1. Food
I'm blessed to have a husband who not only loves to cook, but also loves to experience food. He sounds like a bit of a food snob (which is SO not him) because he hates McDonalds, digs the Food Network, and refuses most chains (especially in new cities.) He likes to get off the beaten path and try the local joints--which I admit can be a bit scary sometimes! ha! So traveling and eating with this guy is just fun.
We had sushi a few times.
(Not always a kid friendly choice so we took advantage of being girl-free!) Obviously it was good stuff--in the words of the little Asian guy who came to clear off our table: "You eat da ho boat!" Yes, yes, we did. Da ho boat was amazing. 
In Key West, we tried some Cuban food (big Cuban influence there) which involved panini-type pork sandwiches and plantain chips. I wasn't sure what to expect (Isn't a plantain like a big banana?) but they were awesome. Kind of like a fried wonton strip at a Chinese place.
Of course, we also had to do Key Lime Pie and walked what seemed like forever (the island is really only 2 by 4 miles) to THE spot for pie: Blue Heaven.It did not disappoint. Check out that meringue!!!
And we also had to do some fresh seafood. We had grouper and shrimp one night and went to Turtle Kraal's (a Key West legacy) another night for mahi mahi.
I think I licked my plate. SO good. Or was it because we had just gotten off the Sunset Cruise (see below. . ) Definitely can't get seafood like that in the Midwest. 
And there's something about eating right on the seaport that makes it taste even better.
We also tried out a yellow taco hut late one night. This one really freaked me out (I mean, seriously, a yellow taco hut?) but luckily, R ordered me a burrito and it turned out to be a lot like Qdoba or Chipotle--only better. Of course, maybe that was just because it was late and I was starving. . . ha! Funny story--we go to a local pizzeria the next night (amazing tomato, basil and bacon by the way) and after R starts telling the pizza guy about this taco hut that freaked me out, we find out that same guy made our burritos the night before. Umm, before you spit on my pizza can I say that I wasn't THAT freaked out by the taco hut? It was lovely. Really. Perfect shade of construction-hat yellow.
2. Water
When you're in Florida and you're a tourist, most of your time is spent in the water. We were no exception. This is where we spent most of our time in Fort Myers.
We had our beach stuff, books, magazines, cooler (I'm actually shocked at how many times we had to refill it...) and of course, our tunes.
Best invention ever. A waterproof speaker for a phone or MP3 player. We use it a lot at home on the rivers and it turned out to be great in our little "cabana" too. We were blessed with beautiful weather while we were down there. I worried about it raining a lot--after all, ten years ago, a pop up shower blew in EVERY day, but we had gorgeous blue skies except for an hour one morning. Perfect for beach time.
On Friday, we took the Key West Express to Key West for the weekend. It's a three- story, high speed catamaran that gets you to the island in about three hours. Definitely the way to go.
On the way back, we had some technical issues. . . not something you want to hear while in the middle of the ocean! Aside from the trip taking longer because they couldn't go at full speed, it actually turned out to be a good thing because we could stand on the upper deck without getting blown off. And there was a gorgeous sunset to take in.
While we were down in Key West, we did a Sunset Cruise. You go out on a sailboat for several hours of "all-you-can-drink" until the sun goes down. (Our kind of excursion!) We did one for our honeymoon, but this one was SO much better! Our catamaran was smaller but it didn't feel as "commercialized" because there were only about 15 of us--it felt more intimate. We met another couple and really got to know the crew. Captain Tim and Alexa were great--in fact, one time, Captain Tim came out with a new cold one for R because he said the can crunching was driving him crazy--a man couldn't sit with an empty beer on HIS boat! ha! As usual, the Key West sun was gorgeous and I think I got some postcard worthy shots. :)
One of our hot spots at Key West was the pool at our bed and breakfast. Every afternoon, Innkeeper Tracy hosted a complimentary happy hour with snacks and drinks. It was SO fun. We got to meet all of the other couples there (No kids allowed at this B&B) and just hang out and enjoy. We met one couple from Orlando who said they'd help us conquer "THE" Disney trip someday. Bruce also owns an airboat--from which he GATOR hunts (holy cow)--and he said he'd love to take us all out for a ride. It was just really nice to get to know everyone.
Finally, when we got back to Fort Myers, we did a wave-runner dolphin tour. Jake took us out through the Gulf and into several coves around Lovers Key. I really don't know where we went. . . but it was a long tour! R's hand was killing him and my backside was sore from bouncing around. (I swore there was enough cushion back there. . . ha!) At one time, we were up to 45 mph out in the ocean which was just awesome.
Even better, we found some dolphins and I was amazed at how they would come RIGHT up to us. In fact, one group swam right under our wave runner--I was yelling at R not to hit them. ha! I wasn't fast enough with my camera to catch them when they came up for air, so this is about all I have.
All week from the shore, we kept seeing them jump out of the water for air, but it was so amazing to see them up close in their natural environment.
3. Shelter
We stayed at two very different places. Our suite in Fort Myers was more "luxurious"--definitely the resort experience. And right on the beach. It doesn't get much better when both your front and back balconies overlook water. We stayed there three years ago for a wedding and loved it. We hope to go back sometime with the girls. It's very family friendly--which isn't always the case in Key West. . . ha!
In Key West we did a bed and breakfast (but not the one from our honeymoon.) We had a little "cabin" off the back of the main house and we LOVED it. It was very private and secluded and we had our own little sitting area out front. The room was pretty tiny, but it was very "Key West." Tropical, quaint, airy, hardwood floors, just cute. If we go back to the island, we will definitely stay there--we were two blocks from Duval Street and one block from the seaport. Not to mention Happy Hour at the pool! :)
At any rate, we managed to survive on those three basic necessities: food, water, and shelter. :) Actually, we thrived. We had our best vacation yet and it was really fun to visit the place where our story started and to add to the memories we already had.
It was even better to get back to where the story continues--to the two little people yelling, "Mommy! Daddy!" and jumping into our arms. I missed those little stinkers.
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