Keys To A Happy Birthday

We had a family vacation planned for a while, and it just happened to fall on my birthday week. My family came down from Georgia, my brother here in Orlando hitched up his boat

 and we all took a little trip, over the seven mile bridge and down to the lower Keys of Florida.

I knew it was real when I saw an iguana walking down the sidewalk as we passed by.

We rented a house which slept fourteen and was directly on the water.

My younger son hasn't visited us once, since he turned back around for Georgia after day three of moving to Orlando with us, but this trip got him down here as well and made it all the sweeter.

The Keys are quite the experience...and  all good.

All the time.

There's so much to do and see, yet is equally satisfying to  simply hang around and do absolutely nothing but enjoy the beauty of it all, as far as your eyes can see.

We ate like kings

and drank like we were really, really thirsty...

All the time. 

Every meal we ate out was great

and every meal we ate in was awesome.

Bonus points I didn't even have to cook one of them.

There was a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle of the Florida Keys, found in a drawer, and have never seen such dedication to putting together nine hundred ninety six pieces of a puzzle.

It was awesome.

It was simply and exactly what my tired, old skinny bones needed.

Tim (Ole Jed) as well.

I feel sorry for people who don't love and cherish their family the way we do.

Extended members always included.

Oh yeah...we took the Corn Hole too.

I could have stayed a month.

Then seemingly, just like that...

It was time to get the boat out of the water,  clear off the dock, pack up and go back to reality as we live it, the other fifty one weeks of the year.

If I can just have one week this great, to look forward to, every year,with all of our family and friends; I can easily make it through the other fifty one weeks...come what may.

Already planning next years' trip down, and having our oldest join us is a must in 2019. He was certainly missed this time, just couldn't get away.

There's always room for loved ones.

I don't think I have ever enjoyed a vacation more or spent one staying this close to Mother Nature...literally.

Moving to Florida was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I don't have a best friend here...not like I did in Georgia, where I had dozens.

I miss that, and hope they miss me.

Thank goodness I have had Massey here. 

She has and will always  be my bestie.

This transition, later in my life, has helped me to find out a lot about myself.

There is some poor, unsuspecting soul, somewhere in the metro area of Orlando, destined to be my new local Bestie.

I just know it.

I bet Massey hopes I find them sooner than later, but kudos to her for keeping me company until then.

I worry myself sick about my Lost Boy back home but luckily my sister is close by to help.

Everyone needs a friend.

For the first time, in close to going on two years now, am almost to the point of saying "I Got This."

I've fallen back, then slowly maintained, and finally moved ahead. I was in a dark hole for a while and slowly climbed out of it, not sure of what I would find.

I climbed out anyway.

I've been occasionally depressed but more often than not, impressed with kindness shown to me and my family after simply being  the person my parents raised me to be.

I intend to live, as long and large as I can.

You should as well.

Can't hurt.

Might help.

Till next time...COTTON