My husband's parents were supposed to fly into our home airport a few hours before we were scheduled to depart. Their flight was delayed, however, so my parents drove up to watch the kids until the other grandparents could arrive and get to baggage claim. The kids showed very little sadness when we told them goodbye because they were looking forward to a fun filled week at the beach with the grandparents who flew half-way across the country to spend time with them. We are so grateful for their willingness to care for our children so we could enjoy a second honeymoon.
The trip did not begin as well as we had hoped. I did not know at the time that airport security was now requiring 100% of all travelers to go through terahertz full body scanners. I was so aloof and distracted by my dreams for our long awaited vacation that I didn't realize until I walked into the scanner and the guard asked me to raise my hands that the scanner was a full body scanner and not a sophisticated metal detector. I immediately told the guard that I would not allow him to scan my body. I had seen copies of the images these scanners produce, and even after birthing two kids, I still have extreme issues with personal modesty. Plus, there are some serious concerns about the safety of this technology. You can read more about these concerns here, but PLEASE do not go to this site if you are male since it includes a scanned image of a woman.
So the grumpy security guard sent me off for a pat down. A host of security guards came out from nowhere and encircled me at this point with angry looks of suspicion. The female guard began telling me in great detail what the pat down would include. She spoke with a tone that told me she was really trying to talk me out of opting for the pat down. I can't say I blame her because I would never want her job! She convinced me that the pat down would make me feel utterly violated, so I told her to send me back to the scanner but asked that my image only be seen by a female guard.
That wasn't an option, so she proceeded with the pat down search. It wasn't nearly as bad as she had made it sound, and I was able to crack jokes throughout the process. After that ordeal, I will now always opt for the pat down, but oh how I wish I had known beforehand so I could have mentally prepared myself for that ordeal. My poor husband patiently waited as I must have brought much humiliation upon him. I'm so thankful that he loves me enough to put up with me!
We encountered some bad weather during our flight to Miami, but the dark storm clouds looked really cool against the backdrop of the setting sun (see cell phone photo above). We hailed a taxi from the airport to our lodging for the night. The cab appeared as though it would fall apart any minute. The cab driver liked to keep the windows down (that, and the cab was so beat up that the windows could not feasibly go up anyway), so as he sped through the city, I fully experienced the sights and sounds of Miami while my hair twisted into knots in the wind. Cab rides in Miami are expensive, y'all (for a precise definition of the term y'all, click here.)! We also received some bad news during the cab ride. Some of our "fine" citizens back home had just stolen a huge wad of cash from my beloved in-laws. Welcome to the city voted among the top 10 cities to live in America for the past 15 years, Mom and Dad! That made us so MAD!
Do not be downcast, because His mercies are new every morning! (Lamentations 3:22-24) We boarded a MUCH nicer taxi the next day. This cab was a new van with adequate air-conditioning. This female cab driver was dressed in a nice suit. Both cab drivers' names sounded like Haitian names. We have been sponsoring children through Hearts and Hands for Haiti for years, so meeting these cab drivers reminded me to pray for our "adopted" Haitian girl. I later found out that many of the taxi companies in Miami are run by Haitian citizens. We set sail that afternoon, and then the fun began!
After our fabulous 7-day cruise, we were not quite ready to come back home and face reality and responsibility once again. Thankfully, we had almost 2 more days of vacation remaining. After our cruise, a dear friend from college, who had adopted me as his little sister through the Caldwell Scholarship program, picked us up from the airport (yea, no more cab rides) and gave us a wonderful tour of Miami. In South Beach, I was most surprised by all the cars that cost more than my first home and by the abundance of scantily clad women (boo!). He's a member of a large boat club in Coconut Grove, so we enjoyed eating dinner at the club with beautiful views of the water.
He lives RIGHT on the beach, so we took some time during our visit to relax on the beach. I'm enamored with the color of the Caribbean water. Swimming in the ocean there is so much easier than we are accustomed to at our beaches back home because of the minimal tide effects, negligible waves and the extra saltiness which increases buoyancy. It is nearly impossible to body surf there, however.
His building includes a nice pool and volleyball court overlooking the ocean. Separate jogging and biking paths are built right on the ocean front. I enjoyed jogging up and down this beautiful beach strand each morning we were there while watching the sun rise.
My only complaint about this beach would be the popularity of thong bikinis. Even the women seated next to us on the beach who appeared to be at least 20 years my senior wore thong bikinis. What happened to decency and modesty?
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