Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Back to the Island

In his song, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" Jimmy Buffett sings:

Reading departure signs in some big airport
Reminds me of the places I've been
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
Makes me want to go back again

Of all the places I've been in my life, there is no place I want to go back to again more than Key West. I was first there with Brian for our honeymoon in 2008. I'm not actually sure how we picked Key West, but I do know that we had decided on it long before we were engaged, so when the time rolled around, planning the honeymoon was the easiest part! We were there for a week, and we absolutely loved it. As soon as we left, we were talking about going back someday. And I must be honest, part of the appeal in moving to Miami was that it was only 3 hours from Key West. We knew that it would afford us opportunities to return that we may not have had otherwise.

And it didn't take long for that opportunity to arise. We were back for only a short time in July 2010, the week after we moved to Miami. Brian's parents stayed to visit, and we ended up driving down for a day. And that one day confirmed that we were still in fact in love with Key West and wanted to return again. And a few months later, we were back, this time with my dad, his wife Ruth and her daughter Sadie for a week at the end of December.

I could go on and on about Key West. The food, the weather, the people, the atmosphere... there is so much to take in there. But I will just post some photo highlights so you can see for yourself.




This is the view from our condo. It was lovely to wake up to the sun and the sparkling ocean every day.





This is St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the oldest non-Catholic church in Florida.




The interior of St. Paul's. They had a program called "Music in Paradise," while we were there. The organist was playing and anyone could stop in and listen. We stayed for a little while, and the music was very pretty.




This is the van for Kermit's Key Lime Shop. They sell just about anything you can imagine that is key lime flavored. The best items are the frozen key lime pie, dipped in chocolate and served on a stick. They have traditional key lime and also a strawberry key lime dipped in white chocolate, which is my favorite.




The Key West Cemetery is very unique. The graves are all above the ground as the water table is high and hurricanes have a tendency to unearth coffins. And the monuments are very elaborate and ornate.




I took this shot on the beach. I just liked the colors.




This was the sunset out first night there. It was gorgeous.





The sunset again.




One day, we rented these scooters and rode all over the island. It was a little scary at first, but ended up being a lot of fun!




We visited the Butterfly Garden. It was very pretty inside, but I spent most of the time making sure nothing landed on me. Brian took these pictures.





Some of the butterflies eating.




The cocoon hatchery.




The Key West Lighthouse.




Every night at Mallory Square there is a sunset festival. There are food vendors, street performers, and lots of people. This dog went around and collected tips while his owner played guitar and sang. It was adorable.





This guy at the sunset festival was impressive. He balanced the torch on his nose and flipped it up to his forehead.




Rick and Rocket, they flying Basset Hound. Rick did some juggling tricks, and Rocket jumped through some (very low!) hoops. They were fun.




The Key West Museum of Art and Culture, located inside the old customs house.




The first exhibit at the museum consists of life sized sculptures for you to pose with. This is me with the first sculpture.




And Brian. As you can see, we had fun with it.





Brian got this shot (and got soaked in the process) on the Higgs Beach Pier.




This pelican landed right on the corner of the pier.




This is J, the leader of the Ghost Tour we took. As you can see, he is pretty into it and it's a lot of fun.




The C.G.C. Ingham, which we toured.





A shot of the Ingham belowdecks.




The Mohawk, which was closed the day we visited.




Some of the famous Key West chickens.




Harry Truman's Little White House. He liked to visit Key West and conducted some official business here.




Ft. Zachary Taylor.




The canons at Ft. Taylor.




The view of the Atlantic from Ft. Taylor.





The fort.




The beach at Ft. Taylor is so pretty, and the water is crystal clear and bright blue.

Monday, May 16, 2011

So, it's been awhile

Well, it has certainly been awhile since I have updated this blog. First it was the rainy season and we were spending a lot of time indoors, and then we got busy with school and work, took a break to travel a little over Christmas, and then it was back to school and work again. So I will try and catch up on the last several months since either of us has written anything

Brian had a great first semester at FIU. I will let him write more about it, but he really enjoyed his classes and his first TA assignment. I, at the time, was working for Gamestop. I was really excited when I got called for an interview, because I thought it would be a fun job. I've shopped at many Gamestops over the years, and I thought I knew what to expect. And apparently, had I worked at just about any other Gamestop, I would have been correct. But I had the bad fortune to work for a store manager who believed that "sales" meant twisting people's arms until they agreed to buy your product. The job, which had been described as a "customer service" position, was really only about what you sold. And not the video games you sold, but the extras. There was the Edge card, which cost $15/year, replacement plans, which cost $2-3/game, and reserves for upcoming titles, which were a minimum of $5. That's right, in a period of economic recession, we were pushing $20+ dollars of merchandise on people. There was an immense amount of pressure, and our numbers were constantly monitored. I didn't enjoy it. And then, after 2 weeks, I got promoted from the basic part-time Game Advisor position, past Lead Game Advisor, to Senior Game Advisor. At the time, the store had no Assistant Manager, and the other SGA was on the verge of being fired, so I was dealing with the intense sales pressure and learning a whole new job before I'd completely learned the first one I had and was somehow suddenly second in command. It was a lot at once, but I think it would have been fine if it hadn't been for the intense pressure to sell, sell, sell. But I had a feeling I was in for more than I expected when, in my first week, 3 different people warned me about working for the store manager. One worked at a different store and actually said that working for him was not representative of working at Gamestop. And the way I dealt with customers was not representative of my shopping experiences at any other Gamestop, both before and after I worked there. Needless to say, I was miserable and stayed there until shortly before we left for Ohio. I knew I was starting school when we got back and there was no way I could have shouldered all the pressure of the job plus full time school.

We left for Ohio in mid-December. We planned on a 2 day trip. Day 1 we went from Miami to Macon, GA. We took the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades, which was a really amazing experience. About a half hour in, we saw our first gator. It just sunning itself not far from the road, and it was huge! I wasn't able to get a picture because we were traveling about 60 mph, but we got to see about 10-12 more as we went, both on the banks and swimming through the water. We also drove through a Florida panther habitat. We didn't see any panthers, but they are very endangered and are rarely seen. We stopped in Gainesville that evening to have dinner with our friend Scott, which was great. Then we continued on to Macon. The second day of the drive was, for the most part, uneventful. Somewhere in Tennessee, we saw snow for the first time. By the time we reached Ohio, the snow had picked up significantly. So much that it took us about 3 hours and 40 extra miles of driving through back routes to get from Cincinnati to Brian's parents' house in Dayton. The drive normally takes just a little over an hour. But first there was an accident on 75, and then we had to weave slowly through back roads and alternate routes until we finally made it.

We had a great time in Ohio. We had the opportunity to visit with Brian's family, Maria, and many of our friends. I could write about it, but I will just post some pictures so you can see for yourself.




Driving through the Everglades.




Not a sign you see every day.




The sunset, Northern Florida or Southern Georgia. I can't remember exactly where we were.




Stella and Tas in the hotel on the way to Ohio.




The Chick Fil A in Macon, GA was quite festive.



Day #2, driving through Atlanta.




Shortly after arriving in Ohio. Stella and Bailey were happy to see each other.




We visited Maria in Columbus, and she was showing us Gordon's sweatshirt. You can see how much he loves it.




Maria and I at Easton Town Center, Columbus.




And Brian and I at Easton.




I met my friend Emily and her son, Marley, at Starbucks in Dayton.




Stacey, Joanna, and myself at the Greene, Dayton.




Our trip to Ohio wouldn't have been complete without a visit to BW's and playing video games with Greg, Jon, and Jimmy.




On our last day in Ohio, Brian and I had lunch at The Hickory with his parents.



Took this at a rest stop in Northern Florida. Another sign that you don't see every day.




South Florida sunsets are beautiful.


In addition to the pictures above, Brian and I also visited the Air Force Museum. It was always one of our favorite places to spend an afternoon. We went to Cincinnati for a day and visited the University of Cincinnati, Newport on the Levee, and the zoo. I stopped in to visit my old co-workers and we went to the Festival of Lights. And I got to meet my old roommate Chrissy for lunch. It was busy, but a lot of fun, and we were glad we were able to make the trip.

We ended up staying in Ohio a little longer than planned due to the weather. After the trip up, we were erring on the side of caution so we didn't have to repeat that experience. So, we delayed for two days because the forecast called for snow, icy roads, and fog. And of course, both days the weather did not deliver. On the third day, when we finally left, the roads in Ohio were a bit icy. We hit construction in Kentucky and a minor accident in Tennessee that slowed us down, and after that, the drive home was smooth sailing.

I have plenty more to share, but I think that's enough for this entry. More updates soon!