Krusemark Family: Ft. Lauderdale Trip

Brad and I arrived at the airport on the morning of July 1st to find that our tickets had somehow been cancelled. We got sent to three VERY long lines. By the time we got to the front of the line and told our story, that person would tell us to go to a different line. Each person told us that the tickets were cancelled online by us on June 4th. "I can assure you that they were not cancelled by us, I told the woman." After about an hour of searching and long lines, one of the ticket agents finally called someone...that person on the other end of the phone was able to find our lost tickets. We caught our outgoing flight just in time.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 3:00, got our rental car and then went to our hotel. Our hotel was just minutes from the airport and located directly on the beach. We checked into our hotel, checked out the view (cruise ships coming and going) and then went to get a bite to eat. AWE...TIME TO RELAX!!

That afternoon, we called our favorite snorkeling hangout in Key Largo (Sundiver) to make reservations for the next day. Brad made reservations for the 9:00 am tour. UGH...The snorkeling company requires everyone to be there an hour ahead of time, which means that we had to get up by 6 am because it's about an 1 - 1 1/2 hr drive to Key Largo (depending on traffic and road construction). We got up around 5:30 am that morning, grabbed our snorkeling gear, and headed south!

The boat takes you out to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The water was so warm and clear. We got to see a giant lobster, a crab, tons of tropical fish and Brad swears that he saw a sea urchin. I tried to get pictures with our underwater camera but only a few turned out.

On our way back into shore, our tour guide pointed out some of the highlights of the Key Largo Intercoastal. We rode past the house where Julia Robers filmed "Sleeping with the Enemy."

It rained during our drive back to the Ft. Lauderdale area and it never stopped for the next 4 days. It stopped just enough for the sun to poke its head out of the clouds on our last morning. We got about one hour of sunshine that last day and then it poured the rest of the day. Our flight left around 6:30 pm. We actually went to the airport around 1:00 to see if we could catch an earlier flight...but no such luck.

Despite all of the rain, we got to spend some time with our great friends Michael, Liz, Troy and Christine. Michael and Liz took us to the Southport Raw Bar which was located on the Intercoastal. We devoured some AMAZING "Old Bay" shrimp. OMG...this is to die for!!! YUMMY. I think we actually went back to eat here three times during our trip. We asked the waitress for the recipe! This place looked like a hole in the wall and we probably wouldn't have ever even stopped there if it weren't for Michael and Liz. If you ever get to the Ft. Lauderdale area, I highly recommend stopping at this place for some amazing shrimp.

We celebrated the 4th with Troy and Christine at a restaurant on A1A. We ate dinner and then decided to stay until the fireworks show later that evening. Ft. Lauderdale has a nice fireworks show where they blast the fireworks off of a few ships in the ocean.

Our hotel (Marriott Harbor Beach) was very nice, but they charged for every little detail. Each person was given a card for two towels at the beach. When you turn in your towels, then you get your card back. If you lose your card, it costs $25.

Brad and I decided to sit at the Tiki Bar on the beach one afternoon. We ordered two drinks, one hot dog and one sandwich. Our total bill was $67. Yes, you read that correctly...$67!!!! What a rip.

All in all...we had an amazing time. The rain actually forced us to stay in and relax. I can't wait to go back again soon!