Kicking back in Key West

All I wanted for my birthday was for my husband to not have to deal with the stress and finances associated with a birthday bash, and for whomever was able to join us to enjoy themselves immensely.  So the morning I turned 30, the first thing we did (after I opened my Harry Potter robes as a birthday present) was hop on a plane and fast as possible to get to away from the worst winter ever and get some much needed vitamin D.  From our linen-clad travel garb, to the hot pink flamingo party straws we used for our roadies in the Miami airport, we were festive from the second we stepped out of our New York apartment to make the plane journey down to Key West.
Since we had gathered quite the party crew, we decided that a house rental was the best way to go.  My husband scoured the internet and through VRBO we found an adorable little bungalow appropriately called - Southard Comfort.  It was a charming 3 bedroom home to sleep us all comfortably with a private pool and all the amenities to make our stay relaxing and convenient for everybody.  And because my husband is fantastic, he had a key lime pie (because that's what you have on your birthday in Key West) and a gorgeous birthday floral arrangement ready to greet me at the house upon our arrival.

Similar to past posts, I've chosen to select a few highlights from 4 days in Key West to best illustrate the amazingness of our trip and the first moments of my 30s.

1.  Our surprise guest on the first night - Even though we had told him several times that this trip was in the works, and even though we had brainstormed destinations with him since October, our good friend Mike Keohane somehow forgot to mark his calendar for Key West on March 5th.  And when he woke up on March 5th and the Mobleys and Bucks were en route to Key West to sunshine and festivity, he was Macaulay Culkin on Home Alone.   After an anxiety fueled text exchange, he booked a flight that very day and met us back at our Key West house in time for some after dinner drinks and a midnight swim in the backyard.  It was ballsy...and probably the most festive thing you could ever do - and one of my favorite parts of my birthday.

2.  Scoot Scoots!  For anyone who has been to Key West, one of the best ways to get around the island is mopeds.  And since it's no fun to go tandem, we each rented our own scooters while mom & dad secured the family golf cart vehicle.  I like to think of us as a more tropical version of a bike gang as we cruised through the streets of Key West...but that's just me!  And even though my scooter topped out at only 30 MPH, and even though I was in a fancy maxi dress and wedges, it was still thrilling to take a speed drive along the ocean with the boys on our last night.

3.  Wave Runners-  Because the 7 of us had a hard time sitting still and doing nothing, we had to brainstorm what our team activity would be during our last day.  And because it's the best way to tour the island and because it's the closest you can get to Cuba, we decided to rent wave runners! Our tour guides were fantastic and the let us cruise at our top speeds and zip around the island for 2 hours.  We were all windblown and exhilarated by the end of the tour and it was absolutely money well spent.




4.  Shuffleboard Tournament- We decided to have a low key dinner one night at Raw Bar and stuff our faces with every form of seafood we could find on the menu.  Stone crab, oysters, conch fritters, you name it...we ate it.  But what we discovered at Raw Bar was a secret room that had a shuffle board.  Now, I know what you're thinking...."Steph, you turned 30, not 84" or "how could you possibly spend an entire night playing shuffleboard?"  Well, let me tell all you naysayers, it was super competitive, it lasted well into the night, it involved a lot of cocktails, and it was AWESOME.  I'm now investigating how I can arrange to install a professional shuffle board table into my parent's house in Dallas.


5.  What's Up? Since we couldn't take the shuffle board home with us in Key West, we had to entertain ourselves through games at the house.  After a failed attempt at a super advanced version of Trivial Pursuit (we declared the winner after 40 minutes after which NONE of us even got a QUESTION correct), we decided to download "What's Up?"...our new favorite game that we played well into the evening.  It's silly, it made us all laugh uncontrollably, and provided for HOURS of entertainment.

6.  The Sunsets! Before we even took off for Key West, Mike sent the group a daily schedule of times for when the sun sets to ensure that the crew was prepared.  Every night, there is a celebration of sunset at Mallory Square, or what I think of as the "Venice Beach" of Key West.  Aside from one missed opportunity on our third night, we enjoyed the sunset every evening.  Whether we took it in over cocktails on the water, or caught just the last few seconds during a walk to dinner, we made sure to always catch the last few rays of sunshine.  But our last night was particular special.  We made an effort to find a table right on the edge of the water and enjoy the last few moments of the sun while sipping mojitos on our last full day in our little
paradise.

By the time we left to head back to New York, I was so full of love and appreciation for everyone who joined us on this getaway.  Our family and friends are my most prized possessions so it's only fitting that I welcomed the big 3-0 with "a few of my favorite things".  While there are close to 50 or 60 other people I would have loved to be there as well, this was a pretty stellar way to start the next decade of my life.

My 30s are already consumed with tropical memories, and I think that's pretty freakin great.  I can't wait to go back to our festive bungalow, and I'll cherish this little "Adult Spring Break" forever, and it's very clear to me now why Key West is one of my husband's favorite places in the world .  I'm starting to think I need to make this an annual thing!  Now when can we go back???