First let’s tackle Middle-Aged. When did that happen? Oh yes, this year! I still hate the term, but what else can it be called? I am mid way through life; but is my age symbolic of the down hill battle? I think not! And so me and my best friend and our husbands set out to Key West to prove it.
If you have never been to Key West and you are not rich enough to fly into Key West, plan on a full day of travel. Because we were trying to prove how young we still were, we booked a 7am flight from an airport 2 hours away. This meant we had to leave the house at 4am! Once arriving in Miami, we had to get the rental car and drive nearly 4 hours to arrive in beautiful and hot Key West. You have to do this; it’s part of the experience (or so they say!). Seriously though, do it!
Once in Key West we found out that we booked a condo on the TOTAL OPPOSITE side of the happening spot aka Old Town aka Duval Street! Actually though this turned out to be ok; we just had to drive or cab it.
A few fun / tourist like things we did:
1. Took a glass bottom boat sunset cruise. Mind you, the first night we watched a boat come in that had a band and a bunch of passengers that were obviously having a good time. That is not the boat we took. We quickly learned we took the boat with no alcohol. There were snacks…some cheese some crackers and pretzels. Did I mention the ride was 2 hours long…..To be fair the ride was redeemed when at sunset they broke out champagne and we got to toast the gorgeous sunset over the Atlantic. No Great White or Dolphin sighting though.
2. House of Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway that is. Hemingway loved Key West and the passage to Cuba. He lived in this house with his second wife. It was an enjoyable tour for me. I loved seeing his writing studio. I’m a nerd like that.
3. Jet Skied. First time ever! In the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Gulp. Talk about going out of my comfort zone. We took a guided tour for 28 miles around the Island. Our Guide was awesome. My emotions fluctuated from extreme fear to pure joy. It was exhausting but worth it. One of my favorite memories.
The rest of the time was packed with walking, sweating, drinking, eating, drinking, dancing, sweating, drinking, eating and sleeping. Pretty much in that order. Age did not really matter. Looking around people ranged from 21 to 60. My age was of no concern. It was hot, hair went up right away, cares of how I looked went with my hair! In order to stay hydrated it was imperative to stop at a watering hole with AC and then of course, to be polite, we had to buy drinks. Ahhh….Once we were walking again, it didn’t take long until we had to stop to use the restroom which were always for paying customers, so naturally we had to buy more drinks. As you may have noticed there was a pattern.
In truth it was a pattern of full days of fun, loads of laughter and lasting memories for our friendships and marriage. Only a couple of moments of impaired judgment (much better than when I was 22!). Also, the truth is traveling during “middle aged” is better. We have more money, more experience and are most definitely more wise. And we still know how to have fun and lots of it!
choosejoyandlove 