Right before Christmas the hubs came home from a work trip. He was tired. I was tired. Our kiddo was upstairs asleep in our bed and we were discussing the insane family schedule we'd committed to as well as other bits & bobs - like who was getting what for Christmas.
Our family has always been festive when it comes to December, but 2019 the pressure (put on me...by no other person than myself) to make the season magical was weighing heavily, now that I was home more. I might have lost my sanity there for a hot minute...or let's be honest... a month.
I looked at the Hubs. "You know for the cost of buying each other a gift, for Christmas, we could instead by a ticket (thank you #AllegiantAir ) to get away to my Aunt's condo in the FL Keys." He laughed and brushed it off, "right" he said. "I wish."
A few more fully-packed, overly festibe & tired days went by. But something about that convo wasn't fading away. We had never left the kid for more then 2 nights and she was now a preschooler. And then...boom. Smack dab in the middle of the night I realized - not only did we need to come up with a Christmas idea for each other, BUT we also had a BIG (and I mean BIG) anniversary coming up in January that neither of us had really even thought about yet. Opps - although SO an us thing to do!
Two birds - one stone I thought. The next day I reached out to the Hub's boss. I knew he had a ton of vaca time that was about to roll or be lost and I wanted to get the time off approved (as a surprise Christmas gift to Mr LC) before booking the tickets. He replied back -- " Have fun!"
Then came the rapid fire texts & a babysitter fell into place. Yes! We were a go! And so... two weeks after Christmas, off we went. Two backpacks, one carry-on and two adults, ready for 8 days of fun!
Now we both know you're here for the photos... so how about I get to the goods now? Enjoy.
First stop Fort Lauderdale before headed down to Marathon & then day trips bouncing around the Keys. We had made this trip a few times before with the kid but it was the FIRST time we EVER traveled without her! Translation: Lots of ree Time & iPhone photos only! ha!
Not much better then a quiet, lazy Key West on a no cruise Sunday!
Hey Babe, do you know how to drive a boat?
Like... in the OCEAN?
Impromptu Boat Day! And ya know what we found out? I'm better at driving a boat then Mr LC. I was shocked, but not above rubbing it in once we hit dry land (ha!)
Can't rent a boat in the Keys without planning a sandbar picnick, right? Hello Publix's Fried Chicken, Lay's Jalapeno Kettle Chips & freezing cold local fruit. Yum!
The view under #7MileBridge. Saw an Eagle Ray jumping out of the water right here. So cool!
Late Night Splashing Adventure...
Okay LAST story -- this is TOO COOL not to share. Before bed on vaca the hubs and I like to play cards to dial down the day and let my brain relax before bed. The condo we were staying in is waterfront and has a killer view of the marina. But even cooler then that - it also over looks a deep channel that often has dolphins. So one night, we're out playing cards and we start hearing splashing. We didn't think much of it, but then it got louder. My thought was bull shark eating something. Then we started to hear chirping & clicks. Being late, we grabbed a flash light and ran downstairs. I'll admit we never saw dolphins that night, but there were a LOT of fish jumping out of the water and something big was eating out there. When we finally gave up and went back upstairs we started hearing the clicking again. Whatever it was avoid us while we were down there and then returned to it after we left. My money...dolphins.
Oh Did I Mention...
I'm a TOTAL nerd. I might not have picked up my real camera while on this trip but I did end up working about half the trip. I mean how could I turn down all that kid-free work time?!
If Mr LC couldn't find me by the pool or snuggled into his side, he found me, laptop in hand. The trip was also a great time to focus on business planning for 2020. Answering questions like "how can I serve YOU better? " and "How can I make session planning easier for busy moms" and so on.
So cheers Baby! This year should be the biggest yet and for the record YES, I'm missing that "office" view!
Also, WHY does my hair not look this cute & curly at home in humid Indy?! What is this FL hair black magic?! Do you know?!
Hey You... Let's Be Friends, K?!
Hey there - I'm Chelsea! A coffee worshiping Hoosier native, just trying to raise a kiddo and capture vivid memories in central IN for my families & brides. To see more of our work, make sure to FOLLOW us on Facebook and Instagram & sign up for our VIP club to get first dibs on open session date!
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x.o. -c
Ft Lauderdale Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach | Car Rental: Avis Jeep Gladiator | Boat Rental: Coco Boat Rental Marathon | Kayak Rentals: Key's Kayak