Our Beach Boys Trip

At the end of June, Jason had to take a business trip to Hollywood, Florida.  I'd never been on a business trip with him before, but since I had also never been to Florida before - I happily tagged along.  Jason's Mom was kind enough to willingly take a week of her vacation time to hang out with our kids too! Without such help, we'd never get to take opportunities like this.

We took a red eye flight and arrived in Florida at 6 AM on a Monday morning. We had a little bit of time to sight-see, but Jason was also working remotely that day.  His conference lasted Tuesday, Wednesday, and part of Thursday, so I was on my own pretty much the whole time.  I slept in until almost noon, worked out at the hotel gym, and then laid on the beach while I waited for Jason to finish for the day.  Rough time, I know!  The only bad part was the we didn't have a car during the first few days, and there were no restaurants within a mile of the hotel.  I could have eaten at the dining room, but they wanted $30 for a hamburger lunch, so.... I walked the 3 miles round trip to get my lunch and dinner. And in the heat and humidity, my chocolate milkshake was always melted before I was even partway back to the hotel. I do get bored easily too, so I was super glad when Jason was done and we could spend the next 3 days together. We found time to visit Ben and Jerry's ice cream, listen to an outdoor concert, and walk the boardwalk.

Once Jason's conference was done, he had taken a couple vacation days, so we got a car and headed down the Florida Keys.  We went all the way to Key West and stayed for a couple days.  It was fun to see the sights and relax at the beach. We didn't have too much time, but we had the chance to ride jet skis through the everglades and all around the island of Key West.  That was really cool.  We ate at a couple of fun restaurants and met some interesting people.  Saw more than I would have liked to on Duvall Street. It is a different kind of town.  On Saturday we got up early to go for a run (my choice) and watch the sunrise (Jason's choice).  Then we headed back to Miami and caught a flight home. 

It is always super fun to travel together!  And while it was a business trip, we also counted it as our celebration for our 10th wedding anniversary that occurred 2 weeks later! :)

The view from our window in Hollywood, FL

A really cool brick building in Key West

Ben and Jerry's!  We went here at least 3 times.

After our fun jet ski trip

The Florida Keys had tons of weird, larger-than-life statues.

The beginning of HWY 1

Concert at the Smokin' Tuna... Jason's choice.

Beaches, beaches, beaches.

Such colorful roadside gift shops

An outdoor street fair and performers gather every evening in Key West

This was the first church in Key West.  We couldn't believe how white it was still! The pic was taken from the highest vantage point in Key West.

Jason waiting for lunch at this little local outdoor restaurant.

A rooster wandering through said outdoor restaurant.

Sunrise run

Man, was it humid!  The 3 miles felt long.

The hotel that we stayed at in Key West.

We need one of these in our yard!