Excuses for a Staycation

It's not that often we get out-of-town guests that come to visit and stay with us. Our house is small -- though cozy, it just can't accommodate an overflow of visitors. It works great, though, when one of Michael's bachelor buddies comes to town. They are the easiest guests! Low key, relaxed, no fuss, and no one to impress (they either don't care or wouldn't notice anyway).

"Uncle Rich" was one of our groomsmen, and we've known him since our college days when Michael and Rich were bartenders at TGI Friday's.  Rich has become an avid runner, and like the rest of us, enjoys a destination race now and again. He came for the Fort Lauderdale A1A marathon and extended his trip for a vacation. In doing so, it gave Michael and I a chance to really enjoy our Florida, which we don't do nearly enough. And February in Florida is beeeautiful!

Rich and Michael's Saturday bike ride gave Adam and me an excuse to drive to South Beach, Miami. It's been years since I've been there, and except for the traffic, I thoroughly enjoyed my drive to pick them up. I am not a beach/ocean person, but I can appreciate it's beauty. Coming across the causeway I had huge cruise ships lined up on my right, luxurious mansions and yachts on my left, and plenty of blue sky and sunshine above me. I would NOT want to live down there, but.. what a view! Ocean Drive on South Beach is nut-so with people, congestion, and traffic everywhere, but there's something wonderful about seeing people out and about enjoying the Florida winter. Oh yeah, there's a beach there, too... somewhere. I missed it this trip. Adam can now say he's been to South Beach from his carseat.

Rich's marathon on Sunday gave me an excuse to wake up early and be on Fort Lauderdale beach by 9am. Congratulations to all marathon and half marathon finishers! We had about a mile walk to the finish area to see our racers, then we walked from there to church to watch our friend preach. The event gave us an excuse to spend all day with friends and sunshine.

Free tickets to the Boat Show gave Michael an excuse to spend the day with Rich, my Dad, and his friends in Miami. It was also Dad's (Grampa's) birthday, so we had an excuse to all go out do dinner (and eat cupcakes!). Happy Birthday, Dad!

One of the private yachts for sale for $2.8 million. Yes, Mindys are out of most people's leagues!

Sister Kim's connection at the Doral Golf Resort gave the boys an excuse to play a round on Tuesday, and with the boys away, Adam and I had an excuse to spend the afternoon with my girlfriend and her son (Adam's little 15-month old buddy) at her "snowbird" parents' camper. It felt like we were camping out, too.

And, finally, Rich's last day in town gave us an excuse to go to the beach in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. It was really Adam's first visit where we allowed him to get as messy in the sand as he wanted to. He loved to pick up the sand and let it pour out of his hands. We also brought the hammocks, and as much as Adam loves the swing, it was no surprise he was content swaying with us by the ocean.

Top off the day with some yummy sushi (Adam loved the sesame noodles), and Rich's vacation made a great "staycation" for us as well. Thanks, Rich!