Island Life - or our “vacation from our vacations’s vacation”

So if our last post spoke of our vacation from our “vacation,” this week took it a step further and we had  a vacation from our vacation’s vacation.  Aaron was able to take the whole week off, we took a break from formal learning, and the grandparents followed us down to a little place called Fiesta Key.

If you know your Spanish, you know “fiesta” means party. And if you know your geography, you also know that a key is a low lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean. (In specific, the Florida Keys are a chain of islands off the southern coast of Florida, connected by the Florida Overseas Highway, running southwest from Key Largo and continuing 125 miles to the southernmost point of the US. But I digress. Plus, I think I just said that formal learning was paused for the week… but that just proves the point that learning never ends, even when we close the books! Where was I again??!? Oh yes. Fiesta Key.) If we put the meanings of these two words together, you get: party island.

Some highlights were: sunsets at sunset point, just down from our RV site; sunrises by the pool and tiki bar (though I was the only one to see those, lol!); island breezes and rum runners (virgin piña coladas for the kids); star gazing and night walks to see lobsters, crabs, manatees, shrimp, and sting rays; fishing from the resort and a charter for the boys to hunt down some mangrove snapper for our dinner; beach days (sandy shore and warm water at Bahia Honda State park where you can swim in the Atlantic and go over a trail to the Gulf Beach!); lots of ice cream; a tour of a sea turtle hospital and rehab center; a dolphin show at Theater of the Seas; and amazing resort activities and amenities (market days, painting classes, movies under the stars on the beach, and live music at the restaurant) along with a fantastic pool and hot tub. We met another family we connected with and Ben spent the week playing and biking and fishing with his new buddy, which was a huge highlight for him. We were all so sad to leave, and agreed if we ever come back this way, a week in paradise isn’t enough!