so we left barely 50 degree rainy Richmond and flew to blisteringly sunny 87 degree Boca Raton. we got off the plane and went blind.
no really, we sat at the tri-rail station squinting and fearful of the birds, who were very brazen and loud and were swooping and screaming at us.
we met the bride to be's family, they were sweet and so hospitable and kept us fed and watered all weekend.
we stayed for a few days at their neighbors house, who were also very generous with thier space. they had this dude, oscar, too.
he mostly wanted belly rubs and would jump at the chance to score one, anytime.
we were so blinded by the light that we took an immeadite nap. then woke up WAY later for dinner at the French's house. then we went back to bed. i'm not kidding, that sun was really bright, it stole the life right out of us.
we woke up the next morning feeling less blind and wandered over to the French's house.
we caught a ride to the beach and tried to rent scooters, but they were so expensive. bikes, same thing, wierd right? we called a car place and rented a car for the week, which was a little more than bikes but way cheaper than scooters.
we had to walk a bit to get to the car rental place.
luckily for us it was beautyful and we enjoyed most of the walk.
we went to this place to pick up our car, but there was a SNAFU!
it was a private resort and we were not allowed in, even to pick up our car. so we called the company after the gate lady was a real biotch to us and they offered to pick us up.
so we loitered on the edge of the property, probably angering the gate lady even more than our asking her directions, and waited for Hertz.
the scenery was nice, you know?
there were lizards, EVERYWHERE, and it was making Andrew very nervous.
so Hertz came and got us, they were so nice, made a good Peruvian resturant reccomendation, and gave us a rental car.
A MUSTANG! WHAT THE SHIT! we asked for the cheapest smallest car and they gave us a spankin new 2011 mustang, oh shoot!
i'm not sure who was most excited about it.
so then all we wanted to do was drive around, so we did. it was awesome.
the bride and groom had to practice marriage, you know, to make sure they didn't screw it up.
there was lots of promenading and standing in formation, as is custom. also, there were jokes.
they did pretty good, no crying, and they even said all the vows so i'm pretty sure they got married a day before the real deal.
then there was practice wedding dinner, where there were lots of speeches and toasts.
lots of toasts
ya, even more.
this child relative of Andrew was there and she was HILARIOUS.
she made Andrews brother wear her hat.
afer dinner we boardwalked and then met some extended family and chatted until really late. the wedding was the next day so we wanted to make sure we were really tired and grouchy for it.
the dudes were there, in fancier outfits. there were real bowties, and i think it caused much internal struggle.
the ladies were ready too.
and then it happened! andrew got a new sister!
the party started for real. there was fine dining, appetizers, dancing, toasts, speeches, and general mayhem. remember how we stayed out real late? well we pooped the party and were too tired to really be wild, so we sat at our table and stared at the people having fun. oh well, you can't win em all.
we left the beautiful land of the French's neighbors for a hotel.
we said goodbye to oscar, and also this nice mona.
don't fret! we definitely hit the beach in Boca first.
we hid from the insanely bright and hot sun under umbrellas and watched iphone tv while our college basketball team defeated the number one team, underdog style.
then we watched videos of our town rioting with excitement. dang.
first stop south was fort loooouderdale, where we met andrews uncle and aunt and grandparents for breakfast. it started storming, so we hopped in the 'stang and headed more south to miami
we borrowed bikes and went on a long wonderful adventure all around Miami.
we saw this building driving in then got to see it up close.
there were lots of abandoned warehouse spaces that had been completely painted in great ways.
then there were places that had really cool stuff happening, allowed by the owners.
also, there were cats.
we got beers at a Jamacian place, and I wished our breakfast hadn't been so big.
we rode back to the apartment to get swimsuits, Miami beach was calling.
we had beers on the beach in glorious weather, swam, and watched a bunch of HUGE, REALLY REALLY HUGE crusie ships sail out.
it was so nice to sit and relax.
we headed home after a while, hungry.
i met this guy on the way.
the storm followed us form fort laundrydale and tried to foil our plans for cuban food
screw you weather, i will not be denied the deciciousness of roasted pork and plantains and rice and beans!
we went to versailles for dinner and dang. we died of happiness. the decor was soooo fancy, the waitresses had stellar polyester jumpsuit uniforms.
we ate so much that we simply had to take our selves to bed.
Chris and Kaari let us take their couch space, so graciously. we woke up to a lovely day.
mr. jingles also let us share his space, very graciously.
we went for a wading adventure, in key biscayne
there was a barracuda under the bridge, and lots of weird oil on the bridge.
we wandered in crystal clear water, picking up shells and looking at cool sponges.
there was all kinds of cool stuff washed up into the mangroves on the shore.
the trees were very cool
it was a great adventure, we wanted to stay there forever
we realized that we had to be in our plane in a couple hours, so had to hit it outta there.
the walk to the car felt sad.
it was hard to leave the water and know we were headed back to our jobs.
until later, florida, you were real hot and bright but coming home to 40 degrees and rain was such a bummer.
