So... crazy or not, we packed our bags and took our family of 6 on a red-eye flight to Florida. The ride was ... long. I hoped the kids would sleep better but only Linaya (4 at the time) slept well. She curled up like a cat and slept most of the 5 hour flight. Adelia slept some and Tianna, who we expected to struggle, did. Vera also slept very unrestfully... but we magaged and even the airport security wasn't too bad.
Flew out Thursday- Febuary 16, 2017
The flight attendants gave the girls Delta pins and extra goodies. they were so impressed with out well behaved our little kiddos were. Makes a mama's heart happy!
At least someone was well-rested!
Friday 2-17-17
We flew to Orlando and then drove about 3.5 hours to Naples, where the Lake's lived. When we got there we went on a walk with Amiah and Ginnie to see their cute little complex and neighborhood
That night they took us to one of their amazing beaches just minutes from their house. Seriously, they live in PARADISE!!!
The late February evening wasn't super warm... but that didn't stop Adelia from staying in the water for as long as we were at the beach.
We could not get over how beautiful the sunset and beach were that night.
Saturday 2-18-17
The next morning we went to a nature park in hopes to see alligators!
we did get to see a tiny baby alligator on a log-- very hard to see, but it's sunning himself
Later that afternoon we went to another beach (got to go as often as you can when you get the chance, right??)
Josh met up with us after school and set up his SHARK FISHING LINES!
The next day was Sunday (Feb 19, 2017) It was Ginnie's birthday. We went to their church, met up with some of our friends, Robby and Sarah Jensen who also live in Naples currently, and visited with them after Sacrament meeting.
That evening Josh had arranged for all of their friends to come over for a pot luck dinner to celebrate Ginnie's birthday.
On Monday we went to Ft. Lauderdale where Luke served his LDS Mission in 2002-2004
Our first stop was Sawgrass Mills Mall
It was huge!
''
After looking through the mall the kids were hungry and begging to eat at the Rain Forest Cafe. Finally we gave in. It was worth it-- they were so excited!
After we were sufficiently STUFFED from lunch, we drove to visit some of the member family's he knew, but first... we saw the new Ft. Lauderdale temple. So pretty!
First visit was Rosette Charles house. It was so wonderful to meet some of the people Luke spoke so highly of for 12 years! They are so gracious and giving. Very sweet to meet them!
She went out in her front yard and cut off coconuts for us to drink the water!
Later we went in the back yard and Adelia tried to climb a palm tree-- little monkey!
Her son
Rosette and her friend had been cooking food for us-- too bad we were WAY full already from lunch. She gave us a few tastes and it was SOOOO DELICIOUS!!! But thankfully she packed it up for us to take "to go"
While at her house, Luke got the phone number to the other members he planned to visit. On the phone with Ser Julien she told him he better had saved room for dinner with them (OH BOY. we were so full already!)
Sure enough, the Julien family had prepared tons of food for us. We ate some soup (in their 90 degree house. Quite warm for us non-Haitians) but by that point the kids were so full they were about to burst. They were so sweet and undertanding and so they also packed up the food for us to take with us. Such generous and kind people. It was really amazing to meet them!!
After a nice visit, we left. Luke showed us so more places he frequented on his mission including some of his apartments and other member's houses. LOVED seeing those places.
To end the day we drove to the east coast to see the giant ships lined up on the horizon and walk the beach before it got too dark
Tuesday morning (Feb 21) we had a Kayaking adventure at "Manatee Park" the kayaking was really fun... but the manatees all left for the season (there were hundreds about a week or so before we came!)
So no manatee's were spotted, but the waters apparently have alligators because a couple of kayakers that exited the river right after us said they saw an alligator swimming! What's freakiest about that, Tianna fell in like 3 times! They were learning how to maeuver their own kayaks and Tianna tipped a couple times. NOT COMFORTING to know that it was into alligator infested waters!
That night we ate our Hatian food with the Lake's and I did a Norwe party for Ginnie and her friends.
Sadly it was time for us to leave on Wednesday, Feb 22nd. :( We were very sad that our time with the Lake's had finished. But... off to Orlando we must go
We stopped at Bass Pro Shop to get a thank you gift-card for Josh and Ginnie. They were so kind to share their home, kayaks, fishing gear and all with us. It was the very least we could do!
While we were with the Lakes we seemed to miss out on the wildlife everywhere we went. Usually the nature park we went to is loaded with gators.. just one tiny baby. Manatee park was a bust... almost every time Josh shark fishes he catches something.. but not with us!
So we were determined to find some alligators to see. We looked on our route to Orlando and found an alligator wildlife park. FINALLY we found some gators!! And it was very creepy-cool. Unlike that place we went that Ginnie took us to, this was not a nice paved walkway... this was trails and mud and animals just out in their regular habitat.
At one point we were walking along the dirt path when I heard a rustling in the vegetation just to my right. We froze, afraid we were all about to be devoured by a giant alligator...when out pops a little armidillo trekking along. ... thank heavens!
