Miami Beach Holiday in December

During the first week of finals in early December, I received a student scholarship to attend a conference in Daytona Beach, FL.  This trip meant several things:  warmer weather, the sun, and wonderful people to meet.  The conference was for only two days and it provided me an opportunity to not only learn about what's going on in rural health, but spend the weekend visiting old friends who live in an area of Miami Beach, commonly known as "SoBe."  After a heinous, five-hour drive (all due to the combination of geriatric retirees, tourists, and insane 'the Fast & Furious' wannabes) in myrental car from Daytona Bch to South Beach, I finally made it to our friend's, J, high-rise condo.  To my surprise, J's 7 months pregnant!  (I found out when we first hugged and I notice her pronounced belly.)  J wanted to surprise me and, boy, was I shocked!  The 'preggers bug' is going around, I informed J:  first her, then my sis-in-law...I kept the crossing my fingers in superstitious hopes that I won't catch 'whatever's lurking in the water making people pregnant.'

 J and her fiancé, Y, live on the 21st floor and, I swear, I felt an altitude nosebleed coming on while looking down from their balcony.  Beholding a breathtaking view, you could see the cruise and cargo ships at the Port of Miami.  I arrived late in the evening but 'SoBe' seemed to be crawling with partiers and frolickers.  The humidity and ocean breeze hit me when I (dressed in black sweats and jacket) stepped out of the rental car.  But all I wanted was to fall asleep...on the floor, if needed.

The following day was spent soaking in the view of ships going in and out of the Port, catching-up on 'girl talk' over Pizza Rustica pizza and Ghirardelli chocolate samples on the infamous Lincoln Ave line of restaurants and bars.  The Floridian sun was intoxicating and it didn't feel like Christmas season or even December:  there were wild lovebirds pecking at grass below a menorah and driedel made entirely of seashells and erected in the midst of the restaurant's large umbrellas.  Shortly after lunch and yogurt from Tasti D-Lite, J & I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by their condo's pool watching the sunset and cruise ships go out to sea.  Later that night, hubby arrived into MIA and just the two of us spent the rest of the evening and night in Beacon Hotel, an art deco hotel on South Beach.  Though the night hours were filled with middle-age drunk folk attempting to make it to their appropriate rooms, M + I spent a restful night in each other arms. 

The following morning, we woke up to bright sunshine and headed out for a walk in front of our hotel on Ocean Ave.  After a brisk stroll, we went back for breakfast and checked-out.  Arriving at J & Y's condo, J made us fantastical Cuban coffee, extremely strong and delicious espresso of which both M+ I are now in-love with.  The rest of the day, we visited the Miami Seaquarium and we may have gotten a slight sunburn from the "usual winter weather in SoBe."

On our last evening in Miami Beach, we watched the sunset from South Pointe Park and shared a sushi dinner at Hiro's Sushi Express on Washington Ave. with our gracious friends. 

M + I bid our farewells to J & Y and to each other, as we boarded separate planes:  me back to St. Louis and M to Washington, D.C.  The trip to Florida was a blessed reprieve for our long-distance marriage.  I got to spend time (even if for a moment) with my husband.  Every memory or moment I've shared with M, I am reminded of how little time we've had together during our first year of marriage.  In any case, my opinion of long-distance marriages remains the same:  regardless of how you attempt to sugarcoat it, they suck.