The Florida Keys: Observations

So being in FL, and never having been down to the Keys before, (and not currently working), Jonathan and I decided to go down to the Keys for a few days.  So here are a few of my observations from that!

After talking with a few Florida natives, we determined that Key West itself might be a bit crazy, that the Floridians go to Islamorada instead.  (which thankfully is a much shorter drive!)  So we based ourselves out of Islamorada, which also happens to host some fabulous watersport activities.  Actually, all of the Keys seem to be home to fabulous watersports, so I would highly recommend partaking in them if you go.

Alligator lighthouse about 3 miles off the coast

Surprising to me, the Keys were not full of long white sandy beaches everywhere you looked.  On the contrary, much of the coast is mangrove swamp.  There are definitely some areas of white sandy beaches, but if that's all you're looking for, I'd really recommend the gulf coast of Florida instead!

The shallow reef near the lighthouse

If you're ready to be a little more adventuresome, the Keys do offer many snorkeling and diving opportunities that are great due to the clear water, and fairly shallow reefs and many sunken ships several miles off the coast (unfortunately the snorkel from the beach options aren't the best, so for better viewing take a boat out a few miles).  After doing a little research, we thought Alligator Reef off of Islamorada might be the best - lots of fish, shallow reef, and a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean to boot!
Fish love to hang out in the shade of the lighthouse and there are THOUSANDS!!  (Unfortunately I didn't take an underwater camera, but a few highlights were: Blue Tang, Sergeant Major fish, Yellow Tail Snapper, grunts, little minnows, Rainbow Parrotfish - if you listened underwater you could actually hear the Parrotfish biting coral!, etc)  We saw quite a few Barracudas, a Moray eel, and just after sliding off the boat near the lighthouse (our 2nd stop - first we stopped in a deeper reef for 45 minutes) I spotted a 5 foot grey nurse shark!  I came right back up and yelled, "Shark!" and Jonathan was able to see it, but no one else was really in the water yet and thankfully the shark decided it didn't like humans that well (and I personally don't like sharks that well, even if they are supposed to be harmless like this type was).

Speaking of sharks and watersports, we also did a little stand up paddleboarding - well, about 3 hours worth - which was plenty!  (all my little foot intrinsic muscles were very tired and sore after that!  ...ok, so they were already sore from ultimate frisbee in cleats, but anyways)  While SUP'ing, however, I saw 2 more, smaller sharks, about 2 feet long Black Tipped Sharks like this little guy:

I did not take this picture...but it looks the most like what I saw!

We also paddleboarded by an area where a crocodile lives (again, I was very thankful NOT to see said crocodile with a measly 4" fiberglass board being all that separately me from the water) in someone's backyard, and out to Indian Key a half mile out to sea.  There was once a settlement due to the wrecking trade in the 1800's that was attacked by Seminoles and largely burned and then turned over to the military - all that remains are a few cisterns and foundational structures on this tiny little island that once housed about 60 people.

We based our snorkeling and SUP'ing adventures out of Robbie's Marina, just a few miles from where we stayed in Islamorada.  There are other activities such as deep sea fishing, kayaking, and feeding the tarpon you can do there.  Feeding the tarpon?!  Yup, you can see these 100 lb fish fighting over the food you throw them from the dock at Robbie's.  Costs you a dollar, but would be highly entertaining for small children...  OR, if you happen to have rented a SUP or kayak from them, you might actually want to stay a little further away as I was a little scared paddling back in as these HUGE fish thrashed around as people fed them that I might just get bumped off my paddleboard into the water with all them!

So yes, we did go down to Key West for a little while one day, hit up the historic sites, which was fun!  We saw mile marker 0, Hemingway's house, the "southernmost part" of the US, were closer to Cuba than a Walmart, lots of chickens walking around the town, the Key West lighthouse, and a few endangered Key Deer on the drive home!

And off course we also sampled some more Key Lime Pie...

As far as food goes, well, we ate a lot of fish (duh!) and Key Lime pie...  Ma's Fish Camp and Islamorada Fish Company (yes, the same one that's in the Bass Pro Shops - this is the original!) did not disappoint at all and breakfast options in Islamorada were also quite tasty at Bob's Buns and Mangrove Mike's!

So overall, I would say if you're looking for a more laid back approach to the Florida Keys, Islamorada is an excellent (and cheaper!) way to go, but if you like a more lively "scene" then Key West would be a better choice.  Also from Key West you can visit the Dry Tortugas (if you have a reservation far enough in advance) which look pretty awesome!!  If we had been in Key West longer, however, I would have loved to have tried the all inclusive beach pass for a day which had a parasail, kayaks, SUPs, Windsurfing, Sailing, etc!

So a recap/words of advice if you're heading to the Keys?  Stay atleast part of the time in Islamorada, take lots of bug spray and sunscreen, and indulge in various water activities besides sunbathing!  (and eat lots of fish and Key Lime pie!!)

It's all about effort and attitude!

So when I was in high school, we had a couple basketball t-shirts with sayings on them...one reminiscent of Notre Dame: "Play like a champion today", and the other I think Coach Harvey kinda made up himself: "It's all about effort and attitude".

I might not play that much basketball anymore (sadness I know...but I would love a game of pickup if anyone's interested), but I've been struck recently be how true that second quote is in life...  A few examples:

In my last rotation, I was in an office where the 'leader' was the doctor, though unofficial, he is the one in the position of power afforded by his credentials.  Effort I can't necessarily speak to as I am unaware of the productivity and things along that line, however attitude was easily observable.  I was at 2 clinics a week for the same practice, however different staff at the 2 locations.  They were set up similarly - 1 MD, 2 PA's, multiple medical assistants and office staff.  However, the palpable feel was very different, and as I spent more time there, I believe the attitude of the "leader", in this case the doctor, makes a huge difference in the overall attitudes of the rest of the staff - which were constantly complaining, often out on sick days, often upset.  In this clinic the doctor had many complaints as well, and seemed to expect others to fix problems that affected him which he could also help fix.  In the other clinic, things were busier as far as caseload it seemed, however the MD and his main PA took it in stride and maintained a good attitude - joking, seriously considering problems without yelling or demeaning another, teaching other staff as they went along.

So I tried a little experiment - with the office that needed an attitude adjustment, I tried to be very friendly, not get into too much gossip, constantly ask if there were ways I could help, and even brought them some ice cream sandwiches on what seemed like it was a very stressful day.  And while they seemed to have a fabulous opinion of me with all that, it didn't seem to do much to alleviate the overall tension and attitude of the office.

So that led me to conclude that 1 random happy person cannot completely change attitudes, however 1 well positioned person can definitely sour attitudes (and hopefully improve them as well).  I guess I'm a little naive to just be struck with this so much at this particular time - thus far I have been blessed to have bosses who do lead by example and work to create solutions rather than complain about circumstances.

So that being said, if you are in a position of power and/or influence (as said at Second Mile), your attitude will greatly affect the quality of life of those around you - use it for good!  And since we all have someone(s) we influence somehow, it's a challenge to myself to not complain, but seek to improve bad situations, and as I Peter 2:23 says, "When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he ENTRUSTED HIMSELF TO HIM WHO JUDGES JUSTLY."  


If I entrust myself, my job (or current lack thereof), my relationships to the Lord, it puts a different light on things - I don't need to complain, or throw myself a pity party, or sulk when things don't go my way - instead  I need to keep looking for what the next opportunity God may have for me is, and try to consider what He may be trying to do in my/other's lives with my current circumstances (not that I may ever realize what that may be).

Unexpected Grace

Today, on my very last day of work in Ft. Myers, I sped by a cop.  Utoh...  Immediately I slowed, but he pulled a U-turn and pulled me over (it's only an 8 minute drive to work, but yes, I was speeding)  48 in a 35 to be exact. 

Mr. Officer asks for my license, registration, and proof of insurance.  I get everything out and then as I look at my wallet realize that my license is in my gym bag, at home.  He thinks I mean it's packed in all my stuff in the back of my car (since I'd loaded up most of my belongings last night), but no, it is back at the condo, in my gym bag with my travel pass.  another utoh.  So now I'm looking at speeding AND driving without a license and I'm an out of stater...  So he takes down my info and is gone a long time.  I finish my smoothie (bananas, KALE, and berries).  So he comes back with my info and a white piece of paper in his hand.  Utoh...

Then he explains, this is a written warning, not a ticket, to buckle up and have a nice day...
That's when I start crying.

Why is it that the 2 times I get pulled over and don't get a ticket when I was speeding I start crying AFTER they tell me I don't get a ticket, but the one time I actually get a ticket for speeding I don't cry at all?

I think it's grace, and how it's something we don't deserve...

Perfect example of how God's grace leads us towards repentence.

"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"  Romans 2:4

When I actually did get a ticket, there was a consequence, one that I could meet on my own, pay the fine for what I did wrong, accepting the consequences for a known wrong doing (I think that one was 77 in a 65...or maybe 72 in a 55...I don't remember (thankfully it wasn't reckless driving though!) )

However, when we're talking about life here, there's no way I can repay all of the ways I've missed the mark of perfection, that's a fine I cannot pay in and of myself to get back in the "black" with God.  So I could try to get around paying the consequences, and go to a "jail" of the most awful kind because I just keep ignoring the 2nd, 3rd notice that arrive and tell me I haven't paid the sign.  Thankfully God often gives us even more "notices" than that, but how often do we ignore them?  Somewhere along with way maybe one of the "notices" sink in and we realize we CANNOT pay out the huge fine that now sits with our name on it.  Gazzillions of Euros (since those are worth more than dollars) owed because of these little lawbreaking things I've done.

Then Someone comes along and offers to pay your fine. 
      WHAT?!  How in the world do you have gazzillions of euros?  You look pretty ordinary, nice, but ordinary to me... 
      "Well", He says, "I do own the cattle on 1000 hills, but this takes even more than that.  It'll cost my life, but you're worth it." 
      WHAT?!  You're willing to die for me?  Why? 
      "Because I love you", He says.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

Airboat tour! A Florida must!

 

I would highly recommend an airboat tour if you're in south Florida at some point - it is fun, fast, educational, and quite pretty!  :)   (and it makes a great Mother's Day present!)

You may see alligators:

Lots of birds...

This one is called a 'stilt legged'

A 2 minute movie, including a 'nas' gator at the end!

At the end of your tour, you might even get the chance to hold a real, live alligator!!  :)  They're surprisingly soft, not too wiggly, and will "smile" if you tap on their nose!!

Don't Run with Pencils

Ok, so in the past week I have been to 3, count'em 3, Mary Kay things.  Checked out the women's small group at church, where they were doing "facials" as an end of semester thing, which turned out to be the Mary Kay makeovers.  So at the end, they ask you if you'll be willing to help - host a small party, host a big party, listen to the marketing spiel, become a consultant, etc.  Or you can say, NO!  I never want to help you or have anything to do with Mary Kay which just makes you feel like a bad person.  So interesting option, you can be a "face" model at their consultant meeting sessions they hold weekly.  So myself and another girl signed up for that option.  It was kind of the same thing as we did in the mini makeover, and at the end we went in and told the consultants what we liked the most, etc.  Then Thursday went to listen to the marketing for becoming a consultant - was really doing in support of my new church friend (the girl I went with on Tuesday) as she was intrigued by what she heard Tuesday night, plus it helps our lady from church to get to do 2 instead of just 1.  However she had to stay home, so I got to go learn about being a MK consultant all by myself.  It wasn't as scary as I thought.

However, if you know me, you know I'm not really a make up person.

That being said, eyeliner scares me.  Seriously, who decided it was a good idea to put a sharp pencil up next to your eye?!  Didn't your mother teach you not to walk/run/skip with pencils pointing up because you might trip and stab your your eye out?!  So wouldn't that translate into don't put pencils near your eye to begin with?!
So Saturday I had my first encounter of me trying to put eyeliner on myself.  It looked like this...


with the squiggly lines being eyeliner, not my eyelashes

However thankfully on the 2nd time around on Tuesday night, I looked a little better, and managed to not poke out my eye.

So all that to say, I'm glad to be improving, but some how doubt I'll make the jump into eyeliner any time soon.  And as you can see my skills at Paintbrush improved with 2nd time around, too!  (although they really need a smudging tool!)

Mary Kay is definitely a pretty cool company for women, with good values and a great set up for rewarding hard work.  Don't tell my boyfriend, but there's a woman near Daytona who's earned $4 million through it and bought her husband his 2nd airplane. 

I think I'll stick to being a PT for now though...otherwise I'd have to get good with other devices like eyelash curlers.  Those also freak me out - what if you accidently curl your eyelid instead of your eyelashes?!!

Interesting Creatures



They basically litter the beaches around here!!

So in my stay here, I've had a lot of interesting creatures to see (stinkrays, snake (ok, only 1 so far...and it was a black snake), cool birds (reminds me of when I used to pretend I was a crane when I was little...lie on my stomach with my legs sticking out and flap my arms and my mom would laugh) but none mesmerize me quite as much as the creatures that live in conch shells...
I'm not quite sure if you call them conch, sea snails, or what, but I get a kick out of how Sponge Bob-esque they are...

God MUST have a sense of humor!


can you see the eyeballs sticking out of the bottom of the shell?



eyeballs sticking out the right side...

You can't really see them, but they are in the surf just about a foot or two in...

Here he is turned over so you can see the eyeballs more and the foot!

My other animal I've been quite intrigued with are these little burrowing owls I discovered on a lunch time walk from one of my clinics...

See all the babies in the "burrow"?  These were just out in someone's front yard!

Sometimes they make little noises, but usually follow you with their head and eyes - doing the 'owl' thing and swiveling their head to unnatural angles.

A few other interesting birds I've happened across...though none that make me laugh quite as much as the conch and burrowing owls.

I saw this crane on my blueberry picking excursion!

Mama and baby (there's a 2nd baby around somewhere)

Again, just something about the eyes crack me up - I think it's how they always look like they're surprised - their eyes are wide open and round just like someone just said "BOO!"



Notice the yellow feet!

And this guy I saw at the "Sand Bash" at Ft. Myers beach.

Mountains

So I don't know if any of you remember the old movie "Chariots of Fire".  It's about 2 runners in the 1924 Olympics.  Eric Liddell was an MK in China, but back in Scotland for a time.  My favorite line from the movie is when he says, "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure." 

I feel similarly about mountains - when I see mountains, and particularly when I get to hike in them, there's just a great sense of contentment.  I am home somehow, whether I am actually in VA or not.  I am awestruck by the creative genius of God.  A curiosity awakens to want to explore and climb to the top.  I feel like I can best worship our Creator when I am seeing, in, or on top of mountains.

A fun little gift I received in the mail today from Dottie :)

Being in Ft. Myers has been particularly difficult because of the total lack of even a small hill. (highest point in FL is a long way away and only 345 feet high) 
So, what happens with this?  I've been thinking about how this plays into future plans, situations, etc.  For one I know I am much happier when there are mountains around, but should a mere geographical feature have that much impact on my emotional state?  Should it change how or how much I worship God?  Well, I think it changes the how, but hopefully not the how much.  Apparently I need to work on other avenues of really experiencing and celebrating God.  So I reviewed my tendencies on different styles to worship God (here's the "test") and as I figured, ranked highest in 'naturalist' and 'caregiver' and 'intellectual' (HA, ok I hadn't figured on that one!).  However my lowest are 'activist' and 'traditionalist'.  So maybe I need to do a little therapy on my activist and traditionalist muscles...

Since I've known for a long time (perhaps the most memorable example - sitting in Glacier Nat'l Park in 2005 and feeling so close to God and just awed by His work) that I am made this way, and so I try to incorporate some 'nature' into my weeks.  I feel like I keep hitting dead ends here however, or when I do get somewhere it's a bit of a let down from what I'm accustomed to (yes, I have been spoiled by VA, CO, AZ and plenty of trips in the past).  BUT, you say, you're within an hour access of the beach, or even closer with large bodies of water!  Well, I have decided to once and for all prove that the mountains are more awesome than the beach!  ;)  Proof as follows, pick 1 for each pair:

1 or 2 ?

3 or 4?

5 or 6 ?

  7 or 8?

  

9 or 10?

Ok, now that you've tallied your results, which one wins (more odd #'s = beach, even #'s = mountains)?  Notice I did not put any pictures of mountain/ocean combo, because that would be cheating!  All the mountain pics I took (ok, maybe the one of Half Dome an innocent bystander took...) and all the beach pics are ones off Google because I wanted good pictures...most of my beach pics are not so pretty.  So obviously for me the mountains win!  Thankfully God did make us all different so that some of you like the beaches better (because living arrangements could be a problem if EVERYONE wanted to be in the mountains!)

Side note: I did finally get to go SUP'ing today (Stand Up Paddleboarding) and it was pretty fun...I do admit it would be very hard to do that in the mountains...say 10,000 ft in an alpine lake that you have to hike 4 miles to...