One Month, time well spent

It has been one month to the day since I blogged last, sorry for the delay, however the time has been spent experiencing new and exciting places;

Jacksonville FL we visited with cousins and Uncle Den...we always have a good time with our FL family. We played with the children, ate grits, and enjoyed many laughs. After a few days we got the itch and headed further south. Getting the itch to hit the road again is quite an awesome feeling. It is the first time I was craving the act of movement and exploration rather then being really nervous about where we would go next!

We headed to St. Augustine for a day (been there before) and decided to B-line it to Miami for a free concert. We drove down A1A and saw dolphins swimming by as we picnicked, and jumping the surf while we waded in the water at Smyrna Beach.

We reached South Beach Miami for a free Zac Brown concert on the beach. We were right up dead center in front of the stage, barefoot and dancing to "Free", couldn't have been any better.... but it got even better; those standing around us were very friendly people. We learned more about the band from a hardcore fan, about Miami and FL in general from a local, and each got a free beer!

After traveling through Miami (Manhattan with palm trees) we decided we have no burning desire to live in such an over crowded city, where life moves way to fast. So we hit the road again, this time...Key West was the destination!!!

Stopped off in Key Largo at Snapper's which is an excellent resturant/bar that my cousin runs. I had never been there and hands down had the best Key Lime Pie (even after we made our way through the rest of the Keys). I also ate the Vera Cruz Hogfish (local fish) which was delicious. Snapper's is on the water and has a nice laid back feel, check it out if your ever in Key Largo.

We then slept at Jolly Rogger's on Marathon Key, Breezy Pines on Big Pine Key, and Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine. Jolly Rogger's we were parked right on the Gulf it was beautiful. At Bahia Honda we stayed on the Atlantic side and it was stunning (rated #1 beach in the US multiple times), check it out.

We traveled into Key West our first two full days, and it was like we had walked into the Caribbean while still standing on US soil. We rented a Hobie Cat and sailed off the beach into the Atlantic for an hour. The following day we took a Stand Up Paddle Boarding lesson/tour with Megan at SUP Key West. This is my new favorite sport, seriously you get to walk on water, freakin awesome. We went through mangrove tunnels, crossed little bays, went under bridges, learned about the wildlife; pelicans, sea cucumbers, and the locals. Mangroves take in salt water and deposit the salt out through warts on the skin of their roots. Nature amazes me more and more. Read about the mangroves and you will understand how awesome mother nature is. Go to this page managroves and scroll down for pictures, definitions, and descriptions. We celebrated our SUP experience at Irish Kevin's with some impressive live music, beer, and laughter...great night capped off with another sampling a Key Lime Pie!

We were hesitant to leave Key West b/c we knew we had to visit again and don't know how long it will be till we return. Thankgiving and family was around the corner and it was time to make our way to some homemade food and good times with the fam!

I took my Dad's advice, I'm not spending my time taking pictures, I am spending my time really seeing the world through my eyes, and experiencing things that are worth a thousand words.

(for all those who like pic updates, don't worry I'm still taking a few)