only lost 2/3 balls so that’s not bad right?
Oh one more thing - here is Papa. He’s just being Papa! Challenged himself to walk the can to the garbage on his head. He’s a hoot.
The beloved card game George was played for a few rounds while poor Caleb took a nap for his head cold. We were all healthy at the beginning of this trip - I swear!
Katie got it in her head that we should rent bikes, so Todd, Em, Kate, and I set off to the front desk to rent some and off we went. Probably the best thing I did all day. We biked 8 miles but it didn’t feel like it because it was all flat land. Not a hill or mountain in sight.
We saw a ton of cool stuff including a sting ray in the water! Didn’t have to snorkel with him. We could see him so clearly in the water. The crazy thing about the water here is that there are no waves. I attached a video below but literally, there are no waves. It’s like a lake. It’s kinda eerie. Maybe the waves break farther off the coast because there’s a reef or something???
Anyway, after realizing that sunset was coming we raced back to the condo and grabbed the rest of the gang to head down to Mallory Square for the famous Sunset Celebration. It’s a beachfront area with a boardwalk and a bunch of different street performers. It was cool. The ocean was beautiful and the setting sun with the sailboats was like a picture. Very cool.
We passed through an interesting Sculpture Garden on our way to find grub. Pretty interesting. Super cool that the creators left open space for further generations to add to it. That was kind.
We found Red Fish Blue Fish for dinner downtown and of our crew 4/8 loved their meals. Can everyone be happy at one restaurant? Is that a thing? Well either way, we had fun conversation, some loud laughs, and a few drinks while we enjoyed the company of those we love. People ordered cioppino, fish and chips, and jambalaya.
Now back at the condo we have the Golden Globes on one tv, the football game on another, two at the hottub, and two video editing (yup - Kate and Em have been working on vacation video editing for a YouTube channel). It’s been a joy to fill you in on our adventures over the last two weeks. As a teacher I know the value in reflection, and that’s really what these travel blogs are. It helps us recall the highs, lows, learning opportunities, and the needs we might still have. In the new year, may you focus, not on what could have been, but what is in front of you. Every day is a gift. Enjoy the present.
