Tamijo

Olfactory Extravaganza: Miami
Tim and I left Seattle the evening of April 28th, Tim's sister, Alison's birthday. After an olfactory extravaganza of rotten eggs, sweaty-moldy gym socks, BO, jet fuel exhaust and perfume, we landed in Miami on 4/28. I finished half of the DaVinci Code (Yes, I'm one of the last people to read it!). After waiting over an hour for our luggage, we picked up our rental car from Payless Rentals (and, really, I'd say spend the extra $5 for Avis or Hertz) and took a nice drive to our hotel in SoBe (South Beach). The suite was big, but the room smelled of air-fresheners and paint trying to cover up the alcohol/smoke-carpets ... oh, and the scarily-stained couch was a sight. The shower reminded me of something you'd see in a prison (with bars on the windows). We walked around South Beach and grabbed a bite at a local diner across the street. It was about midnight and the streets were packed with some interesting characters each in their own creative accessories (read: implants, bling, spinners, etc). We got back to the hotel and unwound by watching the last half of Pulp Fiction.

Velvet Cabbage: Marathon
We woke up on Saturday and picked up some bagels & cappuccinos ("coffee? No, cappuccinos. Coffee? oh forget it"). We drove down Highway 1 and passed about 100,000 auto dealers interspersed with adult entertainment shoppes; including one store that caught my eye: "Velvet Cabbage". We should've stopped in. I can't stop thinking about what they could possibly sell.

We drove to Marathon, FL for my ride in a jet fighter. Once we arrived on the tarmac it was just a matter of minutes before I crawled into my seat on the L-39 They strapped me in and we began our taxi onto the runway. We attempted takeoff 2 times before aborting the mission due to a fuel-filter warning. The pilot did not want to risk any failure in the air, so we weren't able to fly. Tim and I walked back to the car and decided to grab a bite to eat. We ended up at the 7 Mile Grill where we had a grouper sandwich & pulled pork. We took a drive over the 7 mile bridge to Bahia Honda State Park. After walking along the beach and fighting the heavy winds, we took a rest back at the Sombrero Resort. In the evening we headed to Butterfly Cafe for dinner (mahi-mahi, coconut sweet potato soup and jerk chicken) and drinks (coconut mojitos).

Oh, Mexico!
Sunday morning we packed up our things and headed back to Miami. We dropped the rental car off after getting lost in Little Havana. We got back to South Beach in time to meet Tim's Aunt Marie (she lives in Boca Raton). She treated us to a wonderful champagne brunch at The Delano Hotel. What an amazing place to people watch! It's a beatiful hotel and has an amazing poolside cabanas. After brunch we headed to Lincoln Road for some shopping (and more people watching). That evening we went to an art gallery and had some mexican food & margaritas @ Oh Mexico!

"What's the average age to move out of your parents' house? 27 or something?"
Monday we headed to the port to board the Royal Carribean ship, Majesty of the Seas. Boarding took no time at all, and we began our tour of the ship.

Some Highlights
• I guess due to the number of "older people", all of the announcements were really, really loud ... and announced in English, Spanish, German, Italian...
• We were surprised at the number of people we met on the cruise that mentioned a specific cheese commercial that spoke to, basically, "if you stop serving cheese, your children will finally move out at an age of 27 or earlier ..."
• Our table-mates were an interesting group: a high-security prison officer, Ralph; his wife, Candy, a nurse; their friends, a cheese farmer, and his wife, all from northern New York State; and a woman who managed 5 Chinese restaurants in L.A., along with her children: a college student studying Psychology, and her brother in 10th grade. Tim found himself trying desperately to keep some conversation going so we didn't all just sit there, staring at each other ....

You want some wata, baby? Yah man!: Nassau, The Bahamas
Tuesday we landed in Nassau, The Bahamas and took a ferry to Atlantis Resort. There we walked around the magnificent grounds, through the casino, sunned ourselves in the lagoon, and watched the waterslide through a shark tank. Later that day, we walked to the beach and, while posing for a photo, our shoes almost got washed away in the Atlantic.

After sun, lunch, a few drinks, and a bit of walking around through Atlantis and Nassau, we returned to the ship for some rest and to get cleaned up for dinner and the evening. Again, another fun dinner, and then afterward, we stopped in the theatre and caught a "comedic juggler." Yes, that's right.

Oh My Pancake!
Wednesday we anchored off the coast of one of Royal Carribian's private islands, Cococay, The Bahamas. We rented a wave-runner, and Tim drove us along our tour of the surrounding islands -- one of which was drug runner's house George Jung from the movie "Blow". Along our tour, we saw starfish and stingrays. It was fun. Tim drove and got us up to 60mph, by the speedomoter on the Ski-Doo. The tour was fun, and the water and islands were beautiful.

Afterwards, we got outfitted for snorkeling and went out a little. There was a plane wreck and shipwreck below the surface which provided great habitat for tropical fish. They fed the fish a little as we swam around, and it was beautiful. Just laying on the surface of the water, watching the sun's reflection on the bottom of the ocean beneath us, and hearing only one's own breath was a wonderful meditation. Then getting surrounded by brightly colored fish, and feeling the sun on your back ... fantastic.

After dinner with our friends, Tim and I took a Salsa lesson. It was fun.

Mojitoville
Thursday we docked in Key West, Florida. Tim and I rented a couple of beach cruisers and rode to the beach and Southern-most point in the continental United States. We went to lunch around the corner from Sloppy Joe's at Big Daddy Conch's . There Tim introduced me to conch fritters, which were basically soft hushpuppies with pieces of conch in them. The slightly-spicy dipping sauce with them is awesome. We actually got a little extra to put on my Cuban Pork sandwich and Tim's Mahi Mahi sandwich. I got fried plantains and a really, really strong mojito. After a little shopping, we returned our bikes and headed back to the ship. We grabbed a nice spot at the top of the ship to have a drink and watch an amazing sunset together.

The Return
Friday we got up *early* and got off the boat in Miami for our return trip. We finally got in to Seattle at about 9:30 and got home around 11:00, freaking tired. Alaska lost my and a *lot* of other people's luggage, so it took a while to get that sorted out. We got home, got ready for bed, and fell asleep.

Recovery
Saturday saw us rise a bit early to grab some breakfast at 611 Supreme in Capitol Hill. It's our favorite breakfast. Seriously. Get the "Le Jambon" with ham. It's the best.

Anyway, we went to breakfast and had to waste some time as our Seller's Agent, Darla, was showing the house, and then another agent was going to show, as well. We later met Darla and had two meetings with agents giving offers on our home. We did a little negeotiating and eventually accepted an offer. So we close at the end of the month, and are now looking for a new place.

It's good to be back home. Anyway, that's the brief.

See the photos here.