I’m back to reality after returning from Florida today. My husband and I drove to the airport 5 days ago with a tentative plan of flying to Miami which would eventually get us to the Keys. It did. Thankfully, the plans actually worked. Here’s what our last few days have looked liked:

Monday-We left the kids with the grandparents who thankfully had agreed to babysit them while we were away. After arriving to the airport mid-afternoon, we quickly boarded a plane for Miami. We had no tickets, of course, because we were flying space-A, but we were fortunate to land 2 empty seats. Arrival time in Miami was around 6:00 p.m followed by picking up our rental car around 6:30. We had no where to stay, so we decided to head to South Beach for the evening. Several hotels we called initially said they were booked, so I researched trip advisor and came across a budget hotel called the “Harrison Hotel”. I forget what street the hotel is located on, but it’s only 3 blocks from the water and trip advisor had given the hotel favorable ratings for a budget-priced stay. We quickly moved into the Harrison for the evening and eventually found dinner at “Big Pink” diner, a fun little place just down the road. I believe Big Pink is owned and operated by the same company who runs Prime 112. I’m told Prime 112 is a hot spot for celebrities and fine dining. That’ll have to wait for the next trip. We eventually retired for the evening in our very tiny but quaint room with a leaky sink and old, uneven floors.

Tuesday-Upon awakening, I was able to squeeze a run in on South Beach. Gorgeous scenery although the wind was crazy strong, so the sand kept blowing into my eyes. We checked out of our little hotel and headed for the Everglades. Prior to entering the park, we toured an alligator farm and rode the fan boats (I forget what they’re called, but they are loud and fun). We eventually made it into the Everglades park and walked a few of the noted trails. Anhinga I believe, was one of them. Once the evening began to set in, we continued our journey down Highway One but detoured along the way on Card Sound Road to eat at Alabama Jack’s, another trip advisor favorite. I tried the conch fritters even though my husband refused. The fritter had an interesting flavor, a cross between mexican cornbread and hushpuppy pancakes. Interesting, but I would not order this again just because of the heaviness of the meal. And again, we headed down highway one towards Key West with  no where to stay. Fortunately, we secured a room at the navy base (Truman Annex) for a fraction of what the hotel chains were quoting us. We eventually settled in around midnight.

Wednesday-No alarm clocks. I believe we slept until 10:00 a.m.. Lunch at a local deli and then we spent the day covering the local tourist traps after watching the superboat races on the water just down from our hotel. We rode the train to hear some of the history behind the town, its structures, and people and ended the evening down at the marina for dinner. Gorgeous boats and great food-big fan of raw oysters and this particular restaurant we chose had them served perfectly.

Thursday-more sleep. We bought trinkets, had brunch at Denny’s in Key West, and then headed back up Highway 1 towards Miami. On my search for local event happenings in Miami I noticed that the Miami Heat was playing the L.A. Clippers, so we drove straight to the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami. My husband and I changed clothes in the car in the parking lot since we looked and smelled like beachy Key West. I threw some deodorant on, brushed my teeth with a dry toothbrush, and we walked to the arena in search of tickets. We bought tickets at the ticket booth. They weren’t great, in the nose bleed section, but we were still able to see most of everything on the court including the bump-and-grind Miami heat dancers. I was a bit disappointed in their performances. Their dances seemed to consist mostly of hair tossing and pelvic gyrations, no real dance technique or moves. Maybe that’s what the crowd demands down in Miami, but they certainly could show off their dance skills without looking like the poles could come out anytime for a stripper show. I digress but being a former college dancer at Ole Miss, I can say these things. I did enjoy watching the various characters of the NBA like Lebron and Chris Anderson. Amazing athletes and entertaining. Afterwards, we secured a hotel for the night about 20 minutes away from the airport and fell asleep around 1 a.m.

Friday-early wake-up, 5:30 a.m. Eventually boarded the plane and landed back home in cold, windy, rainy weather. Ugh…we’re already missing that Floridian weather. Organized chaos immediately set in after my in-laws left. I spent a little time with my oldest son on fractions before he headed to robotics and soccer. My daughter left for gymnastics. My husband left with one of my other sons to watch the Army-Navy soccer game in Phili. There was never any time to decompress from the vacation. Oh, well. Count the blessings..

Saturday-It’s now almost 1 in the morning and more madness will occur today with activities. The weekend will fly by, and I’ll wonder how it’s all of a sudden Monday. Off to sleep. I’m exhausted, but I desperately need to hit the gym to work off this Floridian menu.