Pumpkin and Spice

This morning, after a healthy breakfast (frosted mini-wheats, Silk chocolate soy milk, coffee and an orange), we packed up the car and left our cabin in Key Largo to head south.

Our first stop was the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehab Center in Tavernier, FL. The Rehab Center rescues wild birds that have been injured. They care for them, and if the birds can be healed enough that they can be released into the wild, they release them. There are some birds that cannot survive in the wild, so they live at the center. It was a really unique chance to see a lot of native Florida birds up close. They must take great care of the birds, because this fellow in the picture was a "patient" at the center 12 years ago- and he migrates back to the center every winter!

After the bird center, we drove farther south to Islamorada, where we stopped at The Theater of the Sea. Theatre of the Sea is a 17 acre aquatic wildlife facility. Most of the animals there, like at the Wild Bird Rehab Center, have been injured. If the animals can be rehabilitated to the point that they can be released to the wild, they are released. They also breed and study dolphins, sea lions and sharks. Mom and I even got to pet a baby nurse shark!Between the Theater and the Rehab Center, today's visits emphasized the care we need to show the animals and environment around us. Many of the animals' injuries were caused by humans- some of the wild birds were hooked by fishermen, one was shot in the wing with a bb. At the Theater, one of the sea turtles had been caught in a net, and had to have two of her fins removed, another had been injured with a boat propeller. We certainly don't need to quit enjoying our oceans and nature, but we do need to be mindful of the wildlife that we share the land with.

Also in Islamorada was the Diving Museum. Now, Mom, Kyle and I are not scuba divers (heck, we rarely even go to the beach!) but the Diving Museum was absolutely fascinating! They had an impressive array of modern and historical diving equiptment, and presented the history of underwater diving. We were all a little unsure at first how much we would take from it, none of us being divers, but we all felt like we learned a lot, and were really glad we decided to stop by!

I was getting a bit of a headache and was starting to wind down after all of our day's activities, so I was glad to head on down to our resort in Marathon. I took a much needed nap, and then we went out to get some dinner and watch the sunset at Island Fish Company. The restaurant is totally open on all sides, with a tiki-hut style palm frond roof. It looks out on the gulf, and we were able to enjoy the cool, refreshing ocean breeze while watching the sun setting. Dinner was very nice. My meal came with a house salad- it was mixed greens with lots of fresh veggies. Kyle started with a spicy bowl of conch chowder.

After his chowder, he had a yummy looking ceasar salad.

For dinner, I had a simple grilled red snapper with lemon, some summer squash and zuchini and rice. I ate all the veggies, about half of the fish and only about two bites of rice.

Mom had a chef salad with a twist- instead of turkey and ham, it had crab and shrimp! Yum!

After dinner, the three of us split a slice of key lime pie. As I said before, more on that later.

Since I started classroom classes at school, I've been sitting more and moving less, so I've noticed a few extra pounds creeping on... I've been trying to be mindful of my food on the trip- splitting dessert with Mom and Kyle, ordering steamed, baked or grilled foods, skipping heavy sauces, &c. I've also been trying to get back on track with my workouts- throwing my back out kind of threw a wrench in the works, but I've been trying to walk on the treadmill in place of jogging (which the doctor nixed for the next couple weeks.) Once I get to Utah, I plan on joining up at a gym, so hopefully, you'll start seeing a slimmer Pumpkin. Anyway, I digress... tonight, we hit the pool, where I swam laps for about 25-30 min, and then soaked a bit in the hot tub to relax.

Tomorrow, we're heading onwards to Key West, and we have lots of fun things planned! I'm not positive if tomorrow's hotel will have internet, but if it does, I'll see you then!