When we got down there, we spent about 3 nights in Fort Lauderdale. It only rained the first day and then it was nice and sunny the rest of the time. We spent time on the beach prior to going to the timeshare deal (which they say will last 2 hours and turned in to lasting 4-5 hours... it was exhausting!). It started raining right after we visited the beach... as you can tell by the stormy clouds in the sky...
Fort Lauderdale Beach
Chet on the beach
Us on vacation!
On Sunday, we went to church and then spent the afternoon sunbathing. On our way to the hotel the first night, we passed by this amazing looking Presbyterian church. Based on the appearance of the church, for lack of other deciding factors, we decided to check it out. Apparently, once we got home, a friend of ours said that it is actually a famous church and the founding pastor was an advisor to some of the Republican presidents. The church had two services, traditional and contemporary. We went to the traditional where they had a huge pipe organ, choir and an enormous sanctuary. The service was actually quite good as well and we enjoyed it, despite it being so different than All Saints! Here is a picture of the outside!
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
We went to the beach that afternoon and just relaxed. It was so nice to be warm in the sand. Unfortunately, we both discovered that we had "sunscreen application errors" that night! We were trying to be so careful with putting on sunscreen but apparently we missed a few spots or didn't get thick enough coverage. It made for some funny moments discovering where we missed with the sunscreen. It was worth it though! We aren't quite as white as we were when we went down there! We also ate at some really good restaurants while we were down there. We are always determined to avoid eating at places we could eat at up here in Washington. Chet loved the BBQ place (so good!) and we both enjoyed the view at Aruba, a place right on the beach.
Aruba on the beach...
Sunday sunbathing
BBQ Jack's... YUM!
Another fun thing we did was an airboat tour in the Everglades! We got to see alligators (up close!), vultures, a huge iguana, and lots of other types of birds we don't remember. The airboats were fun to ride in as they don't sit very deep in the water and can go easily through the shallow water of the Everglades. It is such a unique ecosystem so learn about and see. Definitely a highlight of both of our trips! Below are pictures of our friends the alligators and some of what we saw!
Our airboat
A view of the Everglades...
Alligator up close!
Alligator again.
Us on the tour...
Then we went on our mini-cruise! It was a brief cruise to spend a day down in Nassau, Bahamas... basically, one night down, 8-10 hours in the Bahamas and then one night back. It wasn't the newest boat but we enjoyed ourselves. The entertainment was a little bit cheesy as well but the time in the Bahamas was worth it. We had an outside berth, which was nice to see the sunrise in the morning! The little bathroom and shower were kind of like being in a camper. :) One night, we just went up on the deck and watched the stars as we cruised along... which was so relaxing. When we were down in the Bahamas, we went snorkeling (very fun!) and then went to a resort and enjoyed their restaurant and beach. The sand in the Bahamas is so light and fine... it felt cool despite the warm sunshine. The water is also the most brilliant color... just amazing! Definitely a place we'd like to go back someday.
On the cruise deck...
Chet ready for snorkeling!
Snorkeling in the Bahamas!
View of the water...
Sand and water...
What a beautiful place!
Back in our berth waiting for dinner...
After we got back from the cruise, we headed up the coast toward Orlando for the last couple days. On our way, we stopped at the Kennedy Space Center. If you are ever in Florida, go there! It is amazing, even for us who are not big space nerds! We loved the tour there and seeing where things are put together and the long path out to the launch pad. The history about the Apollo missions and moon landings was impressive... the Saturn V was so huge! We learned a lot and saw amazing parts of history. The whole center is very well done and interesting while very informative. They actually let you come back another day with the purchase of your ticket because there is so much to see! When we were in Orlando, we spent our day at Universal Studios Orlando (we had gotten free tickets for it so Walt Disney World will have to wait till we have kids). It was fun and cool to experience together. Here are some pictures from those activities...
The engines of the Saturn V
Two cleats of crawler that takes the rocket to the launch pad.
View of the Saturn V... so big!
Us in front of the rocket garden...
Universal Studios!
Blues Brothers Show
We had a fun day...
After all that fun, we are back to normal life now. As I write this, it is snowing outside... what a glorious April Fool's Day joke! Nope, no sun for us. It was so nice to have a spring break and enjoy some sunshine... and most of all, spend time together! It is fun to make some of these trips before we have kids and enjoy the experience of traveling together and exploring new places!
