Vacation :)

So you might be wondering what took us to Port St. Lucie, FL. Florida in the middle of June...I know, right?? Blazing hot.

Here's the deal. Nathan and I were desperately trying to plan a trip that was some what economical, yet relaxing and fun. We were not trying to stay in a complete dump but we also realized that the income of a first year teacher and the debt of a medical school student weren't promising for an all inclusive resort in the tropics or anything. We were lucky enough to "know someone who knows someone" who let us use their beautiful condo in a lovely part of Florida.

Mr. Monaco has a client, Mr. Bauer, who was generous enough to let us use his place in Port St. Lucie. Their condo is located in the PGA Village. Surrounded by golfers, we didn't take part in much golfing ourselves (the card game was as close as we got). I think Nathan would have liked to golf, but I might have gotten kicked off the course for being such an ametuer. So, for peace of mind, we stayed off the fairways (and the greens, and not to mention away from sand traps, tree shots, etc!) as to not embarrass ourselves completely.

Although we didn't golf, we managed to keep busy doing exactly NOTHING for 3 days straight. When we got to the condo we were a bit intimidated by the beauty of it. The place was spotless and VERY accommodating. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, complete with kitchen and living area, and a screened in porch. They had bikes, clubs, racquets, a grill... You name it, and we had access to it. We took pictures of the condo (which you'll see in the album) as soon as we got there, as to be sure that we could put it back exactly the way we found it! Then we headed to Wal-Mart to grab groceries for our 3 day stay. Following the shopping our trip consisted only of the following:

- bike rides
- card games
- swimming
- catching rays
- reading
- eating

Day 1 and 2 we used the bikes a bit. The first day we mostly used them to explore and take a look around (and to search for The Island Club). Then after that only to get to the pool and back. The humidity was pretty intense so too much physical activity was looked down upon. :)

We played maybe 100 hands Skip-Bo, 2 person euchre, and golf. Most of our time at the pool wasn't too terribly windy and card games were in abundance. One night we were still out until about 9:00 in the middle of a hand of cards when the security gaurd had to kick us out.

Swimming was a must. There were two pools close to us (one easier to find than the other). One was part of Castle Pines, designated to the allotment in which we stayed. The other was call The Island Club. This pool proved to be a bit of a mystery to us for a day and a half. Nathan was determined to find the place (despite my slight irritation...!). Low and behold, we found it at 10:30 at night after AN HOUR of driving in circles in the dark. :) It was a point of contention for a bit, if you couldn't tell! It turned out that it was worth the search though. The Island Club was really pretty, had lap lanes, and was a bit more private than the other pool. So we hung out there for the rest of the trip. We stayed in the water a lot due to the heat. We found out that although Nathan can kick my butt at the whole running thing, my lap skills are a bit superior. :oP Truth is, you couldn't go too long without taking a dip. I was known even to take my book in the water...it was just super hot!

We did a FABULOUS job planning our meals for the few days. One box of cereal lasted us throughout with some toast on the side for breakfast. PB&J with fruit and Goldfish each day for lunch. Chicken salad for dinner on night #1, grilled bruscetta chicken on night #2. We ate out on the third night. Funny story, actually, we decided to go to a resaurant called Duffy's. (I think it's a chain, but seemed to be a favorite of the Bauer's.) We got there and were seated. We both looked at each other and realized that it was the first bit of human interaction we'd had all week. So, I guess it was good that we both enjoyed our time together, even without a break! :)

That was pretty much the trip. I tried the caption the pictures to tell a bit more of the story! Beware: the pictures are out of order because they came from two different cameras, so they may flip around a bit.

Click on the slideshow and it will enlarge.