Michele Visits Miami

The first week of April was a great one. Lots of things were happening, one of them being Michele visiting. The Fort Lauderdale Temple open house had begun and she made the trip to see it. Michele was here for a week. Even though I couldn't take time off, we were able to do tons in the mornings and evenings. It kind of felt like a stay-cation for us and reminded us of all the things we love about Florida. 

We took Michele to like a bazillion restaurants - no joke. I'm pretty sure I gained weight while she was here. Blaine was on an "install"  in Miami that week so he got all his meals paid for whenever he could join us (which was awesome). We took her to Rico Pan (traditional Colombian), 100 Montaditos (Spanish) in Midtown an area that has grown since she's left, Sergio's (Cuban), Vicky Bakery (Cuban pastries), Piola (Brazilian pizza), a nameless Cuban sandwich shop in Little Havana, Azucar (modern Cuban ice cream), Pollo Tropical (Caribbean fast food), Los Verdes (modern Colombian), Misha's Cupcakes (Oprah's favorite cupcakes) and the list goes on. It was a fun week for all of our taste buds! 

One night, we went to Serendipity3 in Lincoln Road. Serendipity is Michele's favorite movie so it seemed fitting. Rue came along and had a treat herself. We love how dog-friendly Miami is. 

Frozen hot chocolate 

poochini

We saw this while walking around - pup was getting a burger for his birthday!

We also went to Hollywood Beach and rode bikes on the broadwalk. It was tons of fun. I've been wanting to go ride bikes there since we've moved. I used to do this all the time growing up with my family.

On Saturday, we went to the beach. This was the first Saturday in over 8 weeks that I did anything not related to the temple cultural celebration. We had practice that morning really early so that it wouldn't interfere with General Conference so we had the rest of the day to go to the beach. We listened to General Conference from a little speaker. After the beach, we took Michele to Wynwood quickly so she could see how it's changed from a ghetto to a cultural city center. It was a great day. 

We need to get to the beach more often!  

Cuban sandwich drowning in papitas

Of course we have a beach tent so that Blaine won't burn and
Rue won't have a heatstroke!

Rue got in the water for the first time ever and swam! She was kinda freaking out, but got used to it and came in several times. We were so happy. 

Exhausted is an understatement

In front of a Wynwood "wall"

On Sunday before General Conference, we woke up bright and early to walk for Autism Speaks with my co-workers. I saw several of my patients and their parents. It was really moving to see so many people come out and support Autism awareness. The rest of the day, we watched General Conference and visited Tia's so that Michele could see the whole family.

On Monday morning, we went to the temple. I had already been inside once with my family the first day it was open. But it was nice to go again when it wasn't as packed with people. This tour guide also told us different information about the temple. The Angel Moroni weighs approximately 3 times more than other Angel Moronis to make sure it withstands hurricane winds! I thought that was pretty cool. It was also really neat to go the Fort Lauderdale temple, our temple, with Michele - someone who I never thought would embrace the gospel. I'll write more about the temple later. It is absolutely gorgeous. 

Mami came too!

It was a picture perfect day!

On the last day that Michele was here, we went to the Everglades. Michele had never been to the Everglades before, and as a fellow Floridian, I had to change that. I loved going to the Everglades when I was younger but hadn't been in over a decade. We went on an airboat tour (they provided earplugs - the speech assistant in me appreciated that) and saw several alligators, turtles, frogs, snakes, birds - you name it. I also loved seeing the mangroves and plant life that's unique to the Everglades. It's such a beautiful place! At the end of our tour, we saw an alligator show that was much more educational than dangerous which we appreciated and enjoyed. 

It was fun having Michele around. We had late-night talks filled with lots of laughter and also meaningful conversations. We caught up with what's going on in our lives and future plans. She filled me in with what's happening in Utah and made me miss it. Michele braided my hair almost everyday. She joined me and Rue in our daily walks. We listened to Power 96 on the radio and talked about how different Miami is compared to the rest of the U.S. Blaine drove Michele through every significant inch of Miami (something that I am so grateful he can do). We went shopping at Aventura and Dolphin Mall.  It didn't matter if we were watching a basketball game and stuffing our face for the night or if we were on an adventure, we had a great time every time and that's what true friends do. Michele and I have had our ups and downs, but I know that she is forever friend and I can attribute that to the gospel that brought us together. It was fun being her personal tour guide and hostess and I hope she can return again soon!