The "Keys" to Happiness


Vacation...
It's what I live for... 
It's my north star... 
The thing that keeps me motivated to continue adulting every single day
2020 threw us all for a loop. Even those of us who managed our way through it relatively unscathed walked away feeling different... it's a weird combination of feeling incredibly grateful and blessed, yet a bit empty and lonely... and for many reasons acutely aware of our own mortality.

For me, being acutely aware of my own mortality serves as a really good justification to go big with the people I love the most.  

And this year, going big led us down to the Florida Keys.
The only input I could drag out of the kids was from Sam, who said that he wanted to snorkeling again...  
Quickly, my web searches on "best places to snorkel in the states" led me to the Florida Keys...  

I'm not gonna lie... there may have been some wine involved in the moment that I clicked the button to book our fabulous Airbnb home in Layton Key, halfway between Islamorada and Marathon. I flashed it in front of Richie... He said "do it" and without hesitation, I did it!  
Nearly every picture in this post was taken at our lovely Airbnb... it was on a peninsula... with a pool, a gorgeous gazebo (which may have been covered with mosquitos... but the pictures were dreamy), a dock, kayaks, our own private beach, a huge kitchen, and fabulous sunsets...  It was truly a sight to behold...


We've had some great vacations and have stayed at some lovely places, but something about this one was extra special...





(something about photographing a grumpy 7-year old that I can't resist)

Nothing a hug from daddy can't fix...



Killin' me with cuteness 💙


Once in a while we would venture out...


But nothing else could really compare to our own little peninsula

Charlie randomly stumbled upon a hermit crab in our pool 🦀
And Richie found the perfect lounging position with the pool noodles 🙊
Sam caught this gorgeous blue crab when he was fishing...

And I found all kinds of happiness with this handsome boys


Coffee on the beach in the morning

And these freckles in the sun...  my mommy heart can't take it 💗



So many more adventures await us...

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