Copeland Travel Journal

Part 3 - Brunch at La Coquina in Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

2012-02-13T14:54:00.001-05:00

I have a few more photos about our recent visit to the brunch at La Coquina in Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress!...Here's my second plate of delicious food.

I had some stone crab, tenderloin with chimichurri, a salmon sushi roll, mini corn pancakes, cornmeal fried ham, asian caesar roll, shrimp spring roll,chicken and spinach cannelloni, and eggplant and roasted tomato and goat cheese terrine, and salmon and cream cheese in a sesame cone.

The asian spring roll was definitely delicious. In fact, I'd love to make them at home, but they were likely a lot of work. The outer wrap is so sticky...I don't have the patience.

The cannelloni was to die for. I would love to make these for a party since they can be served warm, cold, or room temp.

The terrine was probably pretty easy. The flavor was good and the presentation was great.

Part 2 - Brunch at La Coquina Grand Cypress Hyatt Regency in Orlando

2012-02-12T21:19:00.000-05:00

More about our lovely brunch this morning at La Coquina Grand Cypress Hyatt Regency in Orlando. For part 1, click here.

I always make a bee line to the cheese table. You can see it in the background here.

Here's my cheese selection...all I can remember is boursin, goat, parmesan. There were a bunch of other soft cheeses and we delicious. I always get fresh honey to have with my cheese. Here, it's the honey with the honeycomb mixed in. This year I paired my cheese with warm cherries simmered in booze. It was amazing and I can't wait to try it at home.

I also tried the polenta, topped with a tomato and cheese. John likes polenta, so I'll put this one on the list. The prosciutto wrapped shrimp was delicious but the star of this plat was the little sandwich. I don't remember this from previous visits, so I think it's new. It was Parmesan toast with arugula, mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto. What's so great about this brunch is that many of the recipes are traditional, but they are prepared with superior ingredients and with a meticulous method. They are just so good!

Brunch at La Coquina Grand Cypress Hyatt Regency in Orlando

2012-02-12T20:30:00.001-05:00

We were in Orlando this weekend for our 6th anniversary...we hit the La Coquina brunch at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and I am still in awe of the magnificent job that Executive Chef Alan Gould continues to orchestrate. One of my all time favorite dishes has been on the menu for years at Hemingways located at the back of the resort...it's some kind of green tomato with pasta. I highly recommend trying both restaurants.

The dining room at La Coquina opened at 10:30. I believe we finally left at noon and the champagne bottles started popping around 11am. The pianist began promptly at 10:30 and the dessert room was open early for viewing.

John always grabs a cocktail before smiling for a photo. Today he grabbed two :). Looks like his plate was filled with Atkins foods...tenderloin, stone crab, oysters, sausage, salad boats, and ravioli. Well, he almost didn't cheat :)

John ordered one of the 5 entrees offered during today's brunch. It was a delicious sea bass with asparagus. I believe other options included buffalo tenderloin, guinea fowl, eggs Benedict, and lamb.

Here's a peak at the kitchen, which is where the brunch tables are located. In case it's not obvious, let me state that the Sunday Brunch at La Coquina is among the top culinary experiences one can have in Florida. Just my opinion.

Here's the seafood table...shrimp cocktail, raw oysters, gazpacho with a shrimp garnish, and fresh Florida stone crab. Of course the cocktail sauce is fresh and there's a heap of extra horseradish on the side of the dish.

The table even changes color. Looks like those great Ikea LED lights.

I do not enjoy roe - fish eggs - caviar, but many people love the caviar table at brunch... It's served along side a fresh red onion creme fraiche.

I have more to say about the brunch, so keep reading here.

West Hollywood, CA 2011

2011-12-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to travel to West Hollywood, CA for some meetings.

I stayed at the London Hotel (A Gordon Ramsey) hotel on Sunset Blvd. The room was beautiful! It had so many little extras (spa socks, bathrobes, eye mask, soaking tub). The bar downstaits was great...both Sobieski Vodka and 4 Orange Vodka were flowing freely and their take on a cosmo made with 4 Orange Vodka was delicious!

The London Hotel, West Hollywood, CA.

The view from the balcony

In LA, we dined at Fig and Olive - A Kitchen and Tasting Bar. I ordered the STRIPED BASS PAPILLOTE. The menu described it as steamed striped bass filet in papillote with zucchini, eggplant, fennel, tomato, thyme, scallion, saffron served with olive oil mashed potato & chives - Arbequina Olive Oil.

The presentation was wonderful! A charred parchment bag arrived at the table and the server opened it up for me.

We had the carpaccio and some recommended crostini appetizers along with the house olive bread with a trio of olive oils. One of the walls was literally covered in different olive oils. It was great.

The rest of the trip was great too. The meetings went well and the other dinner at Mr. Chow was great. I do have to mention the signature cocktail at Mr. Chow though...I helped myseld to two of them and can't wait to go back for more. From what I remember, the lychee martini only had three ingredients...Sobieski Vodka, sugar, lychee syrup (with fresh lychee garnish).

For Christmas, Joey got me a lychee tree and he didn't even know I had just had this outstanding cocktail. Perhaps next season, I'll be able to make my own lychee martini in Florida. :)

October 2011 Trip to NYC

2011-11-01T18:01:00.000-04:00

I had a great trip to NYC recently for some business meetings. I had the opportunity to hit up Madison Square Garden, Lucky Strike Bowling Lanes, and the Museum of Sex.

Had a blast entertaining guests at a suite for a Rangers hockey game. We lost, but it was a fun evening.

We had a corporate function at Lucky Strike Bowling Alley...I highly recommend it for private functions even though it's pretty far south.

The cocktails at Lucky Strike were fabulous!!!

I happened to see a very famous penthouse apartment from across the street which is owned by a singing powerhouse...think "Sasha Fierce."

At my partner's agency, the recently renovated offices are very modern, yet warm and creative.

Here's a shot of the Statue of Liberty from the plane. I always get giddy looking for it from the plane.

Delray Beach, FL

2011-10-06T18:11:00.000-04:00

I attended the Delray Beach Centennial, which was a street festival with hundreds of vendors, a giant cake, and lots of drinking and fun.

John and I stayed at The Colony Hotel right on Atlantic Ave. It's pet friendly, dates back to the 1920s, and reminds me of "old Florida."

4 Orange Vodka sponsored the event, so I just had to grab a photo in front of the 40-ft vodka bottle. It was very windy; I'm glad the company securely tied down the bottle.

Labor Day 2011 Part 2

2011-09-05T17:44:00.000-04:00

Despite the horrible, filthy conditions at Lee and Rick's Oyster Bar, the rest of our Orlando trip was great. We stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort. The biggest plus....it's pet friendly.

Here's Tinsel in the dog park outside Tower 2 at the resort. She didn't love it, but it was certainly a nice place for her to do her business.

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-05T17:40:00.000-04:00

A few photos to document Labor Day 2011...

The most gross and disgusting restaurant I've ever seen in my life. Not overexaggerating...it was horrible. Don't go to Lee and Rick's Oyster Bar in Orlando, FL. It is filthy and they don't even appear to have shame.

Horrible traugh at Lee and Rick's in Orlando. Don't go there. It's filthy.

John and Jim were in heaven. They ate every last one of those smelly, filthy oysters.

The healthy department needs to shut down Lee and Rick's Oyster bar in Orlando. They shovel garbage into traughs that are built into the bar where people eat.

The katsup and lemon bottles are filthy and aren't cleaned.

For some reason, my family enjoyed the 2-3 buckets of oysters. I'm happy they had fun, but I didn't even want to touch the water they served me.

The Royal Pacific Resort at Univeral was nice...their food was good. I ate at the sushi bar, and also at Jake's downstairs. The pool bar serves 4 Orange Vodka, so I loved the bar. When in Orlando, as long as you don't go near this oyster bar, you'll be fine.

The Omphoy Ocean Resort in Palm Beach

2011-08-09T18:27:00.000-04:00

Summer in Palm Beach can be brutal...unless you are on the beach at the Omphoy Ocean Resort.

Shot list...check.
Product and props...check.
Photographer and PR agency...check.
Bartender...check.

All turned out wonderful and I'm so happy I work with a great agency.

New Orleans, LA 2011

2011-07-23T18:42:00.000-04:00

That's Bourbon Street below my feet! I had to travel to New Orleans for work but as always, I found some pleasure time. My colleagues and I stayed at the Bourbon Orleans. It's the most haunted hotel in New Orleans and upon check in, the front desk was nice enough to move me off of the most haunted floor in the most haunted hotel in the most haunted city in the country. Wow, was I relieved.

After I got off the floor that the dead twins supposedly haunt, I was moved to nice courtside suite. My colleague's suite had two stories and a balcony right on Bourbon Street. Not sure if it ever quieted down enough for him to sleep, but it was sure nice partying on the balcony with all my other co-workers for a few hours. You haven't experienced Bourson St until you throw beads from a balcony.

Had a couple good cocktails at Tropical Isle...a place I go to EVERY time I'm in Nawlins.

Tales of the Cocktail is what brought me to the city...I just love my work.

the world's largest Negroni in a huge tub made from ice.

Fishing Report 7/11/10 St. Lucie Inlet

2011-07-11T09:07:00.000-04:00

We headed out sometime after 10am. We caught 2-3 dozen greenies and sardines just outside the inlet and North. We were just off Sailfish Point. There were 1-2 dozen boats along with us, chasing the bait fish up the coast. When we headed back in sometime after 4pm, there were still boats out there slamming the bait fish.

We ended up catching a cobia, two bonito (aka little tunny, false albacore), and an upgraded king mackerel. Other stuff either cut the lines or wasn't worth mentioning.

Joey got a sardine caught on the bottom. We pulled up all the other lines and motored back so we could free his line. He said it felt like there was a fish on the line that had gone into a hole. But the fishfinder showed a flat bottom. Maybe a big shark, goliath grouper just sitting on the bottom? He pulled and yanked and then exclaimed "I lost it". He realed up what he thought was going to be a hookless piece of leader. Instead he found this shell with the hook through the little hole.

There were some divers 500 feet away, but they didn't come close to us. We would have seen their bubbles. We don't know how something like this could have happened. If I had not watched it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it.

Here's Joey's cobia. It was delicious...panko fried with buerre blanc and green onion sauce. We also grilled several pieces in foil with olive oil and seasoning.

In miami...at Hooters

2010-11-06T12:27:00.000-04:00

Having a Christmas Light lemonade Cocktail at Hooters. Ready for tonight's ball at the Intercontinental to support Make A Wish!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Labor Day Trip to Orlando

2010-09-06T15:40:00.000-04:00

Every Labor Day weekend, John's family heads to Orlando for the long weekend. This year, we stayed at the Omni at Champions Gate. I think we bought the room online for less than $100 per night! I drove up Friday night after work. John caught a ride up with Don/Rene Friday morning.

Saturday, we had coffee and a croissant then John headed to Hooters to watch the noon game with Scotty and Kendon. I met up with them for a bit, then went to the Prime Outlet Mall. I got some great deals, but it was 95 degrees and packed with tourist busses. We had dinner at Zen with Kendon, Roynell, and Caitlin. It was delicious.

Sunday, we went to Ikea with Jim/Cathy and Don/Rene. We smuggled Tinsel in and she was pretty good in the cart. Then, we went to Universal CityWalk in search of a Sobieski or 4 Orange account. First, struck out at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. I wouldn't say it was a complete loss because I got my usual Uptown Margarita from Bob the bartender. After Margaritaville, we headed to NBA City because I heard they were an account too. No luck!

Then we went to Islands of Adventure to ride the new Harry Potter attraction. It was pretty cool. The wait was 65 minutes. After that, we left with hopes of finding Sobieski at Emeril's.

No Sobieski at Emeril's. I did have a famous cantaloupe martini though. It was just as delicious as it always is. We had a few apps, then Scotty met us there for another cocktail. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel.

Fishing offshore Stuart, FL

2010-08-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

We went fishing the other day with two great friends. They caught this dolphin just offshore. Great day

Offshore Reef Fishing in Stuart, FL

2010-07-09T21:13:00.000-04:00

John and I had a fairly successful day fishing in Stuart today a few miles East of the St. Lucie Inlet. We anchored near the Texas Reef and bottom fished with squid and cut up greenies. We also freelined with live greenies that we caught off of Sailfish Point, oceanside.

The first catch of the day was a blue runner that I upgraded to baracuda. I recently learned that upgrading is when a bigger fish eats your fish and upgrades the catch. Glad those cudas chose to upgrade this blue runner and NOT the two snapper that came next.

Next I caught a few snapper...a lane, then a mutton. Both were within the legal size/weight limit.

Texas Reef was loaded with fish today. There were two dozen boats fishing with us. Most were freelining greenies and catching kingfish. We saw GIANT permit in the water and we saw one caught. We saw 3-5 turtles...one was huge. Texas Reef is an artificial reef almost due East of the St. Lucie Inlet. It's not a secret spot, so here are the coordinates and below is a link to an underwater diving video shot at Texas Reef. Lat. N27 11.415' , Lon. W80 06.522' The steel ship sits in 55 ft and profiles at 32 feet. There's a series of reefs off our town called the Donaldson Reef sites...Texas Reef is at the southwest corner of the Donaldson Reef Site.

http://www.martinreefs.com/flash/video/texas01.html

Fishing Trip to South Martin County

2010-07-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

We headed out at 7:3oam in hopes of finding big game fish and maybe even some big bottom fish.

The night before the trip, I entered coordinates into the Garmin 182. I love the new AC/PC adapter.

The morning started out looking like a rennaisance painting...it was better-looking in person. We headed out to catch live bait and the two spots we always hit. No one was getting bites.

So we headed east to about 12 miles offshore looking for weed lines. We found nothing! We saw a few smooth streams, but trolling yielded nothing.

We headed back to Stuart and had a great lunch at Shrimpers in Manatee Pocket.

Lobster in Duck Key

2010-06-22T11:15:00.001-04:00

Duck_Key_Vacation2010-18, originally uploaded by ladybugfalcon.

Last video from the Duck Key vacation...we threw the scraps from our catch into the water under the dock. The snapper, pinfish, and sargeant majors came around to eat up the scraps. The lobster also came out. It's not lobster season in south Florida...even if it were, these guys were not large enough to keep.

They are certainly bottom feeders.

Duck Key Vacation Has Ended

2010-06-21T18:17:00.000-04:00

The 2010 summer Duck Key vacation has ended. We drove home this morning, boat in tow and dog in lap. Here's the sunset from the 3rd floor at the Duck Key house lastnight.

Here's a frigate bird that was circling the water just off the dock at the house which is in Toms Harbor. I found a great article about why fishermen pay close attention to the frigate bird specifically. "The frigate bird is your ticket to big dolphin."... Turns out this article was written by a guy in a Marathon bait and tackle store.

Here's another shot of the osprey nest that is on the property of the Duck Key house. It's neat to see the different trash these birds use in the nest. It's a common site down here to see chains, clothes, and ropes hanging from osprey nests.

Good and Bad Restuarants Near Duck Key

2010-06-20T18:08:00.001-04:00

We have some strong opinions about where to eat and where NOT to eat when you stay in Duck Key.
The only place to eat on Duck Key is at the Hawks' Cay Restaurant. It might be great, but we didn't try it because we were told not to (by a local). To find a restaurant, you have to go north to Islamorada or south to Marathon, Grassy Key, or Knights Key. Either way, you're looking at a 15-20 minute drive.

Note: we are not benefited by endorsing any of these restaurants

Great places to eat near Duck Key

Hideaway Cafe in Grassy Key at Rainbow Bend Resort MM58. Note: had delicious hog fish last week, get it pan sauteed. Robert was great. Pino Grigio they recommended was good. The rib eye was 48 oz. Prices are high, even for the keys.
Uncles in Islamorada. MM81, oceanside. Note: I had a salad and ravioli appetizer...they were great. Others had the veal Marsala and loved it. When we were there, the specials were frogs legs, buffalo, veal, and fish.
Lazy Days Restaurant in Islamorada, MM79.9, oceanside. I had the baked lobster Florentine. Wow was it good! The house basil vinaigrette dressing on the dinner salad was delicious! I think it's made with stewed canned tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, and spices. I'm going to try making it. The dessert winner at our table was the cheesecake. The house special (lazy panko grouper) is out of this world!
Lazy Days South in Marathon, MM47.3, oceanside. Same outstanding food as the Islamorada location.
Sunset Grille and Raw Bar in Knights Key, oceanside at the 7 Mile Bridge. I had a Cajun burger which was great and affordable at $8. The tuna teriaki special was good and the dozen raw oysters were huge! This place is so cool because it overlooks the 7 Mile Bridge, it has a HUGE pool, tons of bar games e.g., ring toss, and the roof is one giant thatch tiki hut.
Stuffed Pig in Marathon....great breakfast place. Sit out back. The blueberry pancakes and garlic pig sandwich are good.
7 Mile Grill in Marathon....good breakfast...lots of nostalgia...no air conditioning and staff is shady.

Bad places to eat near Duck Key

Leighannes Tea and Coffee House: overpriced, poor quality food, non-chalant staff. Had the bagel sandwich for $9...stale bagel.
Herbies...walked in and out. The place was packed with locals, so the food must be good. We left when I saw the server sweating in the tray and the bar smelled like dirty dishwater.

above: Sunset Grille and Raw Bar in Knights Key

below: Lazy Days Islamorada

Duck Key Vandalism

2010-06-20T17:38:00.000-04:00

Adam's trailer was moved clear across the parking lot lastnight. It wasn't stolen, but it looks like someone tried to take it. He had a steel wire lock through the wheel. When it was moved, the wire bent the aluminum on the trailer. This stinks worse than fishing in Stinkray Bay!

Lenny was supposed to leave this morning at 7am. He had to wait (2 hours...ugh) for the officer to arrive so he could file a police report. Last night someone threw a big boulder over the fence into the side of Lenny's SUV.

They didn't take anything. It was easy to see where they would must have thrown it from. You can tell by how it bounced off the truck and tumbled back on the pavers.

Supposedly, the officer took 2 hours because there is a motorcycle run that is passing through town. They go from the keys to Alaska!!!! omg!!!!

Duck Key in the Florida Keys

2010-06-20T16:33:00.000-04:00

We went for a quick boat ride today since it's Father's Day and we are leaving tomorrow :(

I just have to say that Duck Key is beautiful. The canals and bridges remind me of Venice. There are stairs cases in everyone's backyard that lead into the water. I was reading online that when it was developed, the developer sent his son to Venice, Italy for inspiration.

The current really rips through these canals, but the water is usually crystal clear. Most of the chanels are 15 ft deep. Here's (above) a guy who has some a serious bait cage set-up.

Duck Key Fishing Waypoints

2010-06-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

The dolphin were caught 8 miles offshore in a weed line. It will never be found again because it's obviously a moving target. But here are all the other sites we fished and dived on our 2010 Duck Key vacation.

Adelaide Baker Wreck 1
24 42.140
80 53.560
Note: Grouper, mackerel, snapper, barracuda. We dived, snorkeled, and fished this site. 24 ft depth.

Adelaide Baker Wreck 2
24 42.175
80 53.670
Note: Grouper, mackerel, snapper. We dived, snorkeled, and fished this site. 24 ft depth.

Toms Harbor aka StinkRay Bay
24 45.498
80 55.965
Note: Tarpon and stingrays are all over. 5-10 ft deep. This is where all the Tarpon charters fish.

Grouper Hole aka Mackerel Hole
24 43.254
80 54.452
Note: Caught tons of mackerel, snapper, yellowfin, grunts, grouper, goliath grouper. Very active spot.

The Gap
24'39.960 N - 080'58.310 W.
Note: a wall drop-off site, 50-80 feet.

Thunderbolt Wreck
24 39.433N 080 57.808W
Note: Mooring can is about 10-15’ below surface - a swimmer must pass a line through the underwater pendant.
Sunk on March 3, 1986. The ship is 188 ft long and sits upright in 120 feet of water. The main deck is at 100 feet and the superstructure is at 80 ft. Currents are strong.

The Blob
24 39.287
81 00.214 50ft depth
Note: this spot looked very promising, had a great bottom profile, and showed big blobs of fish on the Furuno. No fish.

No Fish Hole
24 38.791
81 01.401 80ft depth
Note: A hole in the middle of nowhere. Looked promising and had lots of fish jumping around. No fish caught in this hole.

Diving Adelaide Baker Wreck

2010-06-19T10:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon we went offshore to fish and dive the Adelaide Baker Wreck. We were in 20-25 feet of water and there was no current. It was beautiful. There's a large buoy that marks the spot. We tied up to it and enjoyed the snorkelling while Lenny and Alicia dove.

The Adelaide Baker Wreck is a 3 masted Barque that's 153' long and was built in 1863 in Bangor Maine. It sank in 1889. The corrdinates are 24 42.140N, 080 53.560W. The site of the main mast and rigging is at 24 42.175N, 080 53.670W.

Here are Adam and Ann Marie after the snorkelling session.

Duck Key: Oil Spill and Dining

2010-06-18T08:34:00.003-04:00

This first photo is of the BP Claims Center on Marathon near the airport. Although we see no oil, slicks, or tar balls, the signs of the oil spill are all over. The guys left a hour ago for a big game fish trip offshore. Apparently, the dolphin are usually in 300 feet oceanside. This is the peak of dolphin season too. Sometimes you have to go out to 500 feet to find a good weed line. Today, they are heading to 3,000 feet, or about 20 miles offshore. The captains around here all agree that the toxins in the stream have pushed the fish way offshore. This word comes from three independent captains along the middle to lower keys.

We fished 535 feet the other day and caught a couple mackerel. We found a couple great weed lines that we worked for several hours with ballyhoo, spoons, and a few other things.

Now on to better things...we tried Leigh Ann's Tea and Coffee House on Marathon. It was overpriced and the none of our 13 top table liked the quality of the food. Oh well.

Last night, John and I were going to try Herbies, a local favorite. When we sat down, sweat was pouring off the waitress' face and the place smelled like dirty dishwater. We left and headed to Backus...which has changed ownership and is now Lazydays South. Bingo!

We at at Lazydays on the 16th with the Valle and Cruz families. We all loved our meal. I will definitely be trying to recreate chicken lazy style when we get back home. Read my version of the recipe over at my recipe blog.

Duck Key Vacation: The Anchor Tour

2010-06-16T19:03:00.000-04:00

Today, I took photos of the photo shoot off the dock behind the Duck Key house. We've been seeing these photo shoots all week. I wonder if they are for new boats, if they are part of a tournament, or if this is just where the photogs prefer to do their thing.

I stayed back from the fishing trip this afternoon. Here are Lenny, John, and Ann coming back after another successful trip to Grouper Hole.

Wait...where's the anchor?...............another anchor gone? They said it was left behind at Grouper Hole.

Duck Key Vacation: Victim 1 and 2

2010-06-16T17:09:00.000-04:00

Today we had a minor problem. One of our niece's friends accidentally crashed one of Lenny's wave runners. The wave runner isn't starting. It was damaged pretty good. The girls are both okay: one had no injuries, one cut her lip. At least one of them was thrown from the wave runner. I wasn't there to see the crash, so I don't know exactly what happened.

For whatever reason, it was decided that she would not go to the Fisherman's Hospital on Marathon. Instead, they headed back home and packed a lot of ice. They were headed back anyway...they just wanted one last wave runner ride before hitting the road. Poor girl. I'm sure she's okay...no head or back injuries...I checked. She's worried about having a scar and paying for the wave runner and medical bills. We'll have an update later.

Fishing Trip at Grouper Spot

2010-06-16T16:58:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we went fishing at a spot Adam Valle calls the Mackeral spot. We renamed it the Grouper spot because we pulled up more grouper than mackeral. We had no keepers yesterday, but we did get a great assortment of fish and had 3-4 hours of non-stop biting. The coordinates are 24 43 254N, 080 54 452W.

We were in 20-30 feet of water about 6 miles off Duck Key, oceanside. The spot has a small orange bouy and a rocky bottom. There was no current and the rods dropped straight down.

Adam free dived and saw some large grouper, mackeral, and snapper. Mostly, we pulled up grunts.

I caught a goliath grouper...thing is he wasn't goliath. He was maybe 2 pounds and he was adorable.

Day 5: Duck Key Vacation

2010-06-14T21:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was day 5 of vacation in Duck Key. We had a full crowd. Lenny brought his boil gear from Pensacola to Duck Key for this special dinner. It was wonderful!

Lenny says if you want to eat at 7pm, get the pot going by 5:30. The potatoes go in first. Usually he puts crab in the pot, but lastnight was just 5 huge bags of shrimp, 4 andoui sausages, 4 packs of corn, 5 bags of potatoes, oranges, lemons, onions, 10 heads of garlic, and a dozen packs of Zatarains Seasoning.

This morning, the leftover potatoes were part of breakfast for 14, the corn made a huge dinner side dish, and the shrimp made an appetizer.

This morning's fishing trip was a bust. The wave runners were fun and the kids had more fun on the long boards. Tomorrow's plan includes more wave runners, fishing, and maybe Key West for the Copelands.

Day 2: Duck Key Vacation

2010-06-11T18:46:00.001-04:00

duck key vacation, originally uploaded by ladybugfalcon.

Snippet of the house on Duck Key.

Weezer Concert: I touched Rivers Cuomo

2010-04-29T10:09:00.001-04:00

Weezer Singing My Name is Jonas, originally uploaded by ladybugfalcon.

Lastnight we headed to West Palm Beach for Sunfest Day 1 and for a concert by Weezer, my favorite band of all time!

John must be the best husband in the world because he got us 2 tickets ON THE STAGE!

During one song, the lead singer, Rivers Cuomo took a water break and before heading back onto stage, he came to the side stage and shook hands with a dozen fans. You can see the now historic event toward the end of this video clip (shot by me with my little Cannon).

There were 24 seats on stage right behind the sound crew. We didn't have to peer over anyone's heads. There were free cocktails delivered by a nice Sunfest volunteer. They escorted us to our seats and offered to get us anything we wanted. John swears this is the only way he's watching a concert from now on. I'm not bragging...I'm just so impressed and thankful for the experience.

More photos posted on flickr.

Song title: My Name is Jonas

Boat Trip from Palm City to Jupiter

2010-04-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we headed out to go fishing and instead headed down the intercoastal to Jupiter where we met family for lunch at Guanabanna. We had a lot of fun getting there and coming back. We'll definitely do it again.
Here's John and his baby as we came back under the Bridge Rd. bridge.

Here's Tinsel and I catchin' a tan near Pecks Lake Park.

Here's a google map of our trip. I think it took an hour and a half because of all the idle speed zones. John said he once took his friend's boat down to Jupiter in a half hour, but he went out the St. Lucie inlet and in the Jupiter Inlet. He said from inlet to inlet, his time was 17 minutes which is pretty fast considering it's about 17 miles.

Palm Restaurant for our Anniversary

2010-02-17T16:21:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful meal at Palm Restaurant in Orlando. We didn't know it's a chain...John said his filet was delicious. He's had better, but for him to be happy with a filet is impressive...he's a tough critic.

He loved the triple potatoes. I'm going to try to make them.

I was sick and fading by the minute.

4th Anniversary Day 2

2010-02-17T16:08:00.002-05:00

We went to Bice at Portofino Bay in Orlando. We have made this restaurant an anniversary tradition, as our first experience was on our 2nd wedding anniversary back in 2008. The food was good and the service was excellent...both times.

In 2008, I apparently took photos of our courses. Here's the dessert cheese plate with a special chocolate message.

Here's John's beloved creme brulee from 2008. He got the same this year and loved it!

4th Anniversary - Tinsel Eating Pineapple

2010-02-17T16:03:00.001-05:00

We brought pineapple in the cooler and John decided to allow Tinsel to try some. She's never eaten pineapple and did not know what to do with it. It was very cute.

4th Anniversary: Day 1 of our trip

2010-02-11T08:42:00.001-05:00

I started by giving John chocolate covered strawberries. Tinsel helped.

Ikea Shevles Are Finally Up

2010-02-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

I got these Ikea Ribba Shelves this past summer in Orlando on a mini vacation. Now that all the Christmas stuff is packed away, I got the inspiration to put up the shelves. I'm very happy with how they look and how they bring the eye up to the vaulted ceilings. Hopefully, it will make our modest sized room feel larger. I think it's also a great transition between the living and dining rooms. The three photo frames are also Ikea and I would imagine the whole setup cost under $50.

New Orleans 2009

2009-10-09T17:09:00.000-04:00

We got up early the first day and headed to see Jackson Square, the flea market and the park.

At the flea market, Cathy found Oscar, the guy who she bought gator stuff from years and years ago. She bought a bunch of new stuff from him and it made her day!

I got a cool blue gator pin and a pair of earrings and Cathy got me cute martini earrings too.

Here we are at the famous Acme Oyster House....more on that later....(120 oysters)...

New Orleans 2009

2009-10-08T12:03:00.003-04:00

We headed off to New Orleans for a Gator game weekend. It is so much fun! We began the trip at the Westin where the Gator gnome overlooked Lake Ponchatrain.

My Trips to Ikea Orlando

2009-09-14T08:01:00.003-04:00

We went to the first Gator Game of the season last weekend. We stayed in Orlando at the Omni at Champions Gate and had a great time. I managed to get away to Ikea twice and came back with a ton of great domestic additions.

Here's (above in Ikea) the Ribba Picture Ledges that I got. They will go above the hallway entrance shown below.

The curtains in the hallway are Lil curtains that Ikea is selling for $4.99. The fabric is similar to mosquito netting and I attached it to the wall with two 3M adhesive hooks and an old wooden dowel. Couldn't be easier and the price was right.

Next, I added 4 panels of Kajsa curtains to the dining room (below). I used two 2-packs of curtains which came to $60. The Vagen Rod was $10 and stretches across all 150 inches of the wall. This rod set was a great deal.

Here's the photo of the curtain set from Ikea's website.

Limo Trip to West Palm Beach

2009-08-09T08:54:00.000-04:00

We had a blast at Dennis' 40th birthday party! We started out surprising him at home, then we did gifts-cocktails-hors. Then the limo showed up.

Once the limo dropped us off at Citiplace we had the bicycle dude take a couple snapshots of us.

The ride down to PB yielded some great photographs...the ride home...not so much. Here's Karen and Matt and the Bowmans.

The trip ended with a hillarious stand up routine by Bob Sagget at the Improv and then a crazy limo ride home. Thank you to Joely and Dennis for all the planning and organizing. Oh, and thanks for the invite.

Trip to Lecanto, FL to Get the Boat

2009-08-07T20:41:00.000-04:00

We took a trip up and over to Lecanto to check out a Pro-Line we found on BoatTrader.com. Everything looks great. It's superbly clean. The two previous owners took care of it. The fuel rails were recently replaced. The boat is used to low salinity water. It's got radar, gps, depth finder, chartplotter, radio. We are very hopeful.

By the end of the trip, we had committed to buy the boat subject to a successful sea trial and successful marine survey. Tinsel even fell asleep on the deck after a few minutes, so we took that as approval.

John's Birthday in Orlando, FL

2009-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

We heade dup to Orlando for a quiet weekend at the Omni Resort. We just stayed onsite, watched TV, hung at the pool, and relaxed. It was a great getaway.

John didn't want to appear in too many photos because his eye capilaries bursted last week when he had another steak episode. It was one of those episodes where he gets all excited to eat a tasty sterak, so the first bite is as big as a golf ball.

Glad he had fun. Happy Birthday!!!

Last Few Days of Vacation

2009-07-15T09:32:00.000-04:00

Lenny takes the boat out for lunch all the time. Here we are in Alabama.

Jimmy Buffet's sister has a great restaurant on the water. We go there every year.

Then, we went back to Lulu's by wave runner.

The next morning, we headed back to Palm City. The drive was long with Tinsel. Thank goodness for rest areas.

Speaking of rest areas, what's up with this sign?

"Beware of poisonous snakes"

Castle Cruz in Pensacola

2009-07-12T19:16:00.000-04:00

More photos in the back of the Cruz's beautiful home. Sebastian the Crabbing boat is at the bottom and of course the dock hammock is a cool place for a nap.

More Pensacola Fishing

2009-07-12T19:10:00.000-04:00

The porpoise were out in droves today. We saw hundreds today. Some spotted and some regular...dunno what types.

Tinsel did good today on the boat. She tucked up in the towel while we were moving and slept the rest of the day.

Pensacola Fishing Trip

2009-07-12T19:06:00.000-04:00

Today we went fishing out over a Russian Freighter. Dozens of barracuda were circling the boat all morning. They even caught one of my fish on the way up. John managed to catch an Amber Jack and a grouper...both were short. Lenny caught an Amber Jack and a Kingfish on the way back in when we trolled.

Pensacola Beach Airshow

2009-07-12T18:58:00.001-04:00

Here's Fat Albert, the transport cargo plane that accompanies the Blue Angels to all their missions. He is huge and always makes an appearance 15 mins prior to the Blue's entrance at each airshow.

Below---this photo illustrates how close the Angels get to each other. At times, they are as close as 18 inches. I think this maneuver was the Echelon. Each maneuver has a name...the diamond is another popular one.

Our summer trip to Pensacola

2009-07-12T18:51:00.000-04:00

We talk about our friends' house in Pensacola all year long...it's here finally...our summer vacation to visit Castle Cruz.

On Jul 10, we went to watch the practice for the annual airshow. It was amazing. Everyone gets to the beach super early and brings coolers and umbrellas. We were lucky enough to share VIP seats with our friends. Here's John (above) keeping cool in the July sun.

The Blue Angels were the main act in the airshow. They perform each year in Pensacola Beach...their home base. Each plane is numbered and they are Navy jets...one of the 6 is a Marine pilot.

I set the camera on Sports mode which has a super-fast shutter speed. The effect is that motion is frozen, so in the photo above, you can see the pilots. See the bottom pilot looking up at the top one? More Blue photos in the next post...

Third Anniversary - Day 2 Continued

2009-03-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

So, after our stroll through Central Park, we headed to the Museum of Natural History. John and I enjoyed the Museum enven though admission was kind of pricy at like $12-14 each. One of the highlights for me was the gem room. You can see below a variety of Beryl, which must be where Beryl March got her name. Interesting.

John really liked the ocean wing of the museum...it was indeed very cool.

After the museum, we headed off to Lindy's for lunch and cheesecake before going to the Ed Sullivan Theater to get our tickets for the show taping. We had to be in line by 3pm to get tickets and instructions on when to come back for the taping.

Linday's cheesecake was the best of the trip...even better than Juniors later that night (yes that's right, two pieces in one day).

Here we are at an Irish Pub near Times Square. We went there for a drink two times this day while we were killing time in between the Late Show lines. The drinks were cheap (relatively speaking) and the bar was really nice. The second time we went, it was slammed for happy hour. Lots of locals were there.

Our Third Anniversary - Day 2

2009-03-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

Our first day in NYC was cold and windy...like 50mph gusts with 30-40 sustained. The temps were up to a high of 65 but the wind made it feel really cold.

Our first line of business was to take a walk in central park then waste some time before heading to The Late Show with David Letterman. We went to a taping of the Late Show the day we got engaged four years ago.

I was already starting to get sick as usual, so after I got some medicine/tissues, got a subway pass and headed to the park. We walked up the west side and saw Lennon's building, we saw the horse drawn carriages at Tavern on the Green, then we made our way to the Museum of Natural History.

John took a quick break to pose for the camera.

He's so trendy...four years ago, he was obsessed with listening to his iPod, as EVERYONE walking in the city has an iPod. This year, he was obsessed with updating his facebook wall...everywhere he went, he had to let the world know where he was. It's cute.

Our Third Anniversary - Day 1

2009-03-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

John surprised me with a trip to New York! Since we got engaged in NYC on Valentine's Day of '05, he decided it would be a great gift to me to revisit the same places that we such fond menories of. His thing is that he always cooks a very nice meal on Valentine's Day. But since we were in NYC, he decided to cook the 10th, the day before our anniversary.

He updated the fridge magnets (cute).

The neighbor Jesse enjoyed a nice glass of champagne (sparkling cider) with us to kick off our anniversary celebration.

Here's the wonferful meal he cooked...fillet, mashed cauliflower, portabellas, zucchini, and artichokes. Yum.

Now we're off to the airport tomorrow!!!

2008 Buzz Bakesale

2008-12-07T13:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we went to the 2008 Buzz Bakesale. We had so much fun. They day flew by.

Above is a member of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. They were pretty good. Our seats were in row K of section 2. So, the seats were row 11, dead center.

Above is the lead singer from Savinf Abel. He was a great singer but he sat on a stool the whole concert. Maybe he was tired as it was pretty early in the day.

Above and below: I was backstage at the Real Big Fish Concert and had a blast. The SEC Championship game was on during the bakesale, so John asked his buddy if there was a tv anywhere at the venue we could take 4 hours and watch the game. He gave us these all access passes so that we could watch the game. We love this guy so much and believe the Gators won because we took the time to cheer hard for them even though we were at a concert. Thanks Joe, I guess we owe the win to you!

So, we learned that the passes were all access passes and that the tv room we were watching the game in was actually the VIP room where all the bands and crews eat dinner before/after the show. We saw all of the bands just being regular people eating and talking with their friends. It was the coolest experience ever! We didn't ask anyone for autographs or photos. We didn't even talk to them. So, I guess all we'll take away are the memories. We figured we were lucky enough to be able to eatch the game in such a cool place that we didn't want to jeopardize our opportunity.

The bands were very cool and did signings and photos with fans after their sets. They also threw out drum sticks and guitar picks (like they always do). Kendon and Bronco got to take home some cool stuff like picks, sticks, an autographed shirt, and even an empty tequilla box. Kendon even got his photo with the dummer from Atreyu, one of the two bands he REALLY wanted to see.

We posted video on youtube and photos on flickr.

http://flickr.com/photos/7920525@N07/sets/72157610861714158/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n2wvsmLhHw

What a great night! Oh, and Jim/Cathy and Don/Rene watched the house for us which was nice. I guess we had a lot of visitors since it was a weekend night. Tonight, I'm taking my QMB exam...on a Sunday night...why do they do this?! I gotta go study.

Lego Land at Downtown Disney

2008-11-25T12:57:00.000-05:00

Matthew has always been into legos. He must have gotten it from Jonathan who is really good at building stuff.

He had a blast. He got a coast gaurd kit and had it put together in a few days.

We went to Orlando for the weekend and drove to Gainesville for a game on Saturday. We stayed at the Rosen Centre. It was cold this weekend.

The 4 Hr. Journey to Key West

2008-11-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

John surprised me with a trip to Key West for my birthday!

We met in WPB and took one car down. We didn't hit any traffic but we did hit the most beautiful sunset headed across the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon. He couldn't have planned the timing any better if he'd tried. actually he did try to be down at Mallory Pier at Sunset, but we didn't want to rush. It was more pleasant this way.

This is some museum on Duval Street. It was prety cool.

Here we are at the Southernmost Point in the country. We had a nice tourist take our photo. John also got me a phone which I guess I needed based upon feedback about my always low battery. It was a good birthday!

Went to the Copeland's for a Party

2008-11-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

Amanda and Peter had their engagement party this past weekend and Jim/Cathy hosted the party. It was probably the "funnest" part we've been to in 5 years! I'm still in the process of uploading all the photos. Here's the first one, courtesy of John and Jim.

Went to a Coldplay Concert

2008-11-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

John and recently went to a Coldplay concert is S. Florida. We had a great time. We got the tickets from a local radio station, so for $20 in parking fees and a tank of gas, we had alot of fun.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency near the Bank Atlantic Center and were pleasantly surprised at how small and quaint the hotel was.

The seats for the concert weren't the best, but we had a much better view than most of the concert-goers.

The giant orbs that lowered from the rafters were expecially cool. They somehow had live video of the band embedded in them. It reminded me of seeing the Wicked Witch in the magic ball. The butterfly drop was pretty cool too. They dropped confetti from giant blowers in the rafters and turned all the lights on so it looked like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Fun at the Georgia Florida Game

2008-11-08T09:49:00.001-05:00

We took a camper up to the Georgia Florida game and had a great time. The trip started off a bit chilly at The Landing on Friday night. We had a fun time watching all the great costumes. It was Halloween night. The cab rides to and from The Landing were a bit pricey at $7 per person per trip. Oh well, at least we didn't have to contend with driving, parking, and drinking.

Then, the next day began chilly but quickly warmed up to the point that we all had to change into regular shirts or we'd have baked.
The skies were overcast all day, so that helped keep it coller than it might have been.

The parking spot was just over a mile walk from the stadium, but the spot was great. It was at the L Rock and it only cost us one game ticket.

The gameday food was something to be mentioned. We started out with bacon/egg bagels, then lunch was grilled chicken and ribs. Dinner was burgers and dogs, and snacks were plenty. Bloody Mary's kicked off the cocktail party, margaritas rounded out the pre-game festivities, and wine/beer finished off the night. It was perhaps one of the best recent Jacksonville games we can remember.

Went to Gainesville and Orlando

2008-10-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

We went to Gainesville this weekend for the Florida-LSU game. Final score was 51-21 I think. It was the first cool weather game of the season and Gainesville was beautiful!

We stayed in Orlando at Grand Cyprus, so getting back in to Orlando after an 8pm game was not fun. We had a nice dinner at Amura with Jim and Kendon.

We also went to Universal Studios with some friends. It was a fun day.

As we left the park, we saw the thousands of people lined up to get into Halloween Horror Nights. John tried hard to get me to go, but it was going to be soooo crowded. And, the tickets were the normal $30 or $40, but the express pass which is unquestionably a MUST was an extra $70. Then, each drink is $8-$14, so I was just as happy to save the money. We've been there and done that. Oh, and Billy brought Gator Tails to the tailgate party...delicious. I think we got to the tailgate spot about noon. The spaces are still $40 each. We got all 5 this time. He wants us to lock into every game for next year. I think we'll be finding a new tailgate spot.

Went to A Concert In West Palm Beach

2008-10-05T10:00:00.003-04:00

We went to see Counting Crows and Maroon 5 last night. The seats were the best part of the whole night. We were dead center, in the second row. There were some folding chairs in front of us, but I could see the whole concert because no one was too tall....for once!

Counting Crows played first (but they were not opening...it was another co-headlining tour, like Weezer and Foo Fighters last year).
We took Amanda and Kendon. We got to hang out in the VIP area and get free food and a dry roof over our heads while we waited for the concert to begin. Augustana openend up but we missed them because it was pouring and didn't want to get soaked.

This was the last tour on their concert, so I think they were all much more relaxed and eager to get home. Both Maroon 5 and CC were very good. We had seen CC last year and really enjoyed them...that was the impetus for getting good seats for this year's show. We didn't know what to expect from Maroon 5. I really enjoyed them. They guy really can sing that good. He's not bad to look at either :) All the young girls were screaming for Maroon 5, but they hung out through CC and I think even enjoyed them.

All in all, it was good. We hit up Duffy's after the show like usual, then made our way home in the pouring rain. At least it was a comfortable temperature.
Oh, and when Adam began singing Sting's Roxanne, he rocked!

Went to A Concert In West Palm Beach

2008-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

Joey goes to New Zealand

2008-10-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

Joey is in New Zealand right now. I received these photos the other day of the giant military looking cargo plane that brought him over there. He is going to be living in Antartica for several months at McMurno Station.

Went tot Gainesville for a Gator Game

2008-09-11T18:11:00.000-04:00

So, we went to our fist big game of the 08 season. College Game Day was broadcasting from Gainesville...

I got to kiss Kirk Herbstreit!!! John and I had a great dinner at some steak house right on Main Street on Friday. Then, we got to our tailgate spot at 11am on Saturday. The game began at 8pm and it was the single hottest night game John said he's ever been to.

We won. Traffic back to the hotel wasn't that bad. Jim took the kids to Orlando and didn't get back until 2:30 am after the game. It was a fun weekend.

We usually get a bunch of gator garb at the local university stores, but this year, there wasn't much cool new stuff. We got a hat for Matthew and a little onesy for Nick Jr., but that's about it. John et al are a bit worried for the gators. Although we won, we apparently didn't look all that good. They are worried for the next game in Tennessee.

Just Another Day in Orlando

2008-08-31T18:25:00.000-04:00

Here we are outside Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Orlando at Universal's Citywalk.

We came up for a Gator Game (which we won) and a Labor day vacation. John's been making the yearly treck up to Orlando to watch the first game of the season at ESPN Zone at Disney's Boardwalk since before me. It's usually an early game...which is not fun in Florida in Augst. We are a bit on edge because it looks like Hurricane Ike is making a B-Line toward West Palm Beach as a category 4! We organized the hurricane shutters before we left, so if we need to shoot home early Sunday morning, we can get them up before any wind comes.

Tropical Isle in New Orleans, LA

2008-08-01T23:59:00.000-04:00

I would imagine we were there less than 2 hours, but boy did Tropical Isle leave a mark on us!

We were ordering grenades all night. They must have eaten away at my stomach lining because my puke was tokic yellow later that night.

The bar tender would flash his illuminated Jaeger Shot $1 sign every so often, and like a dog salivates at the sound of a bell, Bronco was all over it.

It's always nice to sit on the ground in New Orleans.

We had fun dancing for an hour.

If I had only Known How it Would All End

2008-08-01T21:21:00.000-04:00

I should have known by the way the evening began...

Here we are in the hotel lobby in New Orleans. It's about 6:20; we haven't eaten. We stayed at the Westin which was beautiful! John ordered a bottle of champagne which inadvertantly I kicked off the table. Next was tropical Isle...that was our second mistake of the night.

Pensacola Vacation - Fishing on I-10 Bridge

2008-07-26T09:43:00.000-04:00

Apparently, the old I-10 bridge was hauled 15 miles offshore near the Florida-Alabama border.

We had so much fun thos morning. The sea was calm (once we got out there). A porpoise was swimming around the boat all day eating the cast-off fish that were too small to keep. We all got some keepers.

This baby grouper was lunch for the porpoise as soon as he returned to the water. Oh well.

Duck Pin Bowling in Maryland

2008-07-22T02:15:00.000-04:00

Eric took us to Duck Pin Bowling tonight after dinner. Apparently, people up here don't bowl like us normal people. They share holeless balls with other bowlers, they score the game by hand, and they use very old equipment to operate the alley.

It was a lot of fun. Here's a shot of Joey's anklet that Bronco found in the duck poop at Reflection Pond today. He'll buy Joey a case of beer if he keeps it on for the duration of the trip. Joey will win.

Dinner was really good tonight. We all had pasta at some place by Eric's apartment. It was buy one get one for $3.95. After 6 miles of walking today, pasta and bread was a welcome sight.

More DC Fun

2008-07-21T19:10:00.000-04:00

Me, Joey, and Bronco at Reflection Pond, looking toward the Lincoln Memorial.

Me, at reflection Pond, looking 180 degrees away from the Lincoln Memorial, toward the Washington Monument.

Me, at Reflection Pond, on a huge Oak tree stump, in the heat, looking at the sun. Why?

The gnome, at the Lincoln Memoria, with the Washington Monument in the background.

Who Says it Doesn't Get Hot up North?

2008-07-21T19:05:00.000-04:00

Joey, Bronco, and I did the tourist thing today in Washington DC.

I lugged around the cameras, the gnome, and water bottles. Joey lugged around the big old handheld Garmin GPS device. We got out early today. We used the metro to go downtown, then used the Garmin to direct us to the White House. Then, we headed across the huge lawn of the National Monument, and toward the Lincoln Memorial. It was nice to do by foot because you have to walk quite a bit to get to each landmark. You can't just drive up to these things, see them, then get in the car and go to the next one. It's definitely a city to see by foot. I'm glad I brought my MBTs!

Bad Photos at the White House

2008-07-21T18:58:00.000-04:00

So, these are a couple great photos to have live on through history. I should have taken a bit more time to get it right.

Our tiki hut

2008-07-19T13:42:00.000-04:00

Test blog posting

Trip to Eustis, FL

2008-06-07T13:53:00.000-04:00

so, I went on a road trip to Eustis today. It took about 3 hours to get there. The drive was great, but the radio choices really sucked.

I went up for a yearly gathering of fellow Christmas decorating enthusiasts. I can't hardly wait for Christmas now...I'm pumped.

Concert at Club Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale

2008-04-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

Lastnight, we went to the concert which was the impetis for our visit to Ft. Lauderdale. The venue is very small...about the size of an average Starbucks. The max was 999 people. We stood upstairs along the rail where the air was cool and the view was amazing.

Here's the set as the band takes the stage. We were on the rails above the stage, and behind the curtain, so we got to see the entire set up process. It was really cool. Even though this is an internationally known band, their set is pretty basic. Those backdrops are attached to pvc pipe with black tape.

The average age of the crowd was probably 20. I guess if you are too young to drink, you'll act like a jackass and go buck wild to compensate. I didn't see too many drugs, which surprised me. Most of the fans were young girls in groups of 3-4 who must walk throughout the crowd holding hands, remiscent of a line of circus elephants all connected by tails and trunks.

The whole evening really was fun, despite the fact I've realized I'm getting old. Highlights included our front row parking space, leaving during the last song to avoid traffic, not getting pushed over from crowd surfers, and seeing a few good bands.

Pelican Bar at Pier Sixty-Six Hyatt Regency

2008-04-04T23:32:00.000-04:00

The Pelican Bar is on the second level of a huge marina here at the hotel. The mega-yachts here are amazing. John loved the grilled watermellon salad we tried. It had a balsamic reduction with goat chese and a tomato.

Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six

2008-04-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

When I saw these Song of India plants, I had to have a photo.

Above: a giant banyan tree outside the hotel.

Above: wild parrots are everywhere in Ft. Lauderdale. Parrot Jungle is only 30 miles from here.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six

2008-04-04T17:45:00.000-04:00

We arrived at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six today. It took less than 2 hours via the turnpike. The top floor is circular and it rotates during Sunday brunch.

We checked in around 12:30 and headed out for a walk. Less than 3 hours later, we had been to the beach, Sloppy Joe's, and a scenic tour of the Las Olas area. The yachts down here are amazing. Our room has a marina view, and there's currently a super fast looking yacht 15 feet outside our balcony.

We're headed to Revolution to see a band called Say Anything. They're playing with Manchester Orchestra and Biffy Clyro. We're excited.

Valentine's Day Part 3

2008-02-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

He'd purchased a very cute dress for me and told me we were headed out to a fancy dinner.

I quickly sipped my champagne, ate my strawberries, cheese, and crackers, and we headed off to dinner. We stopped at E Ocean Bistro for another glass of champagne before heading out to the beach road. We took the beach road up to Jensen Beach to have dinner at 11 Maple Street. The dinner was very good. John had some weird game and wasn't a fan of it. My dinner was good. John had told them it was out anniversary, so we had an ice bucket with champagne, a nice dessert, and a great server. Aside from the Valentine's Day that he proposed, this was his best yet!!!

Valentine's day trip to Stuart Part 2

2008-02-15T09:09:00.001-05:00

My second destination was to Indian River Plantation Marriot. When I arrived at the front desk, there was a room key waiting for me.

I was greeted at the room door by John who had prepared crackers, cheese, iced champagne, and rose petals from a dozen roses spread all over the room. It was beautiful.

He had also wrapped two additional gifts that were labelled with #2 and #3 to continue my special mystery day. Each of the gifts were wrapped with Product(Red) paper, the card and little hang tags were (Red) also. He knows I love (Red), so it was a very special thing for him to give the wrapping paper so much thought. Scroll down to learn what (Red) is and to find out about part 3 of my wonderful Valentine's Day.

Product Red is a brand licensed to partner companies. It is an initiative begun by U2's frontman, Bono, and Bobby Shriver to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Each partner company creates a product with the Product Red logo. In return for the opportunity to increase their own revenue through the Product Red products they sell, a percentage of the profit is given to the Global Fund.[1]

Valentine's Day Trip To Stuart-Part 1

2008-02-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

Each year, John tries to out-do himself when it comes to February romance. We were married a few days before Valentine's Day, so we always celebrate both our anniversary and V day...but he makes certain not to combine the two days because he wants each of them to remain independent and special in their own right.

This year, I received a card marked #1 along with his GPS device. The card instructed me to follow the directions to mystery location #1.

This was so cool because for the first time in a long time, I truly had no idea where I was going...not even a guess.

I ended up at my friend's studio. John had pre-paid for a facial and make-up application. She's a hot shot make-up artist who has famous TV clients in Miami. So, I was honored to have her do my make-up and give me another card that instructed me where and what to do next.

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Afternoon of Day 2 (Orlando, FL)

2008-02-11T23:23:00.000-05:00

Here are my first three courses

(above) 12:37 Proschuito-wrapped prawn, crab claws, crab ravioli, pizza, and cheese.

(above) 12:55pm caesar salad spring roll, chicken & spinach something, crab, proschuito-wrapped prawn, duck skewer, swirl with mozzarella, ham, basil, shrimp manicotti, tomato pesto sauce,

(above) 1:20pm pretty much the same stuff...added a crab cake, small piece of sticky bun, and pesto

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Afternoon of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

2008-02-11T02:49:00.000-05:00

We went to Grand Cyprus' Sunday Brunch. It's absolutely amazing. I could go on and on for 15 minutes, but I won't.

We had an 12:15am reservation. Here's John's 1st-3rd courses (not counting his dozen mimosas)

(above) 12:37 - raw oysters, shrimp cocktail, crab cocktail, caesar salad spring roll, variety of sushi, beef tenderloin, proschuito & basil wrapped with mozzarella, proschuito-wrapped prawn.

(above) 12:55 - Sea bass entree

(above) 12:55 - more sushi, more oysters, more crab and shrimp cocktail, more tenderloin, and one seafood manicotti

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Evening of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

2008-02-10T02:35:00.000-05:00

After an amazing late night dinner at Bice, we ordered dessert. To our surprise, the server knew it was our anniversary and had the chef personalize our dessert plates with a chocolate message. Yes, I got cheese and fruit for dessert, and John's wearing Mardi Gras beads.

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Afternoon of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

2008-02-10T02:32:00.000-05:00

After taking the ferry back to the hotel, we took some photos of the sunset and hotel, then headed to shower up for dinner at Bice.

Anniversary Weekend Trip - Morning of Day 1 (Orlando, FL)

2008-02-10T02:30:00.000-05:00

We headed to Orlando on February 9th, a Saturday, even though our anniversary wasn't until the 11th. We'd never been to the Portofino Bay Resort before, so we had some lunch, then walked around for a while. We took the ferry over to CityWalk, and spent a few hours wandering.

Eventaully, we ended up at Margaritaville, and sat at the bar to watch the second half of a Gator basketball game. I had a delicious Uptown Top Shelf margarita, and we enjoyed talking to the bar tender.

An Evening at The Jupiter Lighthouse

2008-02-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

We went to hang out in Jupiter tonight. I took this photo at 6:20pm from the Square Grouper. What a great night.

Orlando

2008-01-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

The game started off a bit rocky, however we did score pretty early on, and things were looking okay.

Tim Tebow, having just made history by winning the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore wasn’t welcomed with a standing ovation, didn’t receive any special acknowledgement, and wasn’t even mentioned during the pregame, half-time, or commercial breaks, to my surprise.

The weather was a bit overcast, and a bit chilly, but was generally nice. The Citrus Bowl is in a bad area of downtown, and is a bit smelly, but we had an excellent parking space thanks to Jim. We were in the parking lot of the stadium on the bank of a small pond that [allegedly] housed a gator! In the second and third quarter, gator fans had lost hope of covering the spread, and were just begging for a win, which never came.

That evening, we followed Bambi to see Ron Lister’s Kissimmee home which just won second place in the national KFC Christmas Lights contest (I think). He visited with us for about 30 minutes. His house skill is top notch and his home is quite a spectacle. His website is ChristmasWonders.com.

Stuart To Orlando

2007-12-31T15:59:00.000-05:00

We left the house around 9:30am and got into Orlando by 11:00am. I programmed Bambi (the new Garmin GPS navigation system) to go to the Hyatt Regency Orlando instead of Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. So, after a 30-minute detour through the airport, we arrived at Grand Cypress. We checked in and took a walk around to see the Christmas decorations.

They had a 30. Ft Christmas tree and a large gingerbread village with a Lionel Circus train.

Then, we went to Hooters with Mom, Dad, Jim, Cathy, and the kids for a late lunch. We sat at a table shaped like Mickey Mouse and talked about plans for the 2008 Christmas display. Then, Caitlin and I went to Super Target to get in some shopping. Mom and Dad took a nap, and Jim, Cathy, and Kendon went to Buffalo Wild Wings to play video poker.

We had a 7:15pm reservation at Benihanna, so we met Scotty and Al in the lobby of the hotel and took some photos before leaving for dinner.

We had a great dinner; John’s filet was one of the best I’d ever tasted. My sushi was good. Mom liked her steak, but had an upset stomach, so they left quickly after dinner and headed back to their hotel for the evening. We headed back to ours to get ready for the ball drop. Grand Cypress had built a huge, lighted ball atop one of the two elevators that would drop at midnight. They also had 10,000 balloons that would be dropped from the ceiling along with a band that played until 1am on the second story loft. We were on the 8th floor and had a beautiful view of the lobby.

Scotty and Al brought down a nice bottle of Perrier Jouet Champagne and we rang in the new year in style.