A Journey: 08.09

no words

i have been thinking about how i can sum up our wonderful days in washington. & my conclusion of what has spoken the loudest to me has been some of the hugs i received. if i know myself, i know that i won't remember every word of every conversation that i had with everyone, and sometimes there were even times when i couldn't find the words to say what i wanted to say, but i know that i will remember the hugs that were given to me- the ones that made me feel the love between us without saying any words. the two words: "thank you" don't seem sufficient, but i have so much gratitude for those of you who gave me a piece of yourself to take home with me. i can still feel the ones that i know were given without abandon.

welcome to miami!

this was one of like 5 we saw within a few hours. crazy!

i don't know why my shirt is flipped up- it was not on purpose, lol

wow. what can i even say about this place. it's so alive! we came down here (it's a 4-hour drive south of us) & i didn't think it would be that "different" from where we live, except of course it's a big city. but i was so wrong- it definitely has a more tropical "we-are-on-vacation" vibe & even a definite spike in humidity, like we are on a caribbean island feeling. we came down to see gabe & jessie, they were comin in from their honeymoon cruise to the port of miami & we couldn't pass up the chance to see them while they were on our coast. zane & gabe rode the bus together dating back to kindergarten. & gabe & jess were high school sweethearts- all 3 attended connell high together & graduated as the class of '06! we also realized how much we have been missing 'couples fun.' we are ALL ABOUT hanging with other young married couples as of now. lol. it's like we just discovered dove chocolate. anyway we played tourists & walked around south beach & ocean drive & the art deco district which totally exceeded all our preconceived ideas of it. jess & i swam around the ocean. it was so warm & clear! it was a little trashy-plenty of litter & seaweed which was kinda gross, but if you get past that- the water is just so nice. proof- considering i'm out up to my shoulders. so not my style. it makes a huge difference when you can see the bottom (& large dark shadows!!). it was also a partial nudie beach, so if you're easily offended i wouldn't recommend it... we didn't participate of course! we loved our room- we stayed on the 9th floor of a holiday inn that looked onto the port. i had to literally peel myself away from the window sometime after 1 AM i'm sure... i was just enthralled with all the activity & traffic & lights. i was totally in my element. on monday afternoon- i'm still buzzing from the high of being in this exciting city actually. that's how much i liked it. but it wouldn't have been the same with gabe & jess. we decided to plan a cruise next year... & meet back here in 365 days. lol=)