Key West + Nassau

 Wow, what a trip! It was our first trip to Key West & honestly, it will not be our last. We will definitely be back. Even if this blog only has 3 or 4 posts you can see that I love Ernest Hemingway, so naturally my favorite leg of the trip was visiting his Key West home. It was brilliant! 6 toed cats & all. To be able to see where he wrote, where he lived, it was ...fulfilling. Bucket list item, checked off! It's funny, for a few months now Chris & I have talked about what we want for our next house (we basically have the entire place planned out, we just need it set in blueprints), but walking through the property all I could think is, "whatever I see I want reflected in my home." Hemingway, you had style.
The only thing that could have made it even better was to have Hemingway there to show us around himself. Everyone has their own stories about their house & things that have happened in or inspired by every room. To personally hear personal stories from Hemingway, a man of words, hold on I think I just died...


Chris & I had been to Nassau on our first cruise, our friends had never been but it's really nice to go anywhere when you have great company. The one real souvenir I would love to bring home from the Caribbean would be a bottle of Rum, however, no one seems to make bottles that look cool. You know what I mean? I don't really want one on my shelf when you can't tell if I got it in the Bahamas or off the shelf from the Liquor Store across the street. Give me one that looks like something Jack Sparrow would have carried & we are in business...  


Cruises are great. If you are a person who doesn't like to get in the car every time you want to go somewhere & would like to visit multiple places, that is definitely the route for you. I don't think I will ever get to talk Chris into a vacation that's not a cruise again ;)

Out to sea...

Putt Putt on the top deck is hard with all that wind, but I still dominated ;)

Best. Bar. Ever! Not that I've been to a lot, but they have the best sloppy joes & mojitos. This is a must if you are in Key West. 

I found it a little odd the streets were crowded with roosters early in the morning :)

(from left to right: Ashley, Daniel, Chris)

Bucket List ...check!

I was infatuated with the locks in Hemingway's home

The famous six toed cat(s)

There is nothing but love for this picture. There is nothing that I don't like about it :)

To stand where he stood...

Where genius was created...

Our boat with Carnival, the Fascination 

Kindle accompanied all though the Caribbean (hey Amazon, can I get a book credit for the plug ;D)

Sunset in Nassau

Where is it you are wanting to go? What's holding you back? Grab that passport, pack that suitcase, & go. Now, if I could just get myself to Cuba...

-Ash-

Best Thing I Ever Had...

First things first. 

Happy Birthday Ernest Hemingway! 

You were a fascinating man, a fantastic writer, & to pick your brain would have been mind blowing! I can't begin to thank you for what you have left behind for myself & something to share with my daughter as she gets older. You are brilliant. You push me. You inspire me. You're tragic end saddens me & my heart, but your work, your soul/passion is left with me & I'm inspired...

With that, Chris & I just got back from our trip that went through Key West & had a marvelous time, but I'll talk more about that later. Right now I just want to focus on one thing. Sloppy Joe's. More specifically, their Mojitos. Oh. My. Goodness. That was the best Mojito that I had on the trip ever!

So, my immediate thought is, "I have to know how to make this..." I did a search & found this recipe. I have yet to try it to make sure it was the right same one, but it's so good that I cannot delay in telling you about it. 

If you find yourself in Key West, please, stop by & make sure to order a Mojito, & a sloppy joe to go along with it. Chris claimed himself that it was the best sloppy joe that he has ever had (are you noticing a pattern?) ;)

(Mojito recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sloppy-Joes-Mojito-201094)

As you can tell it was pretty good. I didn't even have time to get a picture ;)

A New Adventure...

I can't believe this time next week we will be on a boat in the middle of the ocean. I am beyond ecstatic!!! Don't worry, we'll bring back pictures... & Rum ;)

We are the type of people that want to do so many things & don't know how to do it all or don't know what to do. The resume seems to keep growing. Writer. Musician. Computer Tech. Photographer. Jeweler. Baker... For the past 4 years I've been able to do one of the things I love, Photography. As everything does, it has its ups & downs, but it brought me joy. I love the fact that I am able to capture important & life changing moments for people, my friends, & my own family. To have that moment captured forever is one of the greatest things we have. Think about, when was the last time you walked into a home that didn't have a single photo in their home? Never. We love our families, friends, experiences, places too much to not remind ourselves of them on a daily basis. They help shape us into the person that we are today. 

Recently, Bella (my daughter) & I took a much needed vacation to the beach (as if there is any better vacation than the beach), but sadly Chris was not able to come with us. It was... different. Since we have been married we have never vacationed alone or even been apart that length of time (a week), so even though I got the breather I most definitely needed it felt a little lacking. We have a tradition that we always do when we're at the beach, we always take nighttime walks down to the pier & have artsy conversations on life & whatever we think of (I absolutely love those times), but this time I was left to talk to God & myself. I don't know if you ever talk to yourself but you should. You really find out new things about yourself & talk through things you're dealing with within yourself. Which was definitely what I needed...

For quite a few years I have had a certain "dream" that I always shoved to the back of the closet like a "special occasion" dress because I had myself believing that I couldn't do it because it would be too hard & all I would do is fail. Doesn't it suck that we are our own worst enemies... Well, as I walked along the wet sandy beach conversing with God & myself, I decided that it's time to take that first step. No, it wasn't the salty air just blowing the sound of crashing waves between my ears, I was "fo' real." Finally coming to that decision, it felt liberating & exhilarating, because I am finally "doing it."

Starting August I will be starting the journey that will eventually put me in the field of Marine Biology. I am so excited! 

I am so blessed to have a husband that is supporting & helping me through this big life decision.  

If you take anything from this post, please take this, "If you have a dream, don't push it to the side. Embrace it. Love it. Do it." 

...and my favorite...

-Ashley-