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Key West Fun

Last week we were not shoveling snow. We weren’t wearing coats or scarves or gloves. We were in sunny Key West!

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When Karen {my mother in law} was diagnosed with a cancer recurrence last fall, she told us she wanted to take us on a family vacation. The trip started with just Matt, Mazen, Andrew {Matt’s brother}, Karen and me. But we kept adding to the group and my parents and sister were also invited. We ended up having a blast with all of us there. {We missed Matt A., who was working, very much.} It was one of the best vacations ever!

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We stayed in a house just off of southern Duval Street, which was a great location. We could walk everywhere and there was so much to see, do, eat and drink.

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We had a hot tub and a plunge pool that were both fun for swimming because the beaches near us were not all that great. We did take Mazen down to the beach, and he was not too excited about it!

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While he didn’t love the ocean, Mazen LOVED the chickens that are all over the island. He called them “bok boks,” and pointed them out wherever we went. We spent hours strolling him around and walking with him to see the chickens – Grammie Buzz in particular!

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He knows the word baby now too, so he loved the “be be bok boks”

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We took him to a playground

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And he loved playing with his family. He learned signs for Uncle Brain and Aunt Larbs!

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Mazen also learned to eat pizza! A very important skill…

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And ice cream!

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We were thankful that the grandparents did some babysitting so we could chill out a bit too

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Dancin’ in the moonlight

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We watched the Cat Man’s show – crazy!

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The weather was near perfect. While we didn’t do much sitting around at the beach, we young people got to sneak away for a snorkeling cruise!

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My suit is from Albion Fit – I have a post + giveaway coming up! You might recognize it as the same one Caitlin wore on her cruise :  ) I loved it!

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The snorkeling was really fun, although very cold, and we were SO happy to have brought dry clothes for the hour boat ride home.

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We sipped rum punch and champagne to keep warm!

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Speaking of drinks, it was a party week!

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We had so much fun. I would definitely recommend Key West for a winter vacation. It was nice to be so warm yet we still had our cell phones and all the simplicity of staying in the US. There was so much to do there too!

Until we meet again Conch Republic!

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Up next: all of our restaurants + food!!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. we are thinking of renting a house for our family for our 30 year anniversary…where is the house you rented? how did you find it? would you recommend staying in town?

    Reply

    • Our house was a block off of Duval Street and was a great location. I’d definitely recommend staying near the town so you can walk to everything – unless you get an amazing oceanfront property : )

      Reply

  5. We go to Key West every year. It was my son’s first time last year at 4 months and we have a great of him at the same beach. I love seeing some familiar spots. Did you have a chance to stop at Sarah Beth’s or the Porch?

    Reply

  7. All those pictures look amazing!!! I’m glad you had a good time and got to get away from the freezing temperatures/snow that most of the country has been having. I’m really, really trying to book a spring break holiday somewhere warm and tropical since it’s been 3 years since I saw the ocean and I think one more month in Colorado might actually make me lose it. I just need a Mojito and some time in the sun, I don’t think that’s too much to ask, right? 🙂 Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your trip! Also, I loved the bathing suit! I thought I recognized it from Caitlin’s posts and it looks great on you too!

    Reply

  8. I’m super jealous, looks like an amazing trip. You’re so fortunate that both of your familes can come together and share a good time! That’s one small downside of an international relationship…my in-laws don’t speak English, and my family doesn’t speak French…!

    Can’t wait to see more about what you ate and drank, looking forward to your next post!

    Reply

  13. Key West is awesome!! We were just there too. We went to Santiago’s Bodega for dinner Friday night, incredible food. It’s such a beautiful place and you can’t help but feel relaxed the whole time.
    I love your swim suit, super feminine and looks comfy too.

    Reply

  14. I love your grey jacket! Can I ask what brand it is? The sunshine looks beautiful after just plowing about a foot of snow in our driveway!

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  20. Aww, chickens roam around Key West? How funny! I love Mazen’s sweet, loving nature.

    I hope Karen’s doing well! I’m sure you’re respecting her privacy by not telling us more, and of course detailed regular updates wouldn’t be appropriate for you, but she looks well, and I’m sure we all hope she’s at a good place in treatment. I can’t wait to hear good news.

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  22. Love the Albion suit – looks great on you. When you do your post and giveaway, can you touch on the sizing of this brand? I’d like to order one, but bathing suits sizes are tough- and Id hate to order online and have to go through the hassle of return, exchange, etc.
    Thanks Kath!

    Reply

  27. Oh my goodness I can’t believe how old Mazon looks! He looks like a little boy now…not a baby at all! Love the grey jacket as well. You’re making me want a drink 😉 …although it’s 1:30 in the afternoon.

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  28. Cutest photo of the post and that I’ve seen today…learning to eat pizza for sure! Looking forward to the restaurant and food round up! Beautiful bright pics all round…you’re glowing as always!

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  29. We took a vacation to Marathon (halfway between Key Largo and Key West) a few weeks ago. We had a great time and LOVED the weather! We got a great condo that was right on the ocean…probably more affordable there than Key West, although probably not as many good places to eat! We wanted to drive down to Key West for a day, but with a 2 year old that wanted to spend all his time at the pool and the beach it just didn’t happen!

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  35. I hope your mother-in-law is well. I was an inpatient oncology nurse for five years (in grad school now!) and had the opportunity to take care of some of the strongest, most courageous people I’ve ever met. Karen sounds amazing as well.

    Also, I love your white and red(?) dress! Would you mind sharing where you bought it?

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  37. It looks like you had such a lovely time!! I love your dress and the swimming costume (?) you are wearing with your shorts!! Looking fabulous!

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  40. I love Key West! My partner’s parents own the Cork & Stogie on Duval Street (I wondered if you were there in the picture with the pink chair?) If so, it would be great if you could give them a shout out on the blog! Their website has just been updated and we’d love the traffic 🙂

    Reply

  43. Kath, I hope this isn’t a silly question, but I’m from the Midwest and I’ve only been to a coast a couple of times in my life. To me any beach is like a once-in-a-lifetime wonder to behold, so I have no idea how to assess them. We were actually thinking about visiting Key West, and I wondered what you meant when you said the beaches near you weren’t very good. To me, a “not very good” beach would be one that was packed shoulder to shoulder with crowds of other bodies, or covered in garbage, medical waste or weird washed-up creatures that creeped me out! Or maybe dangerous tides and waves so I was afraid to go near it. But what did YOU mean? What makes a “not very good” beach to you? I know you’ve been to coastal areas and even islands.

    Reply

    • The one near us (South Beach) just wasn’t ideal for swimming. It was rather enclosed (by a hotel on one side and a pier on the other), small and the water was kind of murky. Some people were swimming, but it wasn’t the most swim-friendly water.

      Reply

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