#instadan

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Meet your friendly new hotel lobby greeters! @princeparkersmythe and I! They have a comfy couch, okay?

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We had a great holiday season this year. It seemed to last a long time because we put up our decorations early so we could make the trip to Key West during Thanksgiving weekend. Now that our eldest child is the lone survivor of visitors, it's seemed to be a perfect time for a recap.

The two weekends leading up to Christmas we had a get togethers with our neighbors. These are always fun and make us so grateful we moved here in 2020 because we have become very close with this group. Not sure if it is the proximity of our ages or move in dates, or if it is merely due to Covid because were forced to be "confined" with these good people, but either way we sure do enjoy our time together with laughter, love, and libations!

Sandwitched in there was also our birthdays. As Dan gets 10 days of reminding Amy that they are the same age.

The week of Christmas started with the parade of guests on Christmas Eve with our son coming home from SoFlo. Christmas morning the rest of the family arrived with rosy cheeks. Our daughters arrived early in the morning and Nora (Ebaugh's roommate from Switzerland) came early afternoon and left in the evening to take care of the cats. We were lazy most of day, which started with mimosas and ended with the kids taking in the next round of "Stranger Things".

Friday started just like most days with coffee on the beach. This was followed by an afternoon trip to the mall for the ladies where they helped the struggling economy by inserting some Christmas cash. In the evening, we all went to the theater to see the latest Cameron creation, "Avatar: Fire and Ash". This was followed up by one of our favorite pizza joints and some quality time around the fire pit. All the family time allowed us to catch up on many topics of interest.

On Saturday, Dan tried his best to get Frooze fired up about the Penn State-Clemson game in the Pinstripe Bowl where they both are alumni, but she was more interested in the pool and beach on this beautiful weather day. Don't worry he rubbed it in her face after the results were finalized and Penn State was victorious. Ebaugh and Jo also made the best of the sunshine with a bike ride.

Sunday sent Ebaugh packing to get ready for him to return to his studies, but Amy, Dan, Frooze and Jo were able to witness the complete debacle of the Steelers at a local watering hole. Jo and Frooze left at halftime, but we stayed to confirm the rest of the shitshow.

The family reunion went by fast, but it's always so nice to reconnect. As we are all growing older, we only get a few times a year to be together as a unit so we try our best to make the most of it!

(Made with InstaDan)

When we moved to Florida in 2000, we always planned on making the trek to Key West. We finally made it down south!

Not only did we make it, but we seemed to do it the right way. Instead of driving over 6-hours through the traffic of Miami-Dade area, we hopped on a plane that took just a little over an hour to get to our vacation destination! Our friends Ian and Gina met us at the airport and we got a trouble-free VIP-ride to the fabulous Pier House Resort on Duval Street, the center of all the action. Soon after arrival and unpacking, we fulfilled Amy's goal of boating in the beautiful clear waters on an all-inclusive sunset cruise. Although the weather was a little chilled and the sunset was hidden behind a few clouds, we had a fabulous trip around the islands of Key West.

After getting back on land, we had to find out for ourselves what Duval Street was all about. We found out very quickly it is about drinking, more drinking, and of course, people-watching. We visited many of the typical Bars and Saloons: Hog's Breath for Live Entertainment, Smallest Bar for Key Lime Pie Shots, Irish Kevin's for Guinness, Whistle Bar for the view of the Street the best place to people-watch, Margaritaville for dinner, and Willie T's for our favorite spot to tip the walls with our signatures.

The next day we woke up and made the short trip to our fine, on-site restaurant to fill our bellies with breakfast by the water and the food was just as delicious as the views.

This Sunday Funday was all about Dante's. We spent the final day of Hurricane Season celebrating making it through yet another season unscathed by sipping Hurricane Drinks (amongst other adults beverages) by the only bar in town with a relaxing pool and an excellent view of the harbor.

After a day in the sun, we got back to the room to change for our night back in the activities of Duval (mentioned previously). We found a place to catch the Steelers game near Rick's Bar. Our old friends we met at the airport bar the day before suddenly showed up, paid for many rounds, and acquainted us with the family history of all with a common question of, "How many kids you got?" After a disappointing loss in the game, we decided to cheer ourselves up with more libations in more bars.

The next day was used to shop, get tattoos, and do all the touristy stuff. More to come on the tattoos, but we made it all the way across town on Duval to the "Southernmost Point" on the island. We braved the long line and rewarded ourselves with a drink at the bar of the same name, but needed help getting back closer to home.

The easiest way to get back was to summon a rickshaw, which we had never done and were surprised at how delightful the sightseeing trip was on our way back. Of course, a trip to Key West is not complete until you visit Sloppy Joe's. This is exactly where our rickshaw drivers dropped us off. We enjoyed lunch and entertainment as we rested our weary legs from our earlier travels by foot.

The rest of the evening/night was more of the same...drinks, drinks, and more drinks. This was only paused by the search for the perfect, buttery-soft sweatshirt or as it was soon called, "horse-tail hair sweatshirt" often substituted by many other "animals'-hair" inserted in, as needed. As the night finished up and the search was completed, so was the final evening in town.

The next morning we woke, packed, and got some breakfast before our long trip across many Keys back to the mainland. Many thanks to our tour guides and friends, Ian and Gina for planning the trip and many of the activities. But most of all, thanks for the vehicle to shuttle us around and back to our final destinations (after dropping Dan off at the ultra-confusing Miami Airport). We can't wait for our next trip!

Or Dan in this case!

As an added bonus for all my work travel, I've taken advantage by going to ball games at the client locations.

First visit was to the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. The game was the Reds vs the Rockies.

Next game was the Reds once again vs the Cubs. The was at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The swan song was in St Louis to see my Pirates vs the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

All the fans were great and welcomed me to their parks. The highlights were getting to see these beautiful ballparks in person and interacting with the different fans and even a couple mascots. The seats I picked were awesome. Sat in the same section at Ferris Bueller and close enough to cheer for Skenes although he wasn't pitching that night.

It was a great experience and I hope to continue this tradition!

The family made the trip from Florida to Charlotte and drove up to West Virginia this past weekend for our niece's wedding. Along the way, we got to see Frooze's new place in NoDa, a little part of Charlotte just to the north (hence the No) of Uptown.

We did a quick tour and had dinner to get a feel for the area. Her new place is perfect for her and for the first time she will be truly on her own.

The next day, we traveled through the mountains and arrived at our AirBnB just outside the New River Gorge, WV, where the festivities were all taking place. We were just a little pressed for time to check out the place and go over for the rehearsal dinner to meet up with the other friends and family members, but we made it with plenty of time.

The next day gave us a chance to really utilize the amenities of the AirBnB. The weather was perfect, and we took advantage by sitting around the unlit fire pit and catching a few college football games prior to the wedding.

Once everyone was finished getting pretty, we drove back over to the resort area for the wedding. The ceremony took place on an overlook of the river miles below and was gorgeous on all accounts. The bride and groom were the central feature of the beauty, but the location did not disappoint at all.

After the vows, there was time for light hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. Then dinner was served, followed by speeches and the raising of the glasses, but the highlight of the night was the filled dance floor that lasted a few hours and into the night. Pretty sure once the music started, the dancing did not stop until the DJ played the final song of the night.

The next day after a great night's sleep, everyone made it home. We all agreed we had an awesome time with our lovely family unit, and it was nice to see folks at the wedding and meet new members of the extended family. The travels home went smoothly, except for Ebaugh's delays and the Steelers game, which we caught at a bar close to the airport. Now we can rest our dance-worked and weary-traveled bodies.