I woke up this morning just before 7:00am with a glimpse of the sun rising through a crack in the bedroom curtains. we have been very fortunate with the weather so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tavis and I went out around 8:00am to find coffee. By chance, we found a cute little bagel shop and we got a coffee, hot chocolate, and 6 donuts. When we got back, I cut up the rest of our watermelon and Tavis made sandwiches. By the time we ate and packed our bags it was just before 10:00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tavis had found an Urgent Care close to the house so our first stop was only 5 minutes away at Professional Urgent Care Services to get Ayva\u2019s skin looked at before going to Miami. Apparently she had a bacterial infection. Our entire visit was 45 minutes. That included the time it took to fill out the paperwork, wait to be seen, get examined, have coupons printed for the prescriptions, and for the staff to help us locate the closest Walgreens. They were so nice. We do have insurance but this location doesn\u2019t accept it so we had to pay the $160 out of pocket and we will get reimbursed later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we were in the clinic, the skies opened up to torrential downpour and the thunder and lighting began. When we walked to the car the rain was gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our next stop was Walgreens. We arrived shortly after 11:00am. It actually took longer to set up an account (since we were Canadian) than it did for them to actually fill the prescription. We were quite impressed with the medical system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we were waiting, we decided to purchase some vitamin C and cold medicine which was on sale. The thunder was very loud and we could hear the rain on the roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The boys stayed in the car. They said the thunder and lightening was so close it shook the car. Within minutes the roads and parking lot were flooded! When we came out 30 minutes later, the rain had stopped and only a few large puddles remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just before noon, we finally made it to the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge that Ari had been talking about for the past 2 months. It was the only reason we drove to Tampa Bay. it cost $3.75 to drive over but it was quite impressive! Along both ends was a super long fishing pier and a rest area with facilities, water, and vending machines. We discovered that the fishing pier was the old bridge that collapsed in 1980 when a freighter collided with it in a storm. The current bridge opened in 1987. We stopped at both rest areas to take photos before beginning our long drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 2:30pm Tavis took the last exit before Alligator Alley (I-75) which is a 50 mile tolled interstate that runs through a nature park. It was 100 degrees out but Tavis found a place to park in the shade in a Dunkin parking lot. We used the facilities and stretched our legs before driving the final two hours to Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 45 minutes outside Miami we could see a wild fire in the distance. We could also see a wall of dark clouds infront of us and blue sky with puffy clouds beside us. We made it near the Miami airport before the rain started, but it only lasted moments at a time. When it rains here, it rains hard!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We arrived at the tiny house around 4:15pm. The house is actually in the back yard of another house. We drove down a tiny alley\/driveway as I waved to a chicken sitting under a tree. We drove around another tiny house before arriving at our tiny pink house. By the time we parked, it was pouring and no one wanted to get out of the car. Addison was our hero who got out first, punched the code to get the key, and unlocked the door. Then Tavis and Ari went in. I was the next and Ayva was the last one to leave the car because she was waiting for the rain to stop. About 2 minutes later it did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We made a quick dash to get all of our luggage out of the car and into the house. Just as we got everything inside it started to pour again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Airbnb was a cute tiny house. The door opened into a living room with a couch, tv, and dining table. There was a stove and fridge at the back and a small bathroom with a shower. The kids were in the first bedroom with a queen bed, a bunk bed, and a tv. Tavis and I had the next bedroom with a king bed and tv. It was small, but all we really needed, and a good transition to the small staterooms we will be moving into tomorrow. The house was also very well stalked with things that you don\u2019t normally travel with. It was literally the opposite from the last place. Everyone connected to wifi, found their bed and had some downtime. Our host had put 5 bottles of water in the fridge for us which was very thoughtful and appreciated. I also asked if we could extend our checkout by an hour and Cesar was very accommodating\ud83d\ude01.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we were resting, we listened to the rain pour down. We could tell when it stopped because we heard the roosters as they roamed around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just after 7:00pm we finally convinced everyone to come out and explore Miami. The weather was still raining off and on but it was our only chance to see the city. It was not raining so we walked around the back yard and checked out the area, then got in the car. As we drove to Miami Beach it rained almost the entire drive. Tavis navigated us to Raising Cane\u2019s for dinner. We found a parking garage a few blocks away. As we parked, the sun was peaking through and it was a very cool sunset between the buildings. The entire sky had a yellowing glow as if we were all wearing tinted sunglasses. It was a nice dry walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we arrived at Raising Cane\u2019s, there was a long line up and it was very loud. They had a live DJ and you could barely hear each other. Dinner was really good though! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After dinner we walked back to the car checking license plates along the way. We stopped at a couple souvenir shops. When we left the parking lot we drove along Miami Beach and were surprised at how lively it was. There were outdoor restaurants and eateries and hotels across from the beach. There were a lot of people lining the streets. It was a neat vibe. After leaving Miami Beach, it started to rain again briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We returned home just after 9:00pm and for the first time this trip we all sat on the couch and watched TV. We introduced the kids to Columbo before we all went to bed \ud83d\ude01.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I woke up this morning just before 7:00am with a glimpse of the sun rising through a crack in the bedroom curtains. we have been very fortunate with the weather so far. Tavis and I went out around 8:00am to find coffee. By chance, we found a cute little bagel shop and we got a … <\/p>\n