Bienvenido A Miami

Last week I took my (semi-) annual pilgrimage to Miami! My siblings and parents and I all arrived at different points in the week, and it was the first time we’d all been there together in four years. As usual, we stayed with my grandfather, and I think he was a little overwhelmed having six extra adults and a baby in his house. I was a little overwhelmed too. Anyway, here are some trip highlights:

♥ Niecy was the star of the show. None of the extended family had met her before. I don’t think many three-month-olds would go on a long vacation (involving days in the car) without a fight, but Niecy is one laid-back baby! She liked the ocean, and seemed to enjoy being passed around and cuddled constantly.

She was also very interested in the Olympics and the Dolphins/Buccaneers preseason game. I need to get her some Dolphins gear! (We talked about going to the game – the tickets were super cheap – but it didn’t work out.)

♥ Of course, there was also plenty of great food! We hit most of our usual restaurants, and on the last night, we went to a Polynesian dinner show at Mai-Kai. I had never heard of the place, but apparently it’s been around forever. The food was great, and my mom put me on the list of birthday announcements (my birthday is coming up on Thursday). Thankfully, no one pulled me up on stage or sang to me individually or anything. I think everyone there was celebrating either a birthday or an anniversary.

♥ I was able to spend an evening with my childhood best friend, Kristi! She mentioned that a lot of local restaurants are running specials right now (sort of like our Downtown Dining Week), so we splurged on a fantastic bayside dinner at Chart House in Coconut Grove. Kristi and I only see each other about once a year, but when we get together it’s like we were never apart. I’m really blessed to have several long-term friends like that in my life. She’s never visited me in Memphis, but wants to do so this fall. I’m excited!

♥ My parents, brother, and I also went to the Keys for Thursday and part of Friday. But I’ll save that for another post, once I get copies of my brother’s photos!