Key West part 2

Fun fun fun more fun in the sun.  We were off on Thursday to see the dolphins.  Gary (our hunky guide) would take you out into the gulf to see the dolphins.  They swim with the boat and go under and frolic and jump right next to the boat.  They do this because they are not afraid of the boats.  The captains are under strict rules that you don't touch feed or try to swim with them.  They are so use to the boats over the years that they are happy to see us!!!  So amazing to sail threw the channel with the dolphins entertaining us!

Then we went to a great spot to snorkel and dive.  we saw a turtle and about 15 lobsters which we begged Gary to let us catch, he only had one net so said no :(  Then as we were leaving this huge jellyfish swam right up to my face of course I screamed go a mouth full of salt water and tried to swim away. Bry saw all the commotion and tried to get a picture of it.  I was a big as my head no joke and sacred me to death!  when I got out I asked Gary about the jelly fish and he said oh ya those don't sting!  So i guess I didn't have to get so worked up.  We stayed in that night and ate a delish dinner (thanks Anderson's) and pigged out on ice cream and key lime pie.

which brings me to my next point.  We tried several different key lime pies to find the best one in Key West.  This is what we found. rating from 1 being yucky to 10 being so heavenly it melts in your mouth and you can hardly speak.

2 Carolin's  this pie was so void of lime flavor it tasted like a can of sweetened condensed milk YUCK!

5 Publics, just a chain grocery store where the locals get their pies for cheap and it was just ok.

7 Keys fisheries. this was suppose to be the best see above photo however it was grainy (maybe from the 2 hour car ride and semi freezing from the restraunt who stored it for us while we ate.) the crust was good and it was very limey.

8 The key lime factory its won some awards and was go good frozen and dipped in chocolate, but the pie was too fluffy to be considered a true key lime.

10 10 10 10 ok the Blond Giraffe was the best!  It had a crunchy crust made with cookies I think and maybe some nuts not sure.  but the Key lime was so smooth and didn't taste like sweeten condensed milk. Yummm I've got to order one from online cause I need one right now!!!

On Friday we hit the beach toured the fort (boring but the guys liked it)  I was so sad my cute Granny died and I was so mellow all day.  We hung out by the pool finished reading all our books and watched the sunset such a relaxing day I loved every minute of it.



ummm look out? (the old train bridge to key west from Miami)



we caught one of these from the pier!

 


and ate one of these for lunch

 


and ate this for dinner the next night best raw tuna ever!!!

 

We drove back on the bridge connecting all the islands and stoped for lunch at the best restaurant   (where they sored our Key lime pie while we ate. the pie got frozen dang)  The restaurant was built in the bay with water on almost all sides.  they have a place where you can watch them feed the fish. 



dancing after dinner, don't judge it was fun!

They said right now they have 7 nurse sharks who live there and the tarpin are bigger than Taylor.  The can swim into the ocean but always come back to eat.  We had the best raw tuna ever!!!! I love eating fish.

Off we went up to Miami  and walked on South beach put our toes in the water and saw the most bizarre people.  We stayed in Miami at the JW Marriott our last night and had dinner with the mission pres. he is such a wonderful man. We saw where they are going to build the Fort Lauderdal temple

Turning forty in Key West part 1

What a fantastic trip. Poor Bry did not want to throw me a big 40th birthday, he wanted to take  me somewhere so fun that I wouldn't have time to think about how old I'm getting.  We started the trip with a red eye out to Miami which was dreadful as you well can imagine no sleep and the worst seats on the plane for the first leg and best seats on the plane for the shorter second leg.

 We landed on Friday to hear President Nathan Hale, (the mission pres. for So. Florida, the friends we went with are neighbors from Bountiful)  He was a wonderful speaker and so fun to talk to afterward.  He introduced us to the missionary's in Key West and so we took them to lunch on Mon. for Elder Jones birthday.  Such sweet boys and to think that will be Austin in 15 months.... We stocked up the fridge and read our books by the pool, then had the boys cook steaks on the grill with the yummest salsa, why does food always taste so good after a day in the sun?

This gecko took a shower with me on Monday night, I thought it was fake at first till it started crawling up the wall.  It reminded me of the one that lived in our dorm room in Hawaii, except that one was green! so funny.

Tuesday we got ready to jet ski around the island of Key West.  That had to be the best day!!!! we took the jet ski's out for 2 hours and the guild showed us all the fun places to hang out, some of the history and where Oprah's house is.  We had so much fun racing and driving in the ocean.  I stood up a lot and boy could I feel my thighs shaking! We hung out at a sister resort and played on their beach for the rest of the day, they brought us Popsicles and drinks and frozen towels, what service!  I tell you what I really felt 40 the next day which is not a good thing!!!!  We watched a movie  that night and made brownies in someone else condo cause ours was a handicap unit and we didn't have an oven. We looked so funny walking past the pool with our brownies and hot pads! And to top it off another fabulous sunset!

 Wed. we rented scooters and went around the city to seeing everything.  We went to the lighthouse which is in the middle of town (Key west has been built up over the years) Hemingway's house, to the end of highway 1 and the last house in the United States.  We were so excited to see the southern most part of the U.S. and the cute land mark how ever it was being repainted and being the layed back town that it is, it wasn't getting finished anytime soon. 





 Of course we had to eat at Margaritaville (the original one) Bry just loves Jimmy Buffet so we had to see all the stores and bars that are featured in his songs.  We got caught in a downpour and I mean open up the sky and dump everything in the clouds down like a bucket rain!!! We were on our  scooters and it was dark and we had to ride around the island to the shop where are car was parked and turn in the scooters.  We took that time to shop along Deval St.  and buy our souvenirs for the kids. About a half and hour later it had cleared up and we were on our way. The weather is so funny, if its raining at one dive location then go to the other side and find one that's not,  that's how it works down in Sunny Florida. 



more later on the rest of the trip :)

Moab the last fling!

I love Moab the red rock the dry heat the sun the hiking, what could be better?  The best part of having boys is they love that stuff no complaining about hiking heat and dirt! 

The first day the boys ran the river and the little kids and mom's went shopping.  We did take the little kiddies to the small easy hikes like north and south windows, and the back side of Delicate.  Tay had the worst melt down ever!!! I have never seen such a crazy display of frustration from him.  He is so  dramatic and intense, he puts his all in everything he is doing good or bad. When he lost it and we were surrounded by people, I just didn't know what to do, I'm surprised he made it out alive! (he did lose some of his spending money), but by the way I was squeezing his hand I'm suprised he didn't loose his fingers!

The next day we hiked the double O, with all the kids.  It took us about 4hr.  including the wrong turn (we were lost for about a half hour) it was about 5 miles. 

The older kids kept taking off climbing up mountain hiding from us running ahead, so my revenge was they had to pose for a picture every time they took off. (I got  A LOT of pictures)  On the way back Austin went a head and didn't tell any one I could have killed him, but I kept thinking if he's in trouble I'd feel nervous and panicky, but I just felt mad that he was sitting at the car and we were all helping Tanner and the little kids.  What a little stinker her can be at times, he said he just needed to be alone for a min., which is fine if he would have told us.

We found the best little swimming hole, the kids had so much fun cliff diving.  There was a better swim hole up the Mt. a half a mile but the little kids didn't want to climb up there, so we just stayed at the lower waterfall and cooled off in the HOT sun.  Austin said that was the best part of Moab.  I  can't believe that my kids jumped off the 10 foot ledge it seemed higher than the high dive at the pool. and then Austin jumped from the top with our friends daughter Hannah, I can't believe they jumped off a 25ft ledge, scary!

The little boys and dad's went on a sunrise hike to Delicate arch, I slept in with Austin and Tanner,  hiking is hard on Tanners ankles he really should be in hiking boots to support his bad ankles, he said "No more hiking"!  So we stayed at the cabin and relaxed and ate breakfast and talked it was fun.  We shopped for tee shirts, except Tay who got a sling shot,  I know I know but I said he can only use hard marshmallows, so  we will see if that happens. 
All in all a great last trip of the summer, well for the kids.   We are going to Key West soon so that will be a vacation where as when we take the kids its a trip, there is a difference!