Islamorada....take me away!

First off, I am super excited to be writing a new post! My laptop took a dump and I finally got a new one last night! I have missed blogging so much. A group of my girlfriends got together recently for our first ever Bloggers Unite meeting! We shared tips and tricks about blogging. It was so encouraging and fun! I have been itching to get back to blogging. The laptop issue kept me away but, I also went on a vacation for the first time in years, so that kept me away as well(but that was ok).

My husband's cousin got married about a month ago in Islamorada, FL. Islamorada is located in the Florida Keys.

There it is! Right in the middle with the star:)

Illinois was the furthest state I had been to in the US, so I was super excited to travel to Florida. We flew Virgin America and oh my...it was awesome! I highly suggest it. We flew out of LAX and straight through to Fort Lauderdale, where we then drove down to The Keys(about 2 hours). We came in late at night and it was rainy. So, when we woke up the next morning it was glorious! The rain was long gone and didn't rain again while we were there. The water there is turquoise and warm. There are also no waves or at least there weren't any when we were there. It is so different than our Pacific Ocean water.

Our hotel The Postcard Inn

 

This is where the wedding was held

 The first few days were filled with wedding activities. The wedding was located at a villa on the ocean. Simply gorgeous!!!! They could have just set up chairs and still had a gorgeous wedding. The background of the calm, turquoise water was enough. The wedding was so much fun. We danced the night away and mingled with new and old friends.

 

 

 

 

 Overall, it was so relaxing and just a awesome time for The Hubs and I . Getting away with your spouse is so important.We have done little trips here and there but, never have we been gone this long(forgot to mention Shane stayed back home with family).

 

This was just outside our hotel door. We had a Lanai room just steps from the water! Why did I come back again?

 

 

This is Cash. The cutest Frenchie around!

After the wedding we were able to explore a little more. We drove down to Key West(ehhh). Not too impressed. We stayed for maybe an hour and headed back to our favorite place, Islamorada. The following day we spent on and in the water. We listened to a guy playing the steel drum while we ate our fresh fish tacos...ahhhh...I want to go back right now! Later on in the day we were able to walk over to where the fishing boats came in each day(it was in the same spot our hotel was in). It was fun to see what everyone caught. Next time we go... we are definitely going to go fishing.

This is Key West. Had a Louisiana feel. The homes were beautiful!

 

This was at the Raw Bar at our hotel and where we sat and had out fish tacos and listened to the man playing the steel drum. Perfection!

 

Mangrove Mike's Café...delish!

 

Favorite restaurant: Ziggie & Mad Dog's! We went two nights in a row!

 

I was like a kid in a candy store here!

 

 

AHHHH...look at all those shells!

 

The catch!

 

 

Both The Hubs and I agreed that the best part of Islamorada were the people. They were all sooooo nice. I recently read that the city I live in was in the top 5 of the rudest cities! I don't know if I believe that, but we could definitely take some tips from Islamorada! Every one greets you when you walk into a store or are walking down the street. I really had to get use to it. It was just a welcoming city. I can't wait to go again. It is definitely somewhere I see us going on our next vacation (hopefully it won't be in another 10 years)!