We all returned from vacation with a little something. In Finn’s case it was another tooth! He is now up to 6 and this most recent one, the front right, is coming in pretty fast. Look at those teeth! Kevin and I were a bit less fortunate and came back with a sinus/cold/chest kind of illness. It’s not really much fun.
Finn did great for a majority of the trip, despite the lack of schedule and on many days lack of sleep! Traveling to and from everywhere takes some time and he isn’t really interested in napping if he can watch people and his surroundings instead. He made a ton of friends on the cruise ship since there weren’t a lot of young infants on board. Most places we went everyone just smiled at him and commented on his beautiful blue eyes. It was fun to sit down with family and friends each night for dinner. A couple of the evenings were a bit tough as we had the 8:30 seating. Finn and I left mid-dinner twice as he became a bit loud and fussy and was in need of his bed! Kevin stayed for the remainder of dinner and was sweet and thoughtful each night – he brought a latte and dessert back to our room. Yum! Dessert and a latte in bed, that’s not a bad way to vacation 🙂
On Sunday, we arrived in Key West about 6:30 a.m. Somehow I was awake, which was nice as I was able to watch us arrive in the port. Once Finn and Kevin were awake we were getting ready to head down for our first breakfast onboard and the power on the entire ship went out! Uh oh! It was out for about an hour so they continued to put out food that didn’t require cooking, but other than that it was limited to whatever they had when the power went out. The worst part, for me, was they ran out of coffee! But it wasn’t long before everything was back up and running and we all enjoyed a nice breakfast.
Once we returned to our room we realized the water had a brownish cast to it. After running the shower for about 10 minutes it cleared up – thankfully – as it was time to get ready for the wedding! Yay! We were off the ship by 10:30 am and we all walked up the hill and made our way to a trolley that took us to Smather’s Beach where Brett and Missy would be married. I don’t have any photos during the wedding, as DSLR camera’s weren’t allowed since the wedding was conducted by a photography company. But I was able to get some before and afters. It was a hot and sunny day and there were lots of family and friends there to celebrate their marriage. Afterwards everyone was treated to a lovely lunch at the Conch Republic in Key West. Jim welcomed Missy to the Armstrong Family by presenting her with an Armstrong sash that was fastened with the Armstrong Clan pin. Both Kevin and Erika toasted to the newlyweds during the casual afternoon reception where we were all mingled together. We had a little bit of time at the end of the afternoon so Grandma and Grandpa took Finn back on the ship and Brett, Missy, Kevin, and I walked around Duval Street in Key West and had a drink at Sloppy Joe’s. Missy wore her Armstrong sash all afternoon and it was cute to see everyone congratulate them on getting married – one gentlemen asked to have his picture taken with them!
Each evening we watched the sunset together on our balcony (when the sun was on the correct side that is!). Most days at sea were lazy and casual days on the ship which allowed Finn to get some much needed sleep. Everyone enjoyed the sun (or shade), beverages (mine were the specialty coffee drinks!), and food (so much food!). And we enjoyed many good dinners, served by Joquin and Olga – they were wonderful!
On our day in Cozumel we disembarked and began walking to a nearby beach. Within a short distance a cabbie stopped and talked to us and offered to be our cabbie for the afternoon, so we obliged! He took us to Paradise beach where we spent a couple of hours and played in the water. Then we headed to the Mayan Ruins for a brief visit, followed by a driving tour of the downtown area of Cozumel. He explained alot about their culture and the landmarks as we drove around. It was a nice, and long, day!
Playing on the beach in Cozumel!
After the cruise we spent a few nights in Duck Key, Florida which is about halfway to Key West. We stayed in a condo that was part of resort which had several pools and hot tubs and a even a saltwater lagoon and dolphin area. While we didn’t swim with the dolphins we were able to see them and snap some photos. We drove to Key West one afternoon where we had very tasty Cuban Sandwiches at the local restaurant Paseo. Finn enjoyed watching all of the birds roam around while we ate. We ended the night listening to live music and watching the sun set. On our final day in the condo, fin was loving having the freedom of roaming around a larger area. You’ll see him using a chair as a tool to get himself around the first floor. It’s pretty cool to watch. He knows when he gets stuck to go to another side and push a different direction! On our last day we spent several hours at the lagoon where Kevin and I got a bit too much sunbefore returning home. And now that we’re back, we’re ready for another vacation 😉 Enjoy!