It really is paradise...

We arrived in Key West last night around 5PM. We rushed to change into our swim suits, and headed over to Ft. Zachary Taylor Beach to swim and watch the sun set. The views were breathtaking, so much that Darcy had tears in her eyes. When we first arrived, the sky was full of pinks and blues and yellows and oranges, and the golden rays of light from the setting sun were streaming through the clouds. We walked along the beach to see the panoramic views of sheer beauty. When the sun was finally setting, we enjoyed the view from the comfort of the light aqua gentle waves as we floated along.

Naturally, we didn't have our camera with us (we are bad about that), but I have found some pictures online of the sunset in Key West at Ft. Zachary Beach, as well as some other pictures of the beach so you get the idea. As usual, they do not begin to capture the natural majesty that we witnessed, but you will certainly get the idea:

It was the most beautiful and spectacular scene I have ever witnessed. I had to lead with that experience, but I skipped over another wonderful occurrence. When we arrived at the Guest House, we checked in and were notified that our room was upgraded from their cheapest queen room which I had booked, to their owner's suite, their most expensive! Um, THANKS! :)

I'm not sure how that happened, but the suite is amazing, and so is the entire guest house. Our suite is about 15 feet away from the heated pool, and we have our own outdoor patio chairs and table set in front of the entrance. When you enter the suite from the pool side, you walk into an elegantly decorated 2 story floor to vaulted ceiling living room with exposed beams and marble tile flooring. The decor is a bit English cottage-esque, and I felt like royalty when I entered. At the other end of the living room, there is a hallway that leads to our own private street front entrance with an outdoor porch, complete with rocking chairs.

Upstairs is the king suite with full bath and large closets, and the bedroom door leads to our own private roof top deck, with another patio set and a spiral staircase that leads us back down to the pool.

UNbelievable. I'm supposed to leave this place tomorrow? Ooooh, that's gonna be a tough one.

When we returned from the ocean, we went into the roman bath which was so nice and soothing for my back, which is still bothering me. Then we went for a swim in the heated pool before getting ready to walk to Duval St downtown.

Every year, Key West gets smaller for me. Our first year here, when I turned 30, Duval St seemed never ending and quite daunting to walk up and down. Last year, I was down 80 lbs, and it was much better, and this year, down another 80 (or so), it seems like everything is two seconds away. The first year we were here, we rented out a private house, which was lovely. We drove into town every time because we wouldn't have dreamed of walking all that way. This year, I booked this guest house for the very purpose of us being able to walk downtown and not have to worry about the hassle of driving and parking, and it occurred to me yesterday, we're exactly the same distance away as we were the first year! LOL

What a nice change and realization.

We had a wonderful evening walk into town, and we had dinner outdoors, while listening to a local artist perform songs we all knew. We walked up and down Duval street and we found an outdoor garden/patio playing Wall-E, so we sat outside and watched that. It was a very cute movie, and such a relaxing night. We walked home, and decided to go in the hot tub again, because why not! After that, I went for another swim, and I floated in the heated pool while staring up at the stars, with the palm trees in view as well.

I can't imagine a more perfect day/night. It seemed to take forever for us to pack and leave Ft. Lauderdale yesterday and to drive down to Key West, but I'm so glad the timing worked out as it did. If we had arrived earlier, we would have gone to the beach during the day, and we would have been downtown for the sunset, and we would have missed the amazing sight we saw. I'm not saying everything happens for a reason, but I am saying that I often find annoying/unfortunate events lead to something great. It's all how you look at it.

Today, I'm utterly bloated. I had too much salt yesterday, and I physically feel like I gained 10 lbs, but I know I didn't. Today, it's lots of water and swimming for me! I found an organic whole foods cafe a few blocks away, so I think we'll take a walk down there for breakfast when Darcy wakes up. It's 71 but windy today, so I think we are going to head downtown to watch the very historic inauguration. On the way down, I heard a few radio stations playing the MLK Dream speech. I don't care what party you support, this is an amazing time, and I am proud.

(Side note, I don't think David Palmer hurt Obama's chances...just sayin'... :) And now 24 has a female president, so I think you know what's next... ;-) )