Return to Kansas, but first: Key Largo

Oh my blog-reading friends! How patiently you have waited for my return to blogland. The good news is that we have also returned to Kansas, found a home, and even found a temporary home to stay at while we wait for our closing date.

But many things have happened in between, and I would like to update you and show you some of the sites along the way. I'm sure it will take a few posts to bring things up-to-date.

I believe I last posted about the trip to Virginia Beach that we took while the younger kids and I were visiting my sister and her family in Richmond, Virginia.

While we were there, Aunt Annie gamely agreed to watch my kids for four days while I took a vacation. Meanwhile, back in Kansas, Grandma and Grandpa were willing to keep an eye on big brother Jacob so Doug could meet me. This made it possible for us to celebrate our 15th anniversary--a few months late.

We met in Miami and, after a quick stop at a Cuban restaurant--one of Doug's favorite cuisines--we drove to Key Largo. We had booked a room at a small resort that got great online reviews, and boy, did it turn out to be spectacular! The owners of Kona Kai Resort and Gallery have created a spectacular but cozy oasis, personally choosing all of the magnificent plantings on the grounds and creating a beach-like feel on the Florida Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. They were also incredibly helpful in suggesting restaurants and activities.

We read and relaxed, ate, kayaked, snorkled, ate, read some more, relaxed some more, enjoyed a eco-tour to explore the mandrake keys and to spot ocean creatures, enjoyed the inn's gallery and orchid gardens, then read and relaxed some more. It was just what we needed and we can't wait to go back!

Doug and I ate fish caught locally for every meal (except for breakfast, of course). Doug's favorite, mahi-mahi, is abundant in local waters, but so is grouper and yellowtail snapper. We also had Conch Chowder, a local specialty, and of course Key Lime Pie. My favorite dish of the trip was jerked yellowtail, which I followed with some more Key Lime Pie.

The trip was just what we needed. I'm sure we'll find our way back to the Florida Keys again soon.

Enjoy the pics--just click on the arrow to begin a slideshow of our trip. You can pause the slideshow, too, or advance and reverse at your own pace. Or, double-click and you will be taken to a larger version of the photos.